2nd Quarter Poetry Journal Reflection

The poetry response that I chose was a prompt that I wrote in response to the Bison Crossing Near Mount Rushmore poem. I wrote....

And we keep our line, slowly moving ahead to our dreaded misery.
Slowly, pacing, thinking before moving, like pawns in a chess game we are just pawns of human society reluctantly following high society thinking not speaking,
not contributing only playing.
 ONLY FOLLOWERS.
 Not teachers,
 for that is left to the rest.
For that is left for the rest.
Leaving
 behind
the
remains
 for
us


I wrote this poem because during the poem I tried to think of characteristics of the bison. They seemed unified and obedient I guess. Like they were just following. So, I tried to write a confusing poem to go along with bison crossing Mount Rushmore. I liked how I capitalized important words that I wanted to stand out to the audience. These are kind of like the overall message of the poem. Although, this poem doesn't necessarily have a specific meaning that is clear. They are mashed up meanings, all blended together. I think that this poem really clarifies how humans are just inferior to themselves. True, there are humans that are considered greater and more powerful, but they're still humans. They shouldn't be any greater. They may just be more noticed. So, if there was a message to this poem, that would be it. That all humans are humans, and no human is inferior to another.

So, again the pictures wouldn't load, just like on my last post. But what the picture was going to be was a line of people that was kind of dramatic with the words follower written above each of their heads. It actually was a good picture, and it fit well with the response, but my stupid computer would not load any of the pictures. So, after spending a while trying to get these pictures to load, I figured I would just explain the picture instead.

2nd Quarter Reading Reflection

I finished 6 books this quarter, if you count "The Color of Water" and my multicultural choice memoir, which I would most likely count because we read them for a while. And analyzing and everything took up a fair amount of my time. Although last quarter I read 9 books, I feel like this quarter was a little busier with homework and reading Romeo and Juliet as a class and at home. I spent a while on no fear shakespeare. So now to get to the interesting part of the blog post. I'm just going to list because that's easier for both you and me, so here are the 6 books that I read.

1. The Color of Water, by James McBride
2. The Bite of the Mango, by Mariatu Kamara
3. The Amber Spyglass, by Phillip Pullman
4. Room, by Emma Donoghue
5. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews
6. Sky Key, by James Fray

Um, the pictures wouldn't load.

So yeah, these are the books I read. About 50% of them were books that I was remotely interested in. "The Color of Water" was certainly not my cup of tea. Same with "The Bite of the Mango", These books were just narratives which I particularly don't like but it could be much worse. However, the style of the book Room was very interesting because it was told from the perspective of a 5-year old boy who has been locked in a room with his mother all his life. Which for me, is an interesting and different concept that I haven't really expected from my previous reading. My book choices were kind of challenging, but I really wanted to find something that I wanted to read so obviously I'm not going to read a book about the space time continuum. Sorry. The best book that I read this quarter was probably the book "Room", which I enjoyed because of the unique perspective and language that was used throughout the book. I have discovered from this quarter that I enjoy books that are unique and different. I don't really enjoy books of a certain genre, but I do like books that are well-rounded. I guess thats the best way to put it. Like books that bring a sense of humor, and a sense of seriousness, and stuff like that. 

My goal from last quarter was that I wanted to read 12 books, obviously I didn't meet that goal. I was busier this quarter than last quarter, but I should've read more books. But in my defense, we read books as a class and we transferred many assignments to out of class. My other goal was to expand the genres that I'm reading. Yes, I did that. Partly, because I was required to if I wanted to get a good grade, yeah *cough cough the memoirs*. But I did expand so I guess that's a plus. Two goals that I want to achieve are 1) I want to read an entire series because I want to look more into how characters can change over the course of a series of books and 2) I want to read 8 books next quarter because I want to read more than I have previously this quarter and I plan to do this by setting a set reading time each day.

Finally, my hedgehog would like to contribute to this blogpost. dfeccr  m   5

k;mla8tmfewndgdglkoo'[[[[[[[lł;;;;;;;;'[

Shakespeare & His AMAZING Plays

Now, if you're looking for a play to blow you away, I for sure know of that ideal presentation you are looking for. If you ask anyone, they will agree with me. The play you are looking for is Romeo and Juliet. It is just about a lonely girl, Juliet, who finds Romeo, an older boy, and they run off together and live a happy life. Of course, I am not going to tell you every last detail of the play, I'll leave that for you to discover, but it truly is a fantastic play! Look here, if you want a summary. Just trust me! It  is not just an old-timey play, don't even say that! Sure the language of the play may be a little uhh, tricky, but the SparkNotes version is honestly pretty good! That's how I learned more about his wonderful play! Yes, I know you are still concerned that the play is not your taste, but if you like comedies, romance, or adventure you will fall in love with this play! (*cough cough did you see that pun?) Also, don't try to escape the play, embrace it. 

If you choose not to believe me, a trusted valuable resource, than maybe you may trust another source. So, if you are looking for a source of how the play is, how you feel when listening or watching it just click here. In the source, you are going to find similar things to what I have already mentioned. My goal is to share the enthusiasm I have for Romeo and Juliet with you so you can just sit back and enjoy the show presented before you! Every time the play goes out, on of course Broadway, it sells out! Sure, this may not be a fact, but close enough to one. I'm getting to excited just talking about it!!! Okay, okay, I think I need to calm down. Well, I obviously can't call down that much so I'll have to wrap it up here soon. 

Anyway, back to my previous point, on how the play is constantly selling out! I mean I have never been to the play Romeo and Juliet, but....... I know it's still great! My friend said it was the time of her life! My other friend said that it was truly, the play of the century. So, there is another TWO sources for you to consider. Fine, if you still don't think that the play is all that great here is a THIRD SOURCE. There, now I hope you can really appreciate the time and effort that I put into this post just to allow you to learn more about Shakespeare and his amazing play, Romeo and Juliet! Until next time, from this enthusiastic blogger. 

Here is just some fan-art, people who have really appreciated the goodness that this play brings. It is SO easy to see how Romeo and Juliet has inspired so many young people! 

"Picture This"

(Here is a just a little insight on what the heck I'm talking about:) As my choice memoir, I chose to read "The Bite of the Mango", by Mariatu Kamara. Here she explains her life, as living in the poor community of Sierra Leone, which is in Africa, and then being part of the Civil War that is being fought there. During the rebel attacks, Mariatu loses her hands as punishment for being part of her culture. Almost like dominoes, her world falls around her.

After many failing attempts of trying to draw anything, I finally decided on a different bad drawing. As you can see, I provided a comparison for you to notice how awesome my drawing is compared to the computer images. (My drawing is a combination of the two other images) If you would like to see this bad drawing up close, click here. This one is supposedly a tree, with large branches that are being struck and lost by the storm that passes by. However, it may not even look like that. The symbolism in my drawing is relating the tree with many branches and the storm striking those branches to Mariatu's life. The storm is supposed to represent all of the hurdles and obstacles that are being thrown at her. The awful drawing of the tree, is supposed to be her life and the awful drawing of the branches are supposed to be each aspect of her life. As you can see in the image, Mariatu's life is falling at her feet with each passing moment she is coming
closer and closer to completely falling apart.

The passage that I think best showcases the main ideas illustrated in my book is found around the middle of the novel, just at the beginning of where the story actually gets entertaining. On page 134 of the novel, it states how Mariatu has already begun to fall apart, slowly. "After the nurse removed my stitches, I headed straight to the washroom down the hall. In the privacy of the stall, I tried to rip off my bandages with my arms and teeth. My plan was to punch myself in the stomach until I bled to death..." "...I'd endured serious bouts of depression, followed by moments of extreme happiness in which I forgot all about the war." (Kamara, 134) This shows how Mariatu is falling apart, and essentially wanting to die so she can escape the worries and struggles that  are taking over her life. This also supports my drawing because it shows the branches, being the aspects of her life, (family, Abdul, hope, friends and dream) are being destroyed by all of these things, her depression, the loss of her hands, and the Civil War that is being fought around her.

1st Quarter Poetry Journal Reflection

This quarter I have really enjoyed the poetry responses that we have done in class because they have allowed me to put some one into my writing and to increase the quality of it. Most of the time, I like to write a creative response to the poems, but I do occasionally try to analyze the poem and really find the meaning of the piece. One of the poetry responses that I particularly liked was when we responded to the picture of the Orange Grove.


(This is not the actual picture we responded too, however this is the idea that had plopped into my mind when I originally viewed the image.)
"The white flowers,
blooming in the day,
filling the world with bright juicy oranges
thousands upon thousands of trees
completed with these oranges
leaves upon leaves
miles upon miles
but the oranges, even though they are plentiful
die off in the cold, frigid winters
the nights reaching low temperatures
and the oranges fall, crushed and ruined
until the next year comes
and the oranges bloom again"
I enjoyed this response because I liked how I could take things from the picture and visualize and describe how this image would look like in my head. I also think that I have improved this piece by using repetition, saying thousands upon thousands, leaves upon leaves, miles upon miles. This helps show unity (and yes I know that sounds cheesy) through the poem that I had wrote. Rather than the poem consisting of random thoughts, splattered across my brain, it now sounds like one picture.
Another jornal that I had written, was a response to the poem, "Hand Shadows ". This poem was about shadow puppets, and how they moved. I responded to this poem by writing a desperate poem, describing what I pictured in my head as I listened to the original piece. I tried to illustrate how shadow puppets are like silent whispers, they can communicate but not make a sound at the same time.
"Silent whispers
shadows move
communicating without a word
quiet shuffling
the hands
leaving only the message            
quickly switching into new shapes
new stories
but all connected somehow
shadows dancing across a blank canvas
painting it into a sea of colors"
I like this journal response because I liked how I had created something different from an idea. Most people would think of a small, singular shape when they think of shadow puppet. But in this response, I tried to expand that, and add how all of the shapes create a story together. I also enjoyed writing how the puppets are silent. I think this allowed the viewer to maybe see how I think of something differently then other people may. Of course the shadow puppets are not completely silent, but I like the idea of siilent whispers and and the sound of the puppets may be so small that they may as well be silent. Overall, over the course of the first quarter I really enjoyed how we were able to respond to these poems in our journals and this allowed me to really add to my wrinting and make it better and better each day by using different methods, trying new responses and list practicing making really authentic and creative journals.

1st Quarter Independent Reading Reflection

Reading may "transform you in many ways" and this has been true with me... sometimes, but what I have noticed is that reading is a sort of stress reliever. When I am loaded with homework, or have a big test the next day, sometimes I just stop what I am doing and read.
Over the course of the first quarter, I have read 10 books, ranging from a variety of genres anywhere from realistic fiction to fantasy. Some of the many books that I have read this quarter are...

• "The Endgame"
• "The Rule of Three"
• "An Abundance of Katherines"
• "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"

Again, these are only a few of the books that I have read SO FAR, and this has been at a higher amount then I have been reading last year. I think this is mainly because my 8th grade English teacher always assigned 20 minutes of reading each night, and did not let us have class time either. This made me feel as though reading was a burden and just another thing to check off on my to-do list. Most of the books that I have read are at a good reading level for me this year. I think that some of the books could be more challenging, but have other aspects in the book that really compelled me to read them, such as in the novel, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl", the actual reading level was not hard, but I liked the humor aspect of the book and this was probably the book that I enjoyed the most over the quarter, because of this. I find that my particular taste in reading is interesting because I mainly enjoy science fiction novels, yet some of my favorite books are realistic fiction, and as you may know, these 2 genres are not alike.
Even though this quarter has been great, I think there is still plenty of room to improve. Some of my future goals are to read AT LEAST two more books then I did this quarter. (So instead of reading 10 books, I now want to read 12) Also, I want to expand the variety of genres of the books that I am reading. I want to expand more into non-fiction and historical fiction because I have not really read anything of these two genres.
Lastly, I want to discuss my reflection on "spiritual reading". I do think that I had fairy good deep reading. Some of the times that I think I had deep reading would be during the books, "The Rule of Three" and "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl", because these books have really shown me how luck my life is. Going to a good school, NOT having my world be tossed around to where I practically live in a wasteland, having a family that cares about me. Overall, the reading that I have done over the first quarter has been very impactful and has changed me.

Poetry Response

My Talented Family
By Kenn Nesbit

My family’s very talented,

I’m certain you’ll agree.

We each possess a special skill

that anyone can see.

My brother’s good at burying

his finger up his nose.

My sister’s good at covering

her room with dirty clothes.

My father’s good at eating soup

in big, disgusting slurps.

My mother’s good at cutting loose

with world-record burps.

Our dog is good at piddling

in the back seat of the car.

The baby’s good at putting

Pop-Tarts in the VCR.

Myself I’m good at sleeping late

and making lots of noise,

and cluttering the living room

with comic books and toys.

So though we’re very talented,

I’m sad to say it’s true:

We’re only good at doing things

we’re not supposed to do.

Kenn Nesbit, “Talented Family” from Kids Pick the Funniest Poems, edited by Bruce Lansky (Minnetonka, Minn.: Meadowbrook Press, 1999). Copyright © 1999 by Kenn Nesbitt. Reprinted with the permission of the author

The theme of my narrative is that people can always rely on their family through good times and bad. Your family is always there for you, even if it may not seem like it. You can always count on your family to cheer you on, and like with the poem, that is my personal family's talent.  An example from my narrative that supports this is "I could hear my sister, 'You can do it Paige!'" This shows how my sister was always there for me, and that was her "family talent", she was always a friend to me. Another quote from my narrative is "I remember that he would always pitch it slower to me. Maybe it was because I was four years old, princess loving, little girl, that they thought they could take it easy on me or something." This shows how my family was always there, and really cared about me. My dad would purposefully throw slower to me, to spare my feelings. One last piece from my narrative that supports this in my narrative is, "But it wasn’t that I got the hit, or that I won the game. It was that I realized that my family was there, and cheering me on." This helps to show how my family has cheered me on through good times... and bad times. I know I have reiterated this point over and over again, but that was my family's talent.

The theme of the poem is that a family has many talents, that make them meaningful in some way to a person. It is easy to see how the narrator feels as if his family has a variety of talents that all affect him. However, these talents are all things that if a family were to do this, it would be disrespectful, unorganized and many other non-appealing characteristics. One piece of evidence that I found in the poem to supports this is,

"So though we’re very talented,

I’m sad to say it’s true:

We’re only good at doing things

we’re not supposed to do." This shows how the narrator is almost disgusted by his family's talents because they are not really seen as talents, but rather gross and disrespectful things. Another example that shows that the theme of the poem is,

"My father’s good at eating soup

in big, disgusting slurps."This illustrates an example of how the family has... interesting talents. Also, I think if you were to continue onto the poem, you would find the narrator begin to admit that this is his family, and they are somewhat proud of them. One last example of how the family has multiple weird talents is,
"The baby’s good at putting

Pop-Tarts in the VCR." This gives the reader of the poem some ideas of what the family's many talents are. Although, these family's talents are different from my own family's talents, I think this poem does connect with my situation as well. My sister cheering me on, because that was her talent. That was my family's talent. Caring. Even though, this family's talents are very different, they are still talents of a family.

 

 

 
 

"You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything... affects everything" (Asher 201).

This quote specifically stood out to me in the book Thirteen Reasons Why because I think this was a quote that could finally be able to adjust to our modern society today. This piece of text also gives a lesson, that your actions can effect ANYONE. Period. Even if your actions may not be directed towards a person, you still could be potentially harming someone. This text also suggested the main theme of the novel; everything affects everything, and this is included in my favorite quote and this really connected to me because I do, yes, enjoy the stupid-sounding cheesy quotes, This novel also spoke to me because it allowed me to see how much other people could be struggling and this really changed my perspective on the world around me. It showed me how I should differently treat others around me because you never know what struggles they could be going through, you need to be careful on what you say because it could harm the person even if you have good intentions.

This quote was said by the main character, Hannah Baker, during one of the 13 tapes that describes her act of suicide. At this point, Hannah was on the edge of breaking with no one to reach out to and too much weight on her shoulders. Her reputation was nearly ruined and she was hurting. When she tried to look to her teacher, Mr. Porter, he could not help her because he couldn't understand her and what she was feeling inside. This led to her, in the end, committing suicide. Even though, her action of taking her own life was devastating, I still strongly believe that the moral of the story was really inspiring.

I came across this book because it was (1) On the YALSA reading list for summer reading, and (2) I was recommended this book by a couple of my friends who had previously read the book. I really enjoyed this book and the vocabulary in the book was fairly easy, but the major factor that caught my attention was the concept of the book. Thirteen Reasons Why had one of the most interesting concepts for a novel that I've seen by far.

For more information on Thirteen Reasons Why visit: www.thirteenreasonswhy.com