Quarter 3 BM(The Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay)-we had to pick a character from “The Odyssey” and  a movie or book that had a character that acted just like the one you had to pick and compare , contrast them.

 

 

  Penelope and Penny are the same character in different situations. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus in the book” The Odyssey”, Penny is the same character but in the movie. Penny and Penelope have a lot of similarities that all connects to their husbands Odysseus in the book “The Odyssey” and Everett in the movie “O brother where art thou”. Penelope and Penny are married to men of adventure, the ways they handle their relationship reveals the kind of woman they are.

 

     Penelope and Penny are woman connected to Odysseus and Everett. Two men were unheard of for years. When, Eurycleia (the old nurse) told Penelope that Odysseus came back from his journey, she didn’t believe her, and she said “the gods have made you mad. They have that power putting lunacy into the clearest head around”. (Page 455, line 12) This shows that Odysseus was away for so long that Penelope made herself think that her husband was not coming back.  The old nurse told her more information Odysseus and him disguised as a beggar, Penelope started to believe her, but she still needed to prove that, the beggar was really her husband Odysseus. Penelope believed the nurse but at the same time was unsure. When Everett and Odysseus comes unexpectedly back to his old town where Penny and Penelope lives, Penny moved on without Everett, by moving on she told her children that Everett (their father) that he got hit by a train. Penny even got engaged with a suitor. Everett tried to tell Penny everything that happened, how he wanted another chance, but being gone so long Penny just didn’t want to hear it after a while. Sooner Penny forgave him and they got engaged. In both of these scenarios Penelope and Penny reveal that they are some what forgiving wives towards their husbands even though they were away for years.

 

  Penelope and Penny handle their relationships differently.  When Penelope finds out   by the old nurse that Odysseus was disguised as a beggar, she wanted to prove that it was really Odysseus. She finds out that it was Odysseus when she tells Eurycleia to move the sturdy bedstead out of the their bridal chamber. Odysseus replies by saying “Woman-your words, they cut me to the core! Who could move my bed, impossible task, even for some skilled craftsman.”(Page 461 line 205) that’s when she knows its him. There relationship picks up from where they left it years ago. Neither does she ask Odysseus questions that might tear up there relationship/marriage. When Everett comes back he too wants to start where he left off with Penny. Penny wasn’t very forgiving at first; she didn’t want to give him a chance. When she finally gives him a chance to re-marry Everett, she wants her husband to get her old ring, as long as he doesn’t get her old ring she won’t marry him. Penny is somewhat of a selfish person; if she doesn’t get her way then everyone else suffers with her. It seems like Everett tries to make Penny happy, but it always fails. Its like Penny sees his effort but, until everything is perfect and the way she wants it to be then, everyone will suffer with her. The movie Penny is the same person, who knows her husband Everett is trying his best to please her, but still pushes him away. Unlike Penny, Penelope changes during the book “The Odyssey”, she is at first hopeless, because she couldn’t do anything with her life because the suitors were over powering her, then towards the end Penelope had power, and she was more confident.

 

 How Penelope sees waiting for Odysseus is, after years when her husband doesn’t come back form his adventure she decides to marry a suitor who can bow-and arrow like Odysseus. She says “all day long I indulge myself in sighs and tears as I see to my tasks, direct the house hold woman. When night falls and the world lies lost in sleep, I take to my bed, my heart throbbing about to break anxieties swarming, piercing. She wants to marry a man similar to Odysseus. Penelope obviously misses Odysseus; she thinks he’s dead so she wants to replace him with a man who is just like him.  Penny on the other hand marry’s a suitor and tells her daughters that their father got hit by a train. Honestly Penny, seemed like she fully moved on from Everett, and blocked him out from her life.  Penny hardly changes through out the movie. At the beginning she doesn’t care about her husband coming back, neither does she want to have a conversation with him. Towards the end, she’s the same. Penelope and Penny might be based on the same situations, but their attitudes toward their husbands are different.

    Penny and Penelope are both connected by their husbands (Everett and Odysseus). They are mostly different, not much alike because of their attitudes towards their husbands Penelope changes through out the book, a woman who is afraid to over power, but begins to feel her power strengthening once Odysseus comes back from his 20 year journey. Penny hardly changes she ignores her husband Everett, stays that same way towards the end even when she gets back together with Everett she has no feelings for what her husband does to make her happy. Even though Penny and Penelope are based off of the same book “The Odyssey” they are different in many ways. Though Penny and Penelope go through the same situation with their husbands not being there for years, they learn to be powerful, strong and forgiving women at the end.

 

Quarter 1 - we had to make a Magazine about about ourselves , and write about topics that related to our topic that we picked.

Quarter 4 BM(Independent Reading Review Project)-We had to read an independent book of our choice then write a 2-3 page book review about the book you read.

 

  Pure by Terra Elan McVoy. Pure is a great book for teenage girl audiences. It’s a fun, fast read. The book describes the conflicts that teenage girls face everyday in today’s society.

    This book is about a girl named Tabitha and her four best friends who made a promise to God to not have sex until they’re married. Because they’re teenagers who are in high school, that means boyfriends which leads on to sex. It all started at their church dance when Tabitha has a crush on this guy named Jake. Tabitha and Jake become closer through out the story and they go out on dates and parties while her best friend Morgan and her grow apart.  On the other hand her friend Morgan who is in love with her boyfriend, tells Tabitha a secret, which is they had sex.  Tabitha had to let that settle, and then she becomes to accept Morgan and they become closer friends again.

   The main characters in the story are Tabitha and Morgan they go through having to deal with decisions. Decisions that could change there friendships forever. There are conflicts between Tabitha and Morgan, which is person vs. person, and trust. My favorite character in the book is Tabitha because she is the only character that stays true to her self and keeps that promise to not have sex before she’s married even through in the middle of the story she has a boyfriend. Even when times get rough between her and her friends, she’s the one who tries to make it all better. What readers should take away from the book is to make wise decisions. For example Morgan didn’t make a wise decision to keep the promise to God and not have sex.

   Even though I never got a promise ring I can still relate to Tabitha , if I had a promise ring , and a boyfriend at the same time, I would make the same choices as her , because if I were to make that kind of promise then I would keep it.

  Yes , I liked the book once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down until I finished reading it. It was such a great book , most books I read, I pick it up and read  bits at a time unlike the book Pure. The strengths of the book is how the author explained things and she didn’t make the book boring.  If I could change something in the book it would be for Morgan not to grow away from Tabitha and her other two best friends because they could of prevented Morgan from having sex with her boy friend or at least gave her some advice. Another thing that I would change would be for all of Morgan’s three best friends to be  there for her , instead of just Tabitha. The reason why I say that , because it would send a message out that even when one of your best friends make a bad choice the friends that you love are still their for you.

   Yes I would recommend this book to other teenage girls because it’s a great book and at the same time you learn something by reading “Pure”.

 

 

 

 

 

  

        

 

 

 

      By looking through my work this year, I hope readers notice the growth I've gone through- both in writing and as a person- as I have. Looking back, I can see that my strengths are essay's and not creative writing, so I hope to grow more still by becoming better at writing creatively. I was very surprised to see, first, the amount of work I've done and forgotten about, and second, the change I can see evident in my writing. Going back through my work was one of the most interesting projects I've had to do all year.I am most proud of my Odyssey Persuasive Essay, because I try to prove an opinion that most people didn't share, and I enjoyed the challenge.



1) Macbeth Character Analysis:     This was one of the first projects I did for the year. I'm glad it was, because somewhere along the line I completely forgot to write a conclusion. Besides that, I think I did well for a project at the beginning of the year. The project had me go very deep into the macbeth as I needed to map out his transformation throughout the book. Looking back on my writing style, I can see how far I've come from the beginning of the year. So here it is, Macbeth's Transformation, fully corrected and with a conclusion paragraph.

 
Macbeth started out as a loyal friend and subject but was then transformed into an evil tyrant.
 
In Act 1 scene 2 of Macbeth, a captain comes into the throne room bleeding from multiple wounds. He has just arrived from a battle between the royal army and a group of rebels in which the royal army emerged victorious. He stumbles up to king Duncan and informs him on the outcome of the battle, then says this about Macbeth “For Brave Macbeth – well he deserves the name – distaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” (Act 1, scene 2, page 4) Macbeth was the hero of this battle, showing his courage in battle by killing the enemy everywhere he went. Macbeth has earned the trust and admiration of the king and the other Thanes; through doing this he has proven his loyalty to his kingdom. At this point in the play Macbeth is as loyal as a man can be, but that is about to change.
Later, in Act 1, scene 2, king Duncan receives the news that the Thane of Cawdor betrayed him and helped the enemy to organize this battle. He decides to go after the Thane and promote Macbeth to the position of Cawdor, so he says. “What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath gained.”(Act 1, scene 2, page 6)  Now that the old Thane of Cawdor has been taken care of the noble Macbeth will succeed him. In promoting Macbeth King Duncan sets off a chain of events that lead to his own death. This is because by promoting Macbeth he confirms the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will be promoted to Thane of Cawdor, then become king.
In Act 1 scene 5, Macbeth writes to his wife about the witches’ prophecy that he will become Thane of Cawdor, and then King and how shortly after he was promoted the first part of the prophecy came true. His wife is excited, she interprets the witches’ prophecy to be an invitation to kill king Duncan, she and Macbeth start to form a plan to make the second part of the prophecy come true. After listening Macbeth says, “We will speak further”(Act 1, scene 5, page 18). He wants to be king but doesn’t have the time to talk. Lady Macbeth then tells him not to worry and to leave everything to her to set up. This is significant in his transformation as it is the first time he considers what he will need to do to become king.
In act 1 scene 7, Macbeth has king Duncan over for dinner; in the middle of the feast Macbeth goes to a private room and debates whether or not he should kill king Duncan. Lady Macbeth then has to come in and blackmail him into wanting to go through with it. Macbeth then says this“ I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show; false face to hide what the false heart doth know.”(Act 1, scene 7, page 23) He is ready to kill king Duncan, and advises his wife to pretend not to be plotting the death of their king. Macbeth is now moments away from his attempt on the life of Duncan. He is ready to take charge, start killing, and start to turn away from being a loyal subject.
In Act 2 scene 2, Macbeth has just killed Duncan. He comes to his wife, shaking and says, “I have done the deed, did though not hear a noise?“ (Act 2, scene 2, Page 27) He is very nervous because after he actually killed the king he starts to wonder whether or not he should have done it and he imagines how easy it would have been for someone to wake up and discover him. He’s made mistakes and not followed the plan so Lady Macbeth starts to panic and takes over. This was Macbeth's first kill, and because of the influence of the prophecy and his wife this first kill will make all the rest easier and more justifiable.
In act 3 scene 1, Macbeth believes that Banquo might realize that he murdered Duncan. So he sends murderers to take care of him and his son. After meeting with the murderers he says “Banquo, thy souls fight, if find heaven, must make it out tonight”(Act 3, scene 2, page 45). If Banquo is going to die then he needs to do it tonight. This marks to point at which Macbeth truly loses his old self. He was willing to kill his best friend, and an innocent child in order to keep himself safe. He is no longer a friend to anyone.
In act 4 scene 1,Macbeth realizes that other people know that he murdered Duncan so he goes to consult the weïrd sisters “I conjure you by that which you profess, howe’er you come to know it, answer me.” (Act 4, scene 1, page 64) He wants to find out all he can about what the future will hold for him, because he thinks that he will be able to defeat his enemies by knowing it. Macbeth is putting complete faith in the thing that is destroying him and turning him into the twisted, evil person that she is.
In act 4, scene 3 Malcolm and Macduff meet in England, at first they suspect each other of murdering Duncan, but then decide that the other is trust worthy and agree that Macbeth is the enemy, “But Macbeth is”. (Act 4, scene 3, page 73) They say that Macbeth is a tyrant and is poisoning the kingdom. Macbeth has now turned friends into enemies and has transformed into a worse version of the Thane of Cawdor before him.
In act 5 scene 3, everyone knows that Macbeth killed Duncan in order to become king. When a servant enters his room, but does not speak quickly enough Macbeth starts to yell “The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon! Where got’st thou that goose look?” (Act 5, scene 3, page 87). He then goes on to say that 10,000 soldiers are on their way to the castle and Macbeth wants to send out soldiers to skirt the country and hang all those who might help the soldiers on their way. This decision is beyond all reason and could only be thought up by a ruler who has lost his mind.
In act 5 scene 7, Macbeth knows that the army of soldiers is coming to kill him. But is either to stubborn or crazy to give up “They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly. But bearlike I must fight the course. What’s he that was not born of woman? Such a one am I to fear, or none.” (Act 5, scene 7, page 94). They have trapped him with nowhere to go but he still wants to fight back. He probably knows he is going to die but by now his lust for power clouds his vision to the point where he doesn’t care.
          At this point macbeth's Transformation is complete and fully evident. He has betrayed his friends and allies and turned from a loyal servant to a monster. He was pushed over the edge by his wife, but once he got going he didn't stop. He started out killing for the king, for a just cause. But ended by killing women and children to gain power for himself.

2) Memoir Vignette:
     This project was inspired by a canoe trip I took as an incoming 7th grader. I had to write a four page short story about it and include writing tricks like humor, simile's, and magic three. Looking back on it, the writing style seems forced and awkward. I honestly hope I've grown since then. But here it is in all its glory, "Out of the Country Without a Passport"  

     I had just started summer break after 6th grade when my mom asked me,(Opener)
“How would you like to go on a week long canoe trip in a few weeks? (Dialogue)
As I hadn’t done much camping at that point in my life I said that I definitely would.
She had found this camp, in the way of most things like this, through a friend. (Humor)This friend had a husband who had gone on a boating trip as a counselor and had seen a group of  people who were part of this camp. So my Mom looked into it, signed me up, then asked me. (Magic 3)
I didn’t care much that she had signed me up before asking, it wouldn’t be far from home, and it sounded like fun, I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
     So, when the day of the trip arrived, me and my dad got up early in the morning to drive me to the house of a friend who was also going. When I got there, me, my friend, and another kid who I didn’t know got into the car of this friends dad and  shared the small space with enough comic books to last us several trips to the moon (by car).(Hyperbole) None of these comic books were mine, but when we got to the campsite I was familiar with a lot more characters than I had been previously.
     I arrived at the campsite to some surprising news. My other two friends and I (I can now refer to the other kid in the car as a friend. It’s amazing how long car rides bring people together) (Humor) represented half of the campers going on this trip. There were six of us. Besides us, there were three counselors, but I’m not going to call them “counselors” in this story because they only ever cooked for us, so from now on they will be called, “cooks” or “night watchmen”.
     After a small lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs we set out in our canoes, each holding a rower, a steer-er, and suitcases belonging to the campers. (Magic 3)We rowed for an hour or two, then landed on a small island that looked like it had been a sandbar foremost of its life.(Simile/personification) After setting up camp- at the highest point possible- (Humor) we introduced ourselves. The two friends I mentioned before both live deep in Mount Airy and read for half of every day, (Hyperbole) besides them, there was a girl who lived in a large suburb, and whose father apparently owned most of it. (Humor) There was a boy a little older than I was who camped a lot but had huge problems with boy scouts (Humor). The last girl I can’t remember much about, but my impression of her is that she spent most of her time on her cellphone, which was one of the few items on the “DO NOT BRING” list for the trip (Humor). We were an interesting group, early on the rich girl developed an obsession with the boy, but he hated her (do we see a theme here?) (Humor) so every time he did or said something that would send a normal girl into a rage she would take it out on me. The week was full of wild screams and overturning canoes (Metaphor). Me, my two book fiend friends, and the boy on one side and rich girl and texting girl on the other. (I should point out that texting girl wasn’t on rich girl’s side because of thoughts on what was going on with the rest of us. It was because she didn’t care and she was the only one who wouldn’t whack rich girl on the head when she tried to go after me)
Each day after breakfast we packed up and set out for the next campsite, once we got there we would unpack, eat lunch, then explore (Magic 3).
     The mornings were always the same, with me stumbling out of bed with bruises from sleeping in a tent, then eating quickly before setting off again .It was in the afternoons when we needed to entertain ourselves.
Building structures with sand, exploring, and making up random songs (Magic 3) were the main things we did. If those didn’t sound fun, we would go to our default. Burning things (Humor).
This sort of fun was new to me, I had never before needed search this hard for entertainment or something to do because I always had computers, television, and I lived in a big city (Magic 3).I never knew that planning things to do for a week could be so hard, by the fourth day I resolved to ask my parents how they planned our vacations. I needed to adjust myself to a new way of life three hours from where I lived.
After a day of doing whatever  it was we felt like, be it swimming, fishing, or- onone occasion- throwing rocks at each other (Magic 3/Humor). We would sit around the campfire and burn  stick, burn leaves, burn apples and even burn small fish (Rep for effect/ Humor) to keep ourselves occupied as the cooks made dinner. During the trip this was the place where I felt most at home, the heat of the fire was comforting, and it felt like the thing that drove me forward through the day looking towards the time I could relax. It was the point at the end of the day when everyone really got along well.
     When the trip was finally over and we’d burnt our last goodbye (Metaphor/ Humor) I went home, and when my mom asked
“So, was it fun?”  (Dialogue)
I told her about all the great fun we had and the songs we made up and the objects we burnt (Magic 3). I said that I’d had a lot of fun and thanked her for telling me about it.
     But it wasn’t until much later, after a trip to Africa, when someone would ask me how I liked the trip, I said the same sort of things I’d said after the canoe trip. I went on a seventeen hour flight to have the same great time a three hour drive brought me (Realization).

3) The Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay:
     Here is my compare and contrast essay, where I gave evidence as to why Odysseus and Poseidon are so similar in character. I enjoy looking back on this piece because the idea I had was a little different from the way most people thought of the relationship between the two character in "The Odyssey". Wile most people thought Odysseus was the complete opposite of Poseidon, I set out to prove the traits they shared.


     Not many people consider Poseidon and Odysseus to be similar in character. In fact, Odysseus is widely considered to be more like Athena, Poseidon's rival and direct opposite. But there is plenty of evidence to contradict this. Odysseus and Poseidon react in the same way during many different situations. After Odysseus blinded his son, Poseidon made Odysseus's life miserable, and when Odysseus finally returned home, he discovered how the suitors had treated his wife and son and killed every last one of them. The only huge difference is that Odysseus needs to fear death. Odysseus and Poseidon are both protective of their family, powerful, and proud. But Odysseus knows when strength isn't the way forward; he is mortal so he knows that in order to stay alive he needs to use a combination on strength and brains. He is the embodiment of the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena.
        Both Odysseus and Poseidon are protective when it comes to family, and are quick to kill or disgrace anyone who dishonors one of their own. When Odysseus finally gets home to Ithaca and learns of the suitors defying his house and name, he is quick to learn all who betrayed and disgraced him in his absence “Go now, gather crusts from all the suitor, and test them, so we can tell the innocent from the guilty" (The Odyssey: pg.366 line 397-398). This shows that he stops at nothing, even killing women if they disgraced himself and his wife Penelope to defend his honor and family. In the same way, Poseidon answered the curse invoked by the Cyclops when Odysseus blinded him "Hear me Poseidon, god of the sea blue main that rocks the earth. If I really am your son and you claim to be my father, come grand that Odysseus, raider of cities, Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithaca never reaches home" (The Odyssey: pg.228 line 585-590). Because of what Odysseus did to his son, Poseidon continuously drove Odysseus off coarse forcing him miles and years away from home; he was only spared his life because Athena took pity on him. Poseidon and Odysseus both went to somewhat ridiculous ends to humiliate the people who harmed their family.
     Even though Odysseus and Poseidon have great devotion to their families, they also each have a trait that can sometimes mask their love for the people close to them. They are both very proud, with a need to get themselves the most glory they can and uphold the honor they've earned. Odysseus shows this when he is heading straight through the path of Scylla. Instead of speeding himself through with only a few deaths in his crew, he has to put on his armor and stand ready to fight "So I shouted. They snapped at each command, no mention of Scylla - How to fight that nightmare?" (The Odyssey: pg.278 line 241-242). He did this so he could try to kill Scylla, even though he knew it would cost him a lot of men he wanted to have the glory of killing something to unreachable for any other mortal man. Similar to this, in the legend of Poseidon and the walls of Troy; when Poseidon is threatened and refused money for assisting in building the walls of Troy by the king at the time he becomes furious and floods the countryside. Then set upon the walls with a sea monster. He needed to do this because the king offended his pride.
     Odysseus may be prideful, but he knows when he can't get out of a situation with strength alone. He recognizes that he needs to take care of himself so he can get back to his family. In the Cyclops’s cave he tricks the Cyclops into drinking extremely concentrated wine to make him slow, because he knows that they won't be able to open the cave if the Cyclops is dead "Here, Cyclops, try this wine - to top off the banquet of human flesh you've bolted down" (The Odyssey: pg.222 line 388-389). This shows that he can think on his feet and uses his brain when he can't use his sword. Poseidon is the opposite, because he never takes the smart way out, and uses his powers to destroy his enemies in the most humiliating ways. He doesn't ever recognize that he is outmatched, because the worst that can happen to him is a tiny bit of pain or a short term punishment. Being a god, he doesn't worry about that sort of thing, and he doesn’t think it’s important to try to take care of beings that aren’t necessarily as powerful or immortal as he is. Poseidon is constantly trying to overthrow Zeus or get the best of Athena, and even though he almost never succeeds he always tries again later because he doesn't know the meaning of defeat and can't recognize when he is being arrogant or repetitive. He doesn’t understand compassion for others, and lets his instincts for power and pleasure rule his life.
     It cannot be denied that Odysseus and Poseidon are very much the same. They have gone to every extent to protect their family and their pride cannot be matched. But Poseidon doesn't know when to stop, and goes to far when Odysseus would have stopped. Poseidon is a god, so he doesn't have to worry about death, and twenty years means nothing to him. Odysseus has to stay alive, even if it is just to protect his family and get back home. He knows that he needs to use his head instead of his sword sometimes because he cannot risk death the way Poseidon can. If Odysseus were a god with no worries about dying or family he would act the same as Poseidon.

4) Macbeth Creative Project:
     This game was made as my creative project during the Macbeth unit this year. I used a program called Scratch to make it, and posted it on the Scratch website. I remember having a lot of fun making it, even though I spent hours each day for a week to finish it just in time. The game follows Macbeth through his transformation, and includes the quotes I used to in my essay. The link to the game is here:

5) Independent Reading Project 1:
     To do this project, I needed to choose a book to read, then write a review of it. The book I chose is called "It Happened in Boston" by Russel H. Greenman. It is a book about a mentally unbalanced man and the situations he gets himself into, but you can read more about that in the actual review.


The author of “It Happened in Boston” is a man named Russel H. Greenan. This was his debut novel and he went on to write “Nightmare”, “The Queen of America”, “ The Secret Life of Algernon Pendleton”, “Heart of Gold”, “ The Bric-a-brac Man”, “Keepers”, “Can of Worms”, “Doomsnight”, and “Glamour Doom”., all of which were published and made famous around the world.
It happened in Boston is from the point of view of a man (who goes unnamed) who tells
about his life as a painter, and eventually, a killer. From the beginning, the reader can tell that this man is unbalanced because he explains that he can sit down and transport himself to any time period he wants by closing his eyes. Also, because he is suspicious of pigeons spying on him so he poisons some bread and puts it on the windowsill. There is a lot of conflict in the story, both inside the main character and with others due to the characters twisted mental condition. To name a few, his wife, an art dealer, and a sickly insurance manager.
He is an extremely talented artist, and creates many works of art that are approaching, if not equal to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. The problem, at first, is that he can never seem to catch a break, so doesn’t get much money. When someone finally does start to pay him for his paintings, they end up involving him deeply in art forgery and steal his wife. That’s when he loses his mind.
My favorite character in “It Happened in Boston” would have to be the unnamed protagonist. His journey really picks up on human emotion and how we react when betrayed on every turn. Another thing I enjoyed about this character was that, even though I knew what he did was insane he seemed to approach his conclusions logically and never acted unbalanced.
Although he was my favorite character in the story, I don’t think I can relate to him. I’m not a bad artist, but I wouldn’t consider doing it professionally. (SPOILER) I’ve never killed anyone, let alone seven people as a sacrifice to meet and overthrow god. Also, I don’t suffer from paranoia or depression, so I can’t say I know what that feels like.
I love this book; right from the beginning I could tell that it would be interesting because you don’t know what is true and what is the crazy ranting of a madman, so it pays to make predictions and assumptions because they will help you make sense a weirdly played out story. I also enjoyed learning about all the complexities that go into painting a portrait, or carving a statue.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to early readers, because in all honesty it would turn them off reading for a very long time. However, If the reader is experienced and is prepared for many hours sitting in a chair mumbling just to make sense of the storyline then I think they will enjoy this brain twister immensely.

6) Four Journal Entries:
     These are four journal entries that I've written through out the year. It's interesting to look back on them because they document my daily life at different parts of the year and all the ways I've changed. They are all free write, so looking through my journal, I found a couple lengthy entries about how I don't like writing journal entries. But the pieces I've chosen for this show my writing at different parts of the year. I can't say I'm proud of the amount of dead words present.

1)
     My first week was great! I had a great time this week but I'm still really exhausted. It was a long week and there have been a lot of things to take in, I've enjoyed all of it.
     The only thing I'm not happy about is how long it will take to get our laptops. After we get them, life will be a lot easier.
     I enjoy the atmosphere of the school and I feel like I know everyone already.

2)     
     Because of my past actions most people expect nothing but the best from me. This puts a lot of pressure on my head because it makes me feel like I have a responsibility to keep up with those expectations. So I feel frustrated if I don't do well on something. It makes it way easier to disappoint people. It feels good to help people but sometimes I wish i wasn't the person that everyone went to for help. It would be great if there was someone with that responsibility.

3)
      I had a lot of fun over break, I even enjoyed shoveling my massive driveway when it finally snowed. I was able to balance work with relaxation relatively well, with a day of homework, then a day of rest. A little before new years day some friends of my parents came over from Cleveland, so we spent a few days in center city walking around playing tourist. But we also had a fair amount of time doing nothing at home.
     At the moment I'm working on m spanish 4 benchmark. The work isn't hard, all we need to do is review a movie we watched before break, then choose a soundtrack to go along with a few scenes.

4)
     A good story teller is someone who can make whatever story they are telling feel alive and make it connect to the listener. The Odyssey Kicks off with a bit of foreshadowing on what happens at the end of the story. The Main characters so far are Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, and Odysseus.

​Throughout our year as ninth graders in Ms.Dunn English class, we have wrote Journals. Our Journals are about many different things and our opinions on them. We could either do a free write and just write what comes to mind or how we were feeling, or we could answer the journal prompt that was written on the board for us to answer. Our Journals would also relate to a story that we are reading as a class. Below are my top four Journals that I really enjoyed writing.

What are people’s expectations of you? What are your own? Some of the expectations put on me by others are to be mature, responsible, peaceful, hardworking, to know how to do almost any and everything, and to always be blithe. These are not expectations I put on myself though. I live by the expectations I have for myself and not the expectations other people have of me. The expectations I have for myself are to not let little things ruin my day, to set an example for everyone, act my age not my shoe size, and to stay positive.

 

Why write?

The main reasons why I think we write is, because it is a way of communicating, showing your knowledge, and it is an eloquent way of expressing yourself to yourself or others. Writing is a very useful skill in my eyes.

         You can communicate through writing, by writing letters, notes, and it could even help you speak to people who can’t hear. Communicating through writting is a great method of learning and teaching so it could also help expand your knowledge.

         Writing is a way of showing your knowledge. I believe this because you have to write what you learn in school and many other places. Writing also shows that you know how to read and that you know how to speak the language you are writing in. Writing is also a way you could record your knowledge. You cannot always remember everything you say or learn. Therefore, when it comes down to your knowledge writing is a big aspect.

 Writing is an eloquent way you can express yourself to yourself. I believe this because when you write in a journal or diary, you are writing what you think about something or how you are feeling. This is a great way to relieve stress. Writing to yourself could also keep you out of drama by writing down things that you may not like about somebody or something.

 

Memoir Notebook Free write Nov. 29

Being a freshman at SLA for me is very exciting, fun, and I had to learn how to adjust to it. In the beginning of the school year, I knew I was going to make many friends, but I thought they were only going to be freshman. I met many 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th, graders. Well not many 11^th and 12^th graders but its all right I will meet more as the days go by. I really loved how SLA have colored streams for all of the freshmen obviously I was out in red stream (which is the BEST stream ever with the BEST teachers ever) my connection with red stream is closer than ever. I look at everyone as one of my sisters or brothers. I also met 9^th graders outside of red stream through my friend that came from my old school Hamilton. I have no classes at all with them so I really did not like the beginning of the school year too much. However, if they were in the same stream as me then I would not be able to meet more people out of red stream. Now that I have gotten used to this school, the people in it, and the environment in and around the school I am extremely happy that I chose this school and I made really close friends in red stream and around our school that have my back and who will never let me down. I also know that I worked hard this marking period and my report card will show and it will be AWESOME!

 

Journal response to one Freedom Writer OR writes your own FWD Entry. What would yours say?

My favorite diary in the freshman year fall 1994 is on page 11-12 diary #4. This is my favorite because I could relate to it in a way. I would also want to see a fight just for the fun of it. Once I was hit during a fight of insolent children, and I did not do anything but stumble and almost fall. It was unexpected, but it was by accident the person was jumping up and down and was not really paying attention to the people around him. For the rest of the day, I was a little shocked because I never was  hit like that; also, because I can be a little over dramatic in situations like that. So, I could relate to this journal in a way.

 

Reflection:

My portfolio is a demonstration of how much of a good student I can be If I try, and how I sometimes may not do my best because of time of sequences that don't work for me. The Odyssesy comapare/contrast, I tried my best, managed my time, and met was able to complete everything I needed for the assignment even though I did it in the last week. An example of a project gone right. Unlike my Mysterious Skin book review, It was rushed and incomplete in body and depth, It was obviously a fault of mine that made me not able to show off my best efforts. Throughout the entire semester my grade was a reflection of this repetitive unbalance of time, and organization.

2) Memoir Vignette: In this project we had to write a narrative about something that happened to us, that was impacting and played a role in how we grew up. I choose an event that happened to me when I was very young, which inspired my fascination for paranormal science. 


In the summer of 2001, when I was only five years old, I was to become a member of a group of paranormal phenomenon fanatics and victims. What I witnessed when I was young may be a factor to my arms length detachment to society. Don't be afraid, for it was but a mere miscomprehension. And come to these years discovering that it wasn't really what I thought it was a t first. And maybe so the expanding mind of a five year old really did misinterpret but it happened. My mothers van another blur in the great big spectrum of cars we' own in the future years. Sitting in the back, seat belt strapped over my shoulder staring in amazement out the window. Eyes to see, eyes to learn. This ride is muted, like a slow dive. It's the time when summer trades in it's sun umbrella for a rake. My favorite time of the year, the weather at humble ease into a closer step towards peacefulness.
My mother is in the front driving, my baby sister Lindsey in the car right next to me as we head under the bridge into Kelly Drive. I remember always being scared when we went under the bridge. I always thought it would collapse over us, and we'd be goners. I still think that sometimes today.

The van cruised smoothly down the road. Right next to it brown river with a beautiful rainbow forest to the other side, with little dirt paths playing pick-a-boo with the travelers. A bikeway on our side with a little wooden bridge that connects you across the river. I stared out the window, the yellows, and greens of nature moving vastly through the window like a mosaic. We went around the curve, and I observed the river closely.
Brown and mucky it was, with all kinds of dead trees and plants creeping at the surface. My mind swallowed it whole. My heart stumbled.Eyes faltering to a blink. Face pressed up to the window. A humongous yellow creature emerged from the water. It stood in its brown puddles. The size of the house it was. Steadily moving in the muck water dripping from it. It was garbage truck yellow and had brown little patches of stains marked all over its monstrous body. Its legs were skinny and almost robotic. It had giant black fly eyes on an alien shaped head. And yellow antennas mutinous. It seemed to be praying, almost. And then I figured it out; it was a giant yellow grasshopper! It made a horrendous noise "SCREEEECCH!" As it maneuvered itself in the river. I wanted to scream. But we just drove on by. All the cars seemed to be driving on by. I was to pertrify to tell my mother. We drove on in to lost memories.

For years and years that scene stayed a bullet in my heart. I always believed it was a giant grasshopper. I had witnessed the paranormal. The pretend things. That's another thing that sparked my curiousity for UFOs. For years every Saturday morning I'd be on the Discovery Chanel watching UFO Files. Going on the computer and researching ghosts and any kind of paranormal happenings. The Church of Satan, Christianity, Exorcisms, Bigfoot, the missing, and unexplained creatures. All these things had become the center of my life. I had always thought all these years that I had witnessed the paranormal. I was a one of those people you saw on TV talking about being abducted, I was that country family who saw the flying saucer zoom across the sky. That was all I cared for, until I grew up.
Life it happens, but sometimes we do let our imaginations get the best of us. And now when I look back, I learn that I didn't discover some new species, but I discovered something more colossal. What I saw wasn't a giant yellow grasshopper, but a CATERPILLAR truck. Used for construction and destruction. Those big black eyes were probably bulldozers I was seeing. It's funny how strong the mind can fool you.
Memories painting pictures and illusions. I understood why there are so many crazies walking around believing that zombies will return from the dead and it will be salvation. People believing anything they hear. I was afraid so my mind made it all up. Fear is thoughts that distort reality. Thoughts that distort reality are lies, and thus imaginary. I like to laugh at what I though, but want to humble myself for the truth about life I have gained.


The 3)Odyssey Compare/Contrast:
In the Odyssey Compare/Contrast essay we were required to pick a character and or event of the Odyssey and compare it to another story/movie/ tv show. I chose to compare Athena of the Odyssey, and Lady Galadriel of The Lord of the Rings. 

It is assuredly valued that the goddess Athena and Lady Galadriel are sage mentors of their time. Although the texts of The Odyssey and The Lord of the Rings take place in different times and settings, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings elfy Lady of Lothlorien, and the Greek's virgin goddess Athena of The Odyssey both appear as guilders of wisdom and power in both stories. But just how do these immortal ladies meet head to head in similarities of their stories?
Athena and Lady Galadriel are different because Athena is a Goddess, and Lady Galadriel is a high Elf. Though Lady Galadriel is great in wit, Athena is known for her logic and intelligence, and Lady Galadriel for her fairness, calling her the Lady of Light. Athena is known as the Virgin Goddess, because she never married or had a lover, Lady Galadriel on the other hand is married to Lord Celeborn.
Athena and Lady Galadriel are similar because they both prophesize to help the main characters of their journey. In the book The Odyssey Athena predicts Ulysses' return to Telemachus " ...But come, tell me this and declare it truly, whether indeed, tall as you are, you are the son of Ulysses himself. WOndrously like his are your head and beautiful eyes; for full often we did consort with one another before he embarked for the land of Troy, where others, too, the bravest of the Argives, went in their excavated ships. But since that day neither have I seen Ulysses, nor he me."( Book 1: 178-210). And Lady Galadriel does the same thing to Frodo and Samwise Gamgee, by taking them to her Mirror of Galadriel and letting them look into the future of what could be if they don't complete their tasks. In The Fellowship of the Ring, she states,"' Like as not.' said the Lady with a gentle laugh. 
'But come, you shall look and see what you may. Do not touch the water!'...' There's only stars, as I thought,' he Frodo said. Then he gave a low gasp for the stars went out. As if a dark veil had been withdrawn, the Mirror grew grey, and then clears. There was the sun shining, and the branches of trees were waving and tossing in the wind..." ( Book 2: p. 362) These quotes exemplify how Athena prophesizes the return of Ulysses and how Lady Galadriel lets Frodo and Sam see the future.
In conclusion, Lady Galadriel and Athena are both important and key characters in the books Lord of the Rings and The Odyssey. They meet head to head, by providing characters with gifts, prophecy, and help in near impossible situations. By highlighting the relation between Lady Galadriel and Athena, one can have a better understanding of the influence of ancient Greek mythology on later masterpieces of fantasy and literature by authors like J.R.R Tolkien.
4)

5) Independent Reading assignment: Nineteen Eighty Four, in this assignment I do a review the book Nineteen-Eighty Four. I basically talk about the book

 

       On June 8^th 1949, the English author of the popular novel Animal Farm, George Orwell, published the 326 page book Nineteen-Eighty-Four.  The book was listed as number 13 on the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

 

Nineteen-Eighy-Four  takes place in the post-capitalist fictional dystopia Oceania, which is supposed to be a model of future Britain  thirty-five year after the book was written.  We find ourselves in a totalitarian, collectivist,  oligarchical state, where state interference is apparent in a very controlling manner, and all popular thoughts, and opinion reign. The story is in first person told by the protagonist Winston Smith, who though works for the central Party’s branch in changing historical records to make sure that propaganda is always true, is actually very critical of Big Brother, the dictator of Oceania,  and is throughout the entire story trying to find his way into a direct action of rebellion.  The conflict of the story, is basically him trying to achieve some sort of independence and revolution in a society where censorship is prevalent, actions and you are constantly being watched. The main conflict in the story is Winston trying to survive, trying not go completely insane in a police state where everything his force fed and authority blankets every inch of land.

 

 

My favorite character is of course Winston even though, how he ends up is very much shocking and terrifying.  I can’t honestly say I favor any of the characters, for every character is not very likeable, in fact they are all very bland, and it seems as if some of them don’t even exist.  People should realize that this book  isn’t even about the characters, it’s about looking into a perspective and challenging everything you know. One theme I took away from this book was definetly, revaulating my opinions on authority, government control, economy, and correlating these things to modern day society. Though fictional, I’d say this book, is at the same time a gothic horror and an informative essay. Very beautiful, eloquent, and explosively written.  This book should without a doubt be read more than once, because there is so much to take in, one can possibly not take in everything at once.

 

This might just be one of the greatest books I’ve ever read and one of the greatest novels of all time. Imagine, the “Catcher in the Rye” but the politically correct version. One strength this book has is demonstrating perspective of the rebel, and thoroughly exemplifying the mentality one who is against the grain. I wouldn’t change anything about the book, I’d only read it again and again and again. It introduces many political themes such as socialism, capitalism, democracy, etc, so additional research should be done so you know about every thick concept the book explores. It may be quite overwhelming because of the intense word usage, so having a dictionary by your side is recommended.

 

In conclusion, this book should be read by every sort of person, of every range of abilities. Something about it taps into your brain, leaves you shocked, possibly frightened, but eager to learn more.

6)Journal Entries: These are journal entries from this year that love.

JOURNAL:3/17/11

Your environment shapes who you are because living in a certain environment can effect how you see the world.The things that you do in that environment, affect how you spend your free time, either it’s too dangerous to go outdoors, making you stay indoors, or your prefer going out in the jungle. What you see outside of your house for me, is what you see in the world. Either it’s a clean suburban slum, or a the gutters of the city, that’s what you have to show for your perspective of the world.

 

JOURNAL: 3/18/11

 

I didn’t feel anything when I encountered the word “nigger”. I would’ve been interested if I was in the 5^th grade or something, but no. I don’t really think it means anything, it’s use is to evoke hatred and bad memories, but really when you get over it, it doesn’t affect you. It’s not the best come back, and it’s not even the best insult, people have turned it into something different, making it not really harmful at all anymore.

 

JOURNAL 3/24/11

 I think Kevin will eventually end up having to adapt to the new world,  or become insane and institutionalized.

 

JOURNAL: 4/5/11

Some of the expectations put upon me by others are to have good grades, good behavior, look the best, be in tons of extracurricular activities, and be everybody’s favorite. My expectations for myself are to basically  be as secure with my own individuality regardless of what others say and not try to live up to other people’s standards and be content in what I feel is best for me. These expectations are way different because though, I am involved in an extracurricular activity, I’m not excited by most of them,  my expectations are about being at what you think is your personal best, and doing things that give you purpose and meaning and not just being a tool for others.

 

7) This year was very very messy for me. It's unlike any year I've ever had. My grades were not all straight A's like usual, and I had to face uncomfortable socialization from the staff and students.  I guess I learned how to deal with screwing things up and how to pick up the pieces from the mess I make. It's great.

Sorry folks but this will but this will be the last one. There will be know more about the economy trying to take your money or anything else so enjoy this last one and I hope you’ll like it!

 

 

Today on the economy it seems that president Obama says that that the economy is going up. Now some of you might be thinking is the true here is what he says "in the fall of 2008, one of the last rallies of my presidential campaign was here in the Cleveland area. It was a hopeful time, just two days before the election. We knew that if we pulled it off, we'd have the chance to tackle some big and difficult challenges that had been facing this country for a long time. But then he also says We also hoped for a chance to get beyond some of the old political divides - between Democrats and Republicans, Red states and Blue states - that had prevented us from making progress. Because although we are proud to be Democrats, we are prouder to be Americans - and we believed that no single party has a monopoly on wisdom"

 

Now when I think about what he says I think maybe getting beyond some of the old political divides -between Democrats and Republicans, Red states and Blue states - that had prevented us from making progress could have helped our economy make some more progress. But if you think it only a though.

 

Well that’s all the info I have I hoped you enjoyed my blogs and information bye!

bibliography  http://articles.cnn.com/2009-02-24/politics/sotn.obama.transcript_1_global-economy-joint-session-president-obama?_s=PM:POLITICS

  For my last blog I will be focusing on human trafficking in China. The reason why I would focus on China is because China is a destination point for people who get trafficked from many places for sexual and exploitation. For this particular blog I will be also comparing China’s human trafficking to the United States and also compare the each ones government, for example compare what each country is doing to stop this world issue.

Every year in China it is estimated that there are from 10,000 to 20,000 victims of human trafficking and 90% are women and children. China has become a destination country for victims of human trafficking from North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Burma, and Laos, while most of the victims come from North Korea and Burma. Most women fall into trafficking by false employment and also traffickers trick most children’s parents. In some poorer areas women are sold as wives and in richer areas women are sold for commercial sex business. As to children, they would be sold to adoptions.

 According to All-China Women’s Federation the causes of human trafficking in the China is because of internal migration, which is creating chances for traffickers. Another possible reason of human trafficking could be lack of knowledge and self-protection as The UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking says. The Chinese government is providing shelter and medical care for trafficking victims and are than assisted with repatriation. 

http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/china