The Lovely Bones IDR Part 3

One quote that I really liked, "If you stop asking why you were killed instead of someone else, stop investigating the vacuum left behind your loss, stop wondering what everyone left on Earth is feeling, "she said, "you can be free.  Simply put, you have to give up on Earth....This seemed impossible to me." (Sebold 120).  I think quote is really powerful, especially since Salmon has already died and she is telling her own story.  I think that she is looking at her life from a positive perspective.  She is not really dwelling on the fact that she was killed, but rather why should it be question because there is nothing she can do about it now.

Speech

In my speech I would mention all the wonderful memories that we have had in the past 4 years at High School.  I would talk about some specific Wissahickon events that occurred and how they impacted our lives.  I would mention a few teachers that really helped me through my high school years.  I would talk about what the future holds for our graduating class.  I would give advice as to what and where we should all be in the near future.  I would hope to catch the whole audience and leave them with an impacting ending.

Indep. Reading Activity

The story starts off with the main character, Salmon, introducing herself.  The story is written in 1st person.  Salmon talks about how when she was in junior high she was murdered, she was only 14.  Salmon tells the story of the lives that people are living while she is up in heaven.  It is really sad because she was murdered at such a young age, and whoever is reading this book would feel bad for her. She also mentions how the man that killed her, Mr. Botte, came to her memorial service.  He was her biology teacher.  That is basically what I have read so far, and I am interested to see what else she reveals about her life.

Atonement

Atonement: something you do in order to make amends for something that you did wrong, for example forgiveness.  I think atonement for past sins and mistakes is possible because there is always enough time to make things right again.  I think that for some things you shouldn’t dwell on the past, and just think about how good you could make the future if you atone.  I also think that if you atone your mistakes you are able to live a little bit more open minded and freely and in the future you will make the right decisions based of the wrong decisions you used to make. 

Since the incident with Hassan getting raped by a stranger, Amir had watched it the whole time and didn't do anything about it.  He could have easily stopped it and saved Hassan but he didn't.  Since he didn't help the situation, Amir is considered to have done something wrong.  I think that there is still time for Amir to make up for not helping Hassan, even though he has appologized several times.

The Lovely Bones

Preview:

"The Lovely Bones"

By: Alice Sebold

#1 National Bestseller

I think it is about a girl that has died who is now looking back on her life from heaven.

When did this take place?

Where does the story take place?

It is about a 14 year old girl who was murdered and she is now adjusting to heaven.  From heaven, she is looking down on life that is going on with out her.  

"A stunning achievement."-The New Yorker

Copyright Little, Brown and Company-2002

Dedication-Glen

No table of contents

Other novels by Alice Sebold: "Lucky"

The authors writing is contemporary and it has an easy flow, it also grabs my attention.

Overall, I think that this book will be really interesting and I think it also might have a lot of lessons to be learned.

Picture Story

When I was called by the Army last Spring, they told me that I had to fly out to Afghanistan and map out areas in which American troops would be able to stay safely.  As I was walking around with my equipment, all of a sudden I was being fired at by Afghanistan troops.  My adrenaline started to rush, I didn't know what to do except run for my life.  I had to get away as fast as possible.  The ground wasn't that sturdy considering it was right by a creek with an enormous amount of sticks and branches, they were an obstacle.  I finally reached a safe ground where other members of the troops were staying.  I told them all about what happened.  A few months later, I was allowed to go home, I was surfing the web as I came across a picture of me.  I knew exactly what I was running from in the picture.  I look back now and thank God that nothing happened to me.  But it was quite the experience.

Triumph Of Evil

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing."

- Edmund Burke

I think this quote means that in order to conquer evil, the good people do nothing because they are better than that.  The good people do nothing because it shows that they don't have to resort to "evilness" in order to solve a conflict or and issue.  With that said, I think the evil will realize that it is probably not a good idea to do certain things, therefore they will stop being evil and the good will triumph.

Decisions

Every decisions you make in todays society has an impact. Whether it be good or bad, big or small, all the decisions that you make effect you and possibly the people around you.  The factors that influence my decision making depend on the decision that I'm going to make.  Sometimes I think of the lasting effect the decision will have, and sometimes I make the decision with out even thinking it through.  It all depends on whether its spur-of- the- moment or an important serious decision.

Recipe For Afghanistan

Recipe:

32,738,376 cups of people

3 tsp. of languages

249,984 pinches of square miles

1 cup of terrorist attack on U.S

8 tbsp.  of conflict with the United States

1 oz. of Persian culture

7 cups of religion

**Mix all ingredients until well blended

*Place in middle east for a couple thousand years

 

Spring Break

Over spring break I turned 18 which lead me to get my ear pierced.  I relaxed a lot, and I went to the King of Prussia mall and spent a lot of my birthday money.  I only worked one day during the break which was really good.  I hung out with friends mostly every night.  For Easter, I went to the William Penn Inn with my family which was also really good.  One of my birthday presents that I really loved was a custom made front license plate for my car, and I also got a custom made ring that should be coming in the mall shortly.  Overall, my spring break was really fun!

Illustration

I picked this picture simply because it is exactly what the book is about. A really long road full of mishaps and adventures, but sunny and colorful because a lot of good things happen to the characters along the way.

The Title

The books title, "See You Down The Road" is a really good title for the book because it is a bout a roadtrip. I think the author titled this book for a reason, and that would be due to the fact that this family is going on a roadtrip and along the way they meet a lot of new people that they "see down the road." If I would change the title of the book, I would probably call it, "On the Road with Bridget." Because this book focused more on the main character Bridget then it does with any other character, and also because she is the narrator.

Stylish Author

I love the author's style in this book! It is really easy to read and understand. Kim Whitney really lets you to connect to the characters really well. The diologue she uses with the kids are really funny and modern. The whole book has a really good flow that made me not want to put it down. It is deffinitly a page turner. Her style is very effective.

Choices

A couple chapters ago, Bridget, Ann, and Patrick wanted to get some money so they decided come up with this plan to get money from an old innocent lady in a wal-mart parking lot. They made up this story about how they found money in an envelope in the parking lot, and they went up to the old lady and asked if it was her money, but it wasn't and they told her to add money to the envelope and they would all split the money, but really when the old lady put in her share of the money, Bridget, Ann, and Patrick drove off. I think that this was a really poor choice of the kids to make because ripping off an old innocent woman is morally wrong, and I think they could have made that money in a legal way, like doing a chore for someone.

Thinking Deeper

The message in this book would have to be loving your family. Bridget and her family went and are going through a lot of issues throughout their road trip, but just by communicating with each other and haveing each others back, they are able to get by their troubles. This book really teaches you about how any type of family can cope with their problems if they just stick together. And eventhough all the road you'll have your up's and down's, your family will always be there to help you and back you up with anything.

Issues in Book vs. Issues in Class Discussions

The only issue that I can think of so far that occurs in the book and in class discussions would be the fact that this family is on a roadtrip to the tip of the Northern United States, and in "Motorcycle Diaries" Che and Alberto were on a "road trip". And in both scenarios, there aer struggles for the people along the way. They have to find ways to make money, get food, and provide for themselves and other people.

?'s

Here are some questions I have about the book so far:

1. Will the kids get caught because they stole the money from the old lady?
-maybe not because they will be leaving town soon anyways
2. How will Bridget be dealing with her Patrick problems in the future?
-both parents want them to get married (like an arranged marrage), but it makes Bridget feel wierd when she thinks of the word "marriage" for some reason
3. Why did Jimmy run away?
-they never said
4. Where did he go? Will he come back?
-we find out he ran away and sold the old trailor, and actually got a lot of money for it
5. Why doesn't the family try to find him?
-I don't think they really care that much, well the Dad deffinitly doesn't
6. Will Ann give up on her love/crush for Jimmy?
- Ann thinks she is going to marry Jimmy.

Connections

I can see myself really conecting with Bridget because she is around my age and she does and says a lot of the same stuff and me. She's really funny and always up for an adventure on the road, kind of like me. For example, "I was playing innocent, and I was nailing it. I jogged inside, leaving Patrick to do his thing" (Whiteney 37). Just the way the the author uses dialect in this books makes me know the character really well. Bridget says the funniest things, and she can be very sarcastic too.

The Future!

Now that the Daugherty's have set off on their roadtrip, the narrator Birdget has the need to make money. So, her and Ann and Jimmy want to create a plan in order to steal money off of an innocent person. They have not decided whether or not to go along with the plan, but I really hope they don't!

Current Chapter

The current chapter that I am reading right now is pretty interesting. The main character and narrator, Bridget, is describing the members of her family, and the members of the family that they are traveling with. It's funny because Bridget's best friend is Ann who is part of the other family, and they both have older brothers, and so Bridget has a crush on Ann's older brother Patrick, and Ann has a crush on Bridget's older brother Jimmy. Both families are really close and they do everything together. Currently, they are living in a trailor park for a couple weeks in Miami just trying to make a little bit of money before they start traveling again.

"See You Down The Road" By: Kim Whitney

Hey everyone!

My independent reading book is called "See You Down the Road", and it is about a 16 year old girl who lives with her parents and her brother in a trailor. They start off in Miami, and travel up the east coast. Their whole life revoles around living in different places of the United States. The book is really good so far!.....Hopefully you'll see how good it really is by my blog posts!

Peru 6 Word Memoir

Do Now: You are to create a six word memoir that has to do with the section that we just read, Peru.  Use your thoughts to to make your memoir and pay attention to: diction, detail, and imagery.

Be creative and have fun!

And as always, you can add an image or video clip to enhance your post!

Who Am I?

I think the impact that Che would like to have on the world around him is that he would like to be known as the man you wouldn't want to mess with.  He would also want to be known as a rebel to the people in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and any other countries he crossed paths with. Che would have like to be remembered as a strong determined man who had goals in his life that he wanted to accomplish and he would do anything in his power to succeed.

6- World Chile

 Spanish country, coastal strip, wind chills

Che In Chile

One of the experiences that Che had in Chile was when he was at the gas station and he started to day dream, "I suddenly felt myself flying off with the sailor to far-off lands, far away the current drama of my life.  A feeling of profound unease came over me; I felt that I was incapable of feeling anything"-pg 53 I thought this was interesting because he realized that he had did have drama in his life and the only thing that helped him overcome it was to daydream.  Actually, throughout this section, Che daydreams more, and through his daydreams we can learn more about him and his state of mind.  I think that he will daydream more throughout his journey to help him through his problems.

6-Word America

American Pride Leads To Successful Outcome

Personal Ideology

I would definitely defend the fact that life is too short to to dwell on the bad things.  I think that you should life your life everyday to the fullest because if you do, I guarantee you will feel better about yourself in the long run.  Also, I think that it is very important to believe in yourself and have self respect.  It is also important to give your self the opportunity to get a good education because it only will help you in the future.  And if you have a dream or a goal in life, you should try your hardest to chase it and live it.  Another thing, I have learned throughout my life so far that everything I do seems to happen for a reason.  Whether it be good or bad, I am always learning new lessons, and by doing so, I know what and what not to do.  And finally, I wear this bracelet everyday that my best friend got me for Christmas and it says "carpe diem" which means "seize the day", I wear it everyday to remind myself that I have to seize the day.

"U.S. Unit Secretly in Pakistan Lends Ally Support" Article Reflection

The similarities and differences between this article and what Che was trying to do in Bolivia was that Che was trying to set up a secret army in Bolivia and the American troops came in to try and find him, they also helped the Bolivian soldiers, and in the article the American troops are helping the Pakistani army by providing them with intelligence and combat tactics (making up a secret task force). A difference between this article and Che's plan is that in this article the American troops and the Pakistani army are trying to push out two groups, (Qaeda and Taliban), and in the novel the American troops and the Bolivian soldiers are trying to find Che and his group of people and get them out of the area.

Che's Voice

(1)"The person who recognizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I am not the person I once was." pg 32. This excerpt shows that "Che's voice" is pessimistic because he is basically saying that he used to be a good person but throughout is life experiences he has changed and molded into a new person which could probably be a bad thing. (2)" Because the journey is a virtual space that finishes when it finishes." pg 37.  I think that this demonstrates an adventurous side of Che because he is taking this trip one step at a time, not really planning out where he's going, what he's going to do next, or how long he is going to stay in each place.  Also, I think that his voice confident in that he will go where ever he pleases and no one can tell him what to do.

Che's Death

I think that Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian soldiers who were trained and equipped by the U.S.  The Bolivian soldiers killed him because they needed to end his life before Che and his guerilla members did anymore bad things to society.

A Che Documentary

If I were to direct a documentary about Che Guevara, I would want to cover the majority aspects of his life.  I would want to know how he became a powerful man how he was considered "the king of communism".  I would want the viewers to see how Che Guevara's life changed through out time and why and how he was linked with Castro.  I would ask him many questions about his life in order to get the full details.

Road Trip

Back in the middle school days, my family and I spent every summer in Florida.  And every year we would drive down.  I guess I would consider that a road trip, it took us two days to get there.  On our way down there, we drove through all the states on the East Coast.  It was really interesting to see how each state was different.  One of the things that I remember the most is visiting this rest stop called, South of the Border.  It was really fun because it was all Mexican themed and there was a lot of things to do there.  During the "road trip" my family and I would play a game where you would have to try and find as many different license plates as you could.  We also had a dvd player which we watched a lot of movies on.  The whole time on the road was really fun because it as a good time for me and my family to bond.  The only part I didn't like was how long the car ride was.  But once we got to Florida it didn't matter how long it took to get there just as long as we did, because Florida is my favorite place and I love being there.

The Motorcycle Diaries

By doing the "preview a book" activity, I think that The Motorcycle Diaries will be an interesting and captivating plot about the life of Che Guevara.  There are a lot of chapters which kind of tell me that each chapter might be a new event in Che Guevara's life.  I think that it will be interesting to see how he lived and what he went through during his time.  Also, by watching Beck's youtube video and his insights on Che Guevara, I can assume that I will be learning how Che Guevara came about to be the man the he was, and the bad things or maybe the good things that he did.  Overall, the novel seems like it will be full of unfortunate events for Che Guevara.

Judging A Book By Its Cover

You can judge a book by the cover in many ways.  Some of the ways are that if the cover of the book catches your attention because you like the way it looks.  Also, just by looking at how many pages are in the book can determine whether you read the book or not.  On the other hand, you can’t really judge a book by its cover because if the cover you thought was really bad and then you started reading the book, the book might be actually good. I don’t think that the cover of the book has anything to do with how good or bad the book will be.  A specific book that I chose to read just by looking at the cover is, “The Truth About Diamonds” which is a biography about Nicole Richie.  The cover caught my attention, and the book was actually captivating. 

Che Guevara - The Anti Hero

Glen Beck: Che Guevara - 40 Years Later 

During this video clip, Glen Beck talks about how Che Guevara is the anti-hero.  Some key points that Beck made was that he helped Castro rise to power, and he also oversaw prison executions. Over 500 people would die in one night. Che started labor camps and he was the "king of communism" and is now considered the "ultimate capitalist". Apparently his image is everywhere.  Personally, I do not know anything about Che Guevara, but now having watched this video clipped I am assuming that he wasn't the man people made him out to be, and he did a lot of bad things during his time. "Guevara remains a controversial and significant historical figure."  I also thought Beck’s tone of voice was tad annoying, but then again, he caught my attention because he seemed that he knew what he was talking about, and he range of voice tones kept my attention.

welcome!

This is my new blog that I just created for Mr. Yost's 2nd period english class.  This is the second blog that I have created.  I think their really fun and I get can get really into it, as you can tell from my layout. So, comment my posts!!