Literary Focus Tracker (2)

I have been keeping track of symbolic objects throughout LOTF. The three keys elements I'll be talking about are (1) The importance of the shell from the beginning, (2)being chief-what it means, and (3) the femininity of the pink. The first element is the importance of the shell. “While the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch." (22). This showed that the conch basically elected Ralph as leader. Next, “Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence.” (23). The conch made a crowd of boys quiet. this is an incredible accomplishment and it's all because of a shell. The importance of this shell began to go downhill when Jack began to break off from Ralph's rule. “‘We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.’” (101-102).
The next key element is the meaning of chief. Being chief, to Jack and Ralph, are two different things. Jack thinks being chief is to hunt and sing, while Ralph is all about keeping the fire going. “‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.’” (22). Whereas Ralph believes otherwise. “‘The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going?’” (80). This ends in a dispute and separation of ways.
The third concept to look at is the significance of pink on the island. Pink represents the feminine quality of this book. If you've noticed the amount of pink on the island, you may just think there's pink because it's a coral island, but the pink also shows some feminine quality. One example would be, “The most usual feature of the rock was a pink cliff surmounted by a skewed block; and that again surmounted, and that again, till the pinkness became a stack of balanced rock projecting through the looped fantasy of the forest creepers. Where the pink cliffs rose out of the ground there were often narrow tracks winding upwards.” (26). The whole island seems to be pink.
Those are three of many symbolic objects.

Books for Semester One

This semester, I read:
*In Defense of Food
*Literary Analysis
*Literacy Narrative
*Nation
*Lord of the Flies
*Hatchet
*City of Bones
*City of Ashes

This is an inadequate list. I wanted to read more, but I had too much homework. I feel like a more accomplished reader and writer. I'm excited I read the two books from the series Mortal Instruments because I have been wanting to read those for a while. Also, the Literary Analysis and Literacy narrative drafts weren't difficult, per say, but they were long and challenging. I'm glad I got those (almost) done and a good, acceptable grade on them. I feel like I did't really improve like I wanted to, but I read what I wanted to read. My semester has been filled with adventure books like Hatchet, Lord of the Flies, and Nation. In defense of Food was interesting. It's not that I didn't like the book, it's just that I kept falling asleep while reading the book.
Next semester, I hope to read one more Mortal Instrument book from the series. I also would like to read (and finish) Life of Pi. I've heard it's a great book and it's become a major movie picture as well. I want to be more open to new and different types of books next semester. I have a lot of friends who love to read & they recommend me books all the time, I just don't listen. Next semester, I will listen to them and read at least one book they recommend.

Reading Times:
12/4/12: Literary Analysis; 34 min.
Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 29 pages; 35 min.
12/5/12: Literary Analysis; 32 min.
Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 21 pages; 30 min.
12/6/12: Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 24 pages; 33 min.

Reading times

Reading Times:
11/28/12/12= Literary Analysis; by ME:); 32 min.
11/29/12= Literary Analysis; by ME:); 36 min.
11/30/12= Literary Analysis; by ME:); 35 min.

11/31/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 26 min; 11 pages (R&A)

12/1/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 27 min.; 13 pages (R&A)

Symbolic Objects

My reading focus is symbolic objects. There are many symbolic objects that repetitively come up in the story. One main symbolic object is the conch shell. The conch shell was dragged out of the lagoon by Ralph and since then, it has been used at assemblies. This conch shell symbolizes authority because they use the shell as the speaking device. Whoever is holding the shell would be the person to speak during assemblies or meetings. It also symbolizes leadership. Ralph was chosen as chief because he had the shell that made noise when you blow into it, and when he blew into it, the shell made an incredibly loud sound. Another symbolic object is all the pink on the island. Everything seems to be pink; pink mountains, pink sand, pink pigs, Piggy's pink cheeks. Pink is very feminine color, so it's a little odd that the author might use pink in a very masculine book. One reason is that since it's an all boys book, the pink adds the feminine quality in LOTF. Another reason is, maybe, the author wanted to give you the illusion that this island was pink and pretty and beautiful when the island may be a little darker than it seems. Since we are talking about pink, pigs seem to be an important symbolic object as well. Jack is constantly talking about them, and they seem to be the best food they have on the island. Pigs symbolize something a bit more than that. When we had the group close readings, one group who had the close reading of Piggy (I think that's what it was), had said that they thought the pig could be parallel to Piggy. By that I mean Piggy and the pig may have the same life or future. So with that conclusion, since they killed the pig, maybe Piggy also gets killed. (This is just a conclusion, I don't know how accurate that is.) The last symbolic object I am going to talk about is Piggy's glasses. It seems that on almost every page, Piggy's glasses seem to be brought up. So as a symbolic object, they symbolize (maybe) the civilization. They were once shiny and clean and helped Piggy see, which is like the civilization of the boys before they came on the island. Then, his glasses would constantly get dirty, and Piggy would have to clean them, which may represent the civilization after living on the island for a few days. Then, the boys fought over the glasses and eventually, broke one lens, which beginning in chapter four and mostly in chapter five, the civilization was broken maybe not two lenses, but one lens. Then, on the cover, both lenses are broken, so does that mean that the civilization is completely broken farther into the book?

The symbolic objects in this book continues to add up. There are more and more throughout the chapters, but the ones that have already been mentioned are still brought up. I find that the objects that are repetitively brought up are the important objects, making them symbolic in different ways, shapes, and forms.

Midterm Stuff

Throughout the first quarter and half way through the second, we have learned a good bit of information. This information is in units which are summer reading, literacy narratives (+ traits of writing, writing process), short stories + literary elements, literary analysis, and Lord of the Flies. All of the information we went over are in some form of notes or in a book of some sort. I understand and remember much of what we have learned, but there is always a need for improvement. Of course, for the midterm, I will study all these units intensely. Especially our unit of literacy narrative! I understand it, but there are things that throw me off. Also, the short stories is another unit I will be going over quite a lot. When we read about fifteen stories, you can't remember everything. Especially when you have to take annotations into consideration. I would really like to go over the different short stories and have a brief explanation of them in class. Also, I know we will, hopefully, go over literacy analysis again, especially since we haven't finished our essay. Those are some things to think about for midterm preparation.

Reading Times:
11/12/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 37 min.; 23 pages
11/13/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 22 min; 10 pages
11/14/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 29 min; 17 pages
11/16/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 33 min; 30 pages
11/19/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 32 min ;19 pages

Our "organized" Government

In class, we had an "organized" meeting to see what would happen or how our class would cope if we every survived a plane crash and survived, like Lord of the Flies. Block 4's get-together was anything but organized. Basically, our class sat on the ground and split up into 3 sections, not willingly. One section was working on how our democracy would work. The next section were four people who right off the bat wanted to be king/queen, making our government a complete monarchy. These four people were not right to be leaders of our class government. The third section was the largest section, and sat on the ground not being able to voice their opinion because the other two sections were in their own separate worlds. Being in the third section, I have to admit I didn't like a monarchy of people I didn't want to rule over us, and I also didn't like the first group's democracy because it was mirroring a monarchy because they people in that group were making all the decisions. I also didn't like how I couldn't say my opinion on what should be done which made me feel weak and not even thought about or considered. I heard a lot of good ideas from the third section though. One was that everyone split up and make their own city-states. Another was to divide up the jobs of the land evenly and we work it out like that. BUt, since no one would listen to each other, none of these ideas could be shared which ultimately made our class a complete anarchy.

If we would have gone longer than we did, our class would have gotten nowhere. Nobody was getting there ideas across; even the democracy group, who were VERY organized, couldn't figure out what was going on. The monarchy group just put themselves up at the front of the class and said they were the leaders, but even if I wanted them as the class' leader, they weren't even making rules or getting everyone organized. They just sat there and started making our "nation's" sport or other things that weren't significant at the moment. Even the monarchy group had great ideas, but if they were in charge, then why didn't they follow through? Our class wouldn't have done anything to make a good government. We were in complete chaos and there was no way we could have started a nation.
Reading Times:

11/5/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 10 min.; 9 pages
11/6/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 10 min.;  9 pages
11/6/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 19 min.; 18 pages
11/7/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 20 min.; 18 pages
11/9/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 32 min.; 30 pages
11/11/12= Lord of the Flies; by William Golding; 30 min.; 25 pages

New Room

Most of you, if you have read this, read the title and thought, 'Hmm. New Room? Is she talking about a new bedroom?' The answer to that is no, I'm talking about a new hangout room. I'm part of a group at my church, and where we hangout is not an adequate at all. My mom is on a committee that over looks our activities, and she saw it as inadequate for our meeting as did other people. After she proposed changing this room to meet nicer looks, a few others on the committee also agreed. She then told me about her proposal. I was up day and night trying to figure out some cool plans for this new room. While I was obsessing over this idea, which hadn't been officially approved yet, my mom was doing exactly that. She starting asking around to the children's director at our church and, the most important, our pastor. They both thought this idea was an amazing idea and even put in some advice as well. After telling me this, I decided that I couldn't wait to help in every way possible.

Although this idea is so amazing, there are a few flaws, like every great plan. The main setback was the budget. Our church is a small one, so the funding for certain things is incredibly low, including this small group. Another flaw in the plan was we needed many specific things to be done, like taking out bulky items in the room. So for these things to be accomplished, we need volunteers, mainly big men, come and help do the construction. Also, some people in this group underwork and may not want to help for this remodeling. Lastly, since it's supposed to look nice and organized, we are going to need, maybe, an interior designer. This could cost a lot more money, and like I said the budget is extremely low.

I feel very excited and passionate about this project and can't wait to get this out there, then start working on it, and lastly, to get it complete. I just hope this will work out the way we are expecting!

Reading Response for Life of Pi

As you can see from previous blog posts, I have written many reading times for City of Ashes, but now I'm finished with it. It was good, but the first was better. I just can't wait to read the next one. I guess you could say I'm multitasking. I decided to start reading Life of Pi. I had already read half of it last year, but it was so boring that I decided to stop. Then, I heard from many people that the first part of the book is actually really boring, but the second half is amazing. That sparked an interest in me, but the spark soon went out and I decided no, I want to read other things, explore different novels. Later, I was watching TV one day and saw a great commercial with a tiger, a teenager boy, and a lifeboat floating on the water. The scenes were going by quite fast, but I saw the tiger baring it's teeth and the boy jumping into the blue water. I could tell what it was, a movie for Life of Pi. I couldn't believe they were making a movie. I felt it as though it could be a sign. I then, being the lazy person I am, still put it off. After seeing this commercial for the first time, Emmy was walking throughout school with what other than the book itself. I absolutely couldn't believe my eyes. Right then and there, I decided I would read this book, or start reading this book, again. Of course I finished the book I was reading at the time, first, but after that I said I would read it.

Whoever told me that the second half was way better than the first was completely correct. I started where I left off, leaving that boring first 90 pages alone. I read about his trip on the boat and when it crashed and him with the tiger (these all being in ten pages...); I was fascinated! The author is an amazing author because he use only the most vivid detail, large words, and perfect technique of writing, it's incredible! I don't know why I put the book down previously. This book amazes me and I can't wait to read more!

Reading Times:

10/30/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 62 min.; 60 pages
10/31/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 39 min.; 37 pages
11/1/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 12 min.; 9 pages
11/1/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 10 min.; 8 pages
11/2/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 10 min.;  9 pages
11/3/12= Life of Pi; by Yann Martel; 22 min.; 19 pages

Literary Analysis

I have read three short stories independently. The three are "Hills Like White Elephants," "Araby," and "The Sniper." I'm still trying to understand literary analysis exactly. I believe it's a short summary of how the author uses a certain topic in the story to express something. There are a few elements in each story that would be a great part of a literary analysis for each story.

My first read was "Hills Like White Elephants." The story consists of, mainly, a conversation between the two main characters with interruptions in it from other minor characters and the observation of setting. In this story, the author mirrors what the characters are talking about, but he doesn't directly explain it or put it all on the table. "Araby" was a really confusing story. The narrator first started talking about his general life, then he talked about his friend's sister, and then his crush on her. He was a bit of a creeper to her. Then, he went to some sort of convention that he really wanted to go to; then, at the end, he's at his event thing and the light goes out. I really didn't understand the story. Although, the the author did use memories and details and memories of details to explain the boy's crush on this girl. The next story made a little more sense. "The Sniper" was a sad short story. The main guy, in this story, was a sniper for Dublin, on one side, during the civil war. He was stationed on a roof so he could shoot down the "bad guys." There was another sniper on the roof across from him, who he killed. In between this happening, the sniper man killed a guy on a truck with his set of troops. Also, he was shot, in his arm, himself. A lot of tension builds up and throughout the story. Also, many gruesome events take place with people murdering each other. The author uses setting and tension in the story to set the action of the story. You don't know or expect what's going to happen, but you do know something will happen by the tension build throughout the plot of the short story.


Reading Times:

10/22/12="Hills Like White Elephants"; by Ernest Hemingway; 15 min; 3 pages (R&A)
10/24/12=City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 34 min; 31 pages
10/25/12="The Sniper"; by Liam O'Flaherty; 17 min; 3 pages (R&A)
10/25/12="Araby"; by James Joyce; 20 min; 6 pages (R&A)
10/26/12=City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 27 min; 26 pages
10/28/12=City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 34 min; 31 pages
12/29/12=City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 29 min; 27 pages

Reading Times of Week 10/15

Reading Times:

10/17/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 32 min.; 29 pages
10/18/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 49 min.; 47 pages
10/19/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 36 min.; 34 pages
10/20/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 25 min.; 24 pages
10/21/12= City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 17 min.; 14 pages

"A & P" literary element

I think the main literary element in the short story "A & P" was setting. The three sizes of setting are Micro, Meso, and Macro. The Micro size consists of zoomed in all the way locations as in hte most specific location in the story. In the Meso size, the settings are a little less specific than the Micro size. As in, now, 2012 or Louisiana, if we were to talk about my life at the very moment. The Macro level are the locations that are the most general. In my life, that would include the United States or the modern world. Then, there are four parts of the three levels. The four are Physical, Temporal, Social, and Phycological. In the Physical part, that is the physical details of the setting. The Temporal setting is the duration or historical time. The Social setting is exactly as it sounds. The final, Phycological setting is the mood of the story.

In "A & P, "the Micro, Physical level consisted of the specific places in the A & P store, like the aisles or registers. The Micro, Temporal level is Thursday, the day that the story takes place, afternoon in a ten to fifteen minute duration. The Micro, Social level includes the rules of the store and the coworkers relationship, Sammy and his coworker friend Stokesie. Also, it includes Sammy to his boss relationship and Sammy and the girls' relationship to each other. The Micro, Phycological level explains the store, which is boring, empty, dull, plain, etc. The Meso, Physical level includes the A & P store and what's in it like the checkered floor, the fluorescent lights, and the products. The  Meso, Temporal level includes the summer. The  Meso, Social level explains the "sheep," Sammy's work and family, and the beach colony town. The  Meso, Phycological level includes how Sammy is optimistic, silly, a little inappropriate, and a bit creepy. The final level, the Macro, Physical includes the middle of town, five miles from the beach, and north of Boston, in New England, United States, is where the story generally takes place. The Macro, Temporal level shows the year, the late 50s, early 60s and (in the end) a big life perspective. The Macro, Social level says that in the story, it shows the life cycle of the town, the class conflict, classism, and the attitude towards women of that time. The Macro, Phycological level explains how hard the work would be in those times.

This is the make up of setting in the short story "A & P" by John Updike.

Evaluation of 1st Quarter

It's the end of the first quarter, and I believe I have done very well. English class was a lot of fun and I was quiet successful! Looking back at it overall, English class was the class that I did well in through the general procedures. I always came to class on time and had all the materials that were needed. Also, I was well prepared, for example putting all the materials I needed for class on my desk so I could have worked efficiently. Also, I tried my hardest to participate in class, even when people contradicted me. I would ask questions or answer them to the best of my ability. I worked well by myself during reading time or writing time. I also worked well with the group work such as the editing group for our literacy narrative. The partner work wasn't the best because I didn't like working with my partner all that much. Other than that, I worked efficiently on what I had to work on for class.

Next quarter there are three elements of class I would like to work on. Two are major, one is minor. The two major elements are strictly studying on my Worldly Wise vocabulary tests and shortening down my essay during class so I can leave at the time of the bell. Also, leaving at the time of the bell is the last element for class that I would like to work on. I leave class later than everyone else. This is because I pack up too slow causing me to be in no hurry, all though I should be so I can get to my next class on time. These three things I will work on and strive to do better for the second quarter.

Reading Times:
10/10/12="Dry September"; William Faulkner; 36 min; read & annotate11 pages
10/11/12="And of Clay Are We Created"; Isabel Allende (translated by Margaret Sayers Peden); 38 min; read & annotate 12 pages
10/12/12="Harrison Bergeron"; Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; 29 min; read & annotate 7 pages
10/12/12=City of Ashes; Cassandra Clare; 28 min.; 25 pages
10/13/12=City of Ashes; Cassandra Clare; 32 min; 31 pages

Reading Times

Reading Times:

"To Da-Duh, In Memorium"; by Paule Marshal; 42 min.; read & annotate 9 pages
"A&P"; by John Updike; 38 min. read & annotate 5 pages
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"; by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; 34 min.; read & annoate 3 pgs.
City of Ashes; by Cassandra Clare; 45 min.; 42 pages

I Am a Writer Who...

I am a writer who puts thoughts into words.
I am a writer who has multiple drafts for just one assignment.
I am a writer who cannot work alone. Who seeks out everyone else's help for my own benefit.
I am a writer who will most likely not change the world through my words, yet I will influence myself to strive for the best writing.
I am a writer who second guesses ALL my work, no matter what.
I am a writer who cannot write perfectly. My words are wrong, as is my grammar and punctuation. The flow of my paper may not be like the flow of a river, but of the ocean. My ideas may be all over the place taking me time to organize and narrow it down until there is only one main idea.
I am a writer who takes my work in pride, even if it never delivers.
I am a writer who paints pictures in the minds of my readers, or attempts to.
I am a writer who needs to work on writing.
But through it all,...

I am a writer who writes!

Plot Structure for City of Bones

The plot structure of a story starts with an (1)Exposition, then, (2) rising action, next, (3) the climax, then, (4) falling action, and lastly, (4) the resolution. I just recently read, and finished, City of Bones. There is always a plot structure in any type of larger type of writing, especially in a novel. The City of Bones plot structure consists on all the elements.

The exposition of this novel starts out with a girl, Clary, hanging out at a supernatural club that's for humans. She's with her friend Simon when she sees an attractive man follow an attractive girl into a secret room. After she follows them, she realizes they, being the boy, the girl, and the girl's friends, are nothing close to humans, starting off the rising action. In the rising action, she learns about his new world, her new life and the new world she discovers. She, and her new friends, find out major news about the new world and starting planning for what is to come. Then, the climax in the book was when a major event happens and they realize that there is a new revolution about to begin and they need to find a way to save the future. Then, a main character gets taken and then Clary feels like she needs to be the savior in it all, leading to the falling action. The falling action consists of fighting, saving people, betrayal, lies, and truth. The resolution is the new normal. In this book, the new normal consists of the characters living a life like the past, but knowing the truth. This book doesn't have an exact resolution because this is the first book in a series, so the book just introduced what the characters' new life turned out to be after the found out the truth.

Reading times:
Literacy Narrative; by me; 36 min.
Literacy Narrative; by me; 27 min.
Literacy Narrative; by me; 42 min.
"To Build a Fire"; by Jack London; 48 min.

City of Bones is Officially Complete!

Yes, it is true. You will no longer have to read my blogs on City of Bones because I have officially finished it. The ending wasn't as I had expected, or wanted, but I wasn't fully surprised. It wasn't a necessarily strong ending, but I would assume that's because it is the very first book in a series. "A series?" you might ask. Yes, that means that there will be other "City" books that I will be describing about in the minimum amount that I can type. The series consists of five books, each one with a title beginning with 'City'. I'm so excited to read more into the series, and to finish them.

The fuzziness of the ending, I believed, was put as an ending to the book so that it will make you desperately want to read the next book, City of Ashes. Although the author wanted you to finish the book and then, by adding an unclear ending, make you want to read the next, I had already become fascinated when I reached the halfway mark. I was captivated by the first book enough to know I needed to read the next and the next. I can't wait to feel the thick binding of the next book and to read the first line of what is to happen to Clary and Jace, the two main characters. I want to learn what Valentine, the antagonist, will do. I can't wait to begin City of Ashes.

Reading Times:
9/17/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 10 min.; 8 pages
9/18/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 45 min.; 41 pages
9/18/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 32 min.; 29 pages
9/19/12= Literacy Narrative by me:); 37 min.
9/20/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 28 min.; 23 pages

Pressure and (AH!) No Time

School has been going on for a about 5 weeks, give or take a little. With these for weeks, I have no more time, but a lot more pressure. The weekends, I always thought, are my free time. But I don't think that opinion is a very valid statement anymore. I have homework up the wazzoo, church, and "family time." In this mix of all this crammed time, I have to fit in sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom. My friends, from my church, always want me to go to the mall with them or hang out, but I rarely have time to see them at church let alone when I could be studying or writing blogs. Also, I have a babysitting gig with a family in my neighborhood, the parents going to the LSU football games or going out with some friends. I can't turn them down necessarily, one reason to that is it's rude and two, I get pretty good pay. So as this all piles up, I get absolutely no time during the weekend to enjoy self-time. Thank goodness my swim meets are spaced out quite far over this month and the next, but when there is a swim meet, I am there at 7:50 in the morning ready to sprint down the lane in the mildly cold water.

If you would like an example, two weekends ago, I was able to go home on Friday and get some homework finished and then get a bot of sleep, but the next day I had to wake up decently early for my sim meet that started at eight o'clock. Directly after that swim meet, I showered, got dressed, and packed my bag of homework for babysitting until about eleven. After doing my hair for the next day, I went to sleep. Getting only seven and a half hours of sleep, I woke up the next day for church. Heading into church I went to my youth group, then them service, and then out to eat with my family for lunch. After getting home at around one, I went straight upstairs to do what homework I could before going back out for some more time, if I even needed more time, with my youth group. After getting home at seven, I fished my homework and went to bed around ten-thirty.

I think this description of my weekend explains the pressure I have, and the lack of time I withhold within a crammed, short weekend.

Still Reading... City of Bones Reading Response

So, yes, I'm still reading City of Bones, but I'm more than halfway done with it! The reason I'm still reading this (amazing) book is because, one, I'm a slow reader, and two, I'm very busy! But I've got in all of my 150 minutes and the book is very intense and incredible. I didn't realize how amazing this book was until I  have actually sat down and focused on this new, fascinating world. This book is a page-turner. You want to continuously read this book until you're done, but, sadly, that is also a fantasy. I wish I had WAY more time to read my new favorite classic. I would definitely recommend this to any fantasy lovers who want to be trapped in a new and unique world of history, beauty, and death.

The creatures in this book are described as beautiful, almost like you would want to meet them. The main character, Clary, seems to be torn, and, in my opinion, a bit annoying. She's confused about everything because she doesn't understand what's going on for the most part. I have pity for her because of her situation that she, and no one else, seems to know about. It's like her whole life has just been a dream and now she's waking up to reality. Throughout this book, there are battles between one certain creature and another. There is someone who dies in every battle, every death being quite gruesome, leaving me to cringe. I can't wait to see how this book ends, I have a few ideas on the ending, but I expect something major.

Reading Times:
9/11/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 8 min.; 7 pages
9/12/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 17 min.; 14 pages
9/14/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 22 min.; 20 pages
9/15/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 58 min.; 54 pages
9/16/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 48 min.; 45 pages

Ideas for My Literacy Narrative

The literacy narrative assignment was on a time when your opinion on reading or writing changed. So I sat in class wondering what I might be able to write about. Then it hit me, what about the time when I read my first "big book." I'm sort of free writing here, or as Dr. D calls it, writing my zero draft. I really hope this will turn out great and any input would really help out! So here is a part of my zero draft of my literacy narrative "Big Books".

I know it sounds stupid, but when I was little I had a fear of "big books." I was a very active reader when I was little, but all the books I read were small and wimpy. No matter how many times my mom would show me yet another fairly large book that I could read, I wouldn't read more than 70 pages. Until the third grade, I had read books like Junie B. Jones or Geronimo Stilton. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Those books are like less than 50 pages long. You've read those books in THIRD GRADE?!" But it is true. I was afraid of "big books." Then, for my seventh or eighth birthday, I had gotten the TV series Little House on the Prairie. It was a very enjoyable show that I loved watching, and when it came on a channel on the TV, I would freak out and have to watch it. So, as my mom was still trying to convince me to read books on a larger reading level, she had figured I very much enjoy Little House on the Prairie and recommended me the book. With this newly found love, I decided I should read it.

There was just a bit of my zero draft. There is most certainly more, but I don't want to give it all away. I hope you liked it and I can't wait to write more on the topic of my literacy narrative.

City of Bones: It Just Keeps Getting Better

My book, City of Bones, has been getting even more exciting than the previous blog post. Questions are being answered, mysteries are becoming solved, yet the author still throws in more questions and more mysteries. I personally think that although question are becoming answered, there's still a broader question yet to be answered. Clary's mom has disappeared, taken by her late husband, and, although we are figuring out way in which they could possibly find her, no one has actually attempted to look for her... I find this strange and unusual. Many mysteries, that are unanswered, are like this throughout the book.

I love this book because of it's fantasy world. There has been many fantasy world about wizards, vampires, werewolves, etc., but nothing of this sort. It has a new type of mythological creature invented in this story. A new mythological world has been created just by this story. It is interesting and different. It's a world no one's ever "seen" before. Me, being a lover of fantasy novels, quite enjoy this book, which is involved in a series, and it's whole new, unique world.

Reading Times:
9/4/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 12 min.; 9 pages
9/6/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 10 min.; 9 pages
9/6/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 5 min.; 6 pages
9/7/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 22 min.; 20 pages
9/9/12= Read like a Writer annotating; 60 min.; three literary narratives
9/10/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 45 min.; 42 pages

"In Defense of Sleep: A Sleeper's Manifesto" Take 2

Sleep is an important part of a growing teen's life, meaning that it's a very important thing in my life as well! There are four elements that improve in a child, or teen's, life when they get the right amount of sleep. Three of these elements were studied and proven by a study done at St. George, a private boarding and day school in Middletown, Rhode Island. The teens involved in this study, in ninth through twelve grade, started school later by thirty minutes. The kids were happier, had better concentration, their health improved, and their motivation increased.

The kids in St. George were happier after getting thirty+ minutes more of sleep. Kids were happier to go to classes, and many sleep-related depressions had decreased. By a survey, the students who claimed they were unhappy or depressed dropped from 66% to 45% (a 21% drop). Also, the students' concentration increased during the school day than before the school time change. They ate breakfast and got to their first classes on time. To add to this study, many other studies and personal experiences, have proven better concentration after a good night of sleep. Another element proven to increase through this study is that the students' health increased. There were less student visits to the health center at the private boarding school complaining about fatigue-related issues.

This study also proved another element, yet slightly more minor than the other three. The teens were also more motivated to get the sleep they needed and wanted. Since they had a later start time, the hypothesis for the later start time for these students would be to stay up later, but after the kids understood what it was like to get the sleep they needed, they were motivated to go to sleep on time and wake up later. Since these results were so great and it improved everyone's life, the school decided to keep the later start time and henceforth increased the students' life by improving their mood, concentration, health, and motivation.

Me being a teen, like them, understand what it's like to get sleep, getting enough or getting less than required. When I get enough sleep, I feel awake. I know that sounds obvious, but it's true. Also, when I'm not tired throughout the day, I realize that I'm in a way better mood to everyone throughout the day. I am a nicer and more fun person with enough, or more than enough, sleep. I can hang out with my friends and enjoy myself instead of trudging through the day, exhausted. Also, I concentrate better with the right amount of sleep. During school, I feel like I'm alert and ready to focus. Even on weekends, I process things better then when I don't get enough sleep. I can understand what people are talking about, listen, and learn. If I were to go to sleep earlier while waking up later, I can eat a healthy breakfast which helps me concentrate. I think that our school could definitely use a later start time for school. It would help kids get the sleep, energy, and, even nutrition they need to start out their day.

I got the study from http://www.naturalhealthstrategies.com/teens-happier.html

The Storm

The hurricane was a positive and negative effect on my break. It was a bitter-sweet storm (more sweet than bitter). I had no school for a week because of the hurricane Issac. Although most of Baton Rouge lost power, I was one of the few who could enjoy cool air conditioning and funny movies while Hurricane Issac strolled by. I had a wonderful lunch and dinner while the rain pounded on my windows. I sat on the couch looking outside. It looked muggy, and my pool almost overflowed, but I didn't mind because I was watching the show Lost with my family while I wore sweatpants because they air was a bit chilly. I enjoyed unspoiled yogurt because my refrigerator was working quite properly. These were the good times of the supposed terrible Hurrican Isaac. The bad times of the hurricane were that I had no internet or cable.... for a day and a half. I couldn't go on the computer and check what everyone was up to, but I did have my iPhone, so I wasn't too devastated.

The conversation I had with my friends, when I saw them, was "You lost power?... That's terrible. I didn't!" I don't assume the enjoyed my playful banter. It was enjoyable to describe my time with power during the hurricane to my Youth Director because he had lost power, and he was very upset he lost it because he was very hot during the whole time there was no A/C in his house. I enjoyed my time during he storm, but i'm sure other people didn't.

City of Bones as of Now!

I'm reading the book "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare. I didn't read as much as I would have liked during our long "break," but I did read a few chapters and it's getting pretty intense. A lot of questions are getting answered, and innocent people aren't as innocent as they were put to be. The main girl, Clary, is a tough girl who knows what she's talking about. She's also a bit stubborn too. This book is gonna turn out to end quite dramatically. I also think Clary is a bit confused and is being put through so many emotions right now. Her mom is captured and her mom's supposed boyfriend ends up to not actually care about her. Also her mom might not be a full human. Clary is meeting new people and creatures everywhere she goes.

I had started to read this book in seventh grade, but I found it a little boring,s o I stopped reading it. Now, it seem better than when I last read it. When I can sit quietly and just read, I'm very involved in the book and it's a great read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the fantasy genre types of books. It's an easy read, too. Also, what I've learned from my book is to never trust any character. They all are not who they seem to be.

Reading Times:
8/17/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 10 min.; 6 pages
8/20/12=  City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 32 min; 29 pages
8/22/12= Worksheet; 30 min.
8/24/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 37 min.; 34 pages
8/25/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 24 min.; 20 pages
8/26/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 28 min.; 26 pages

8/28/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 21 min; 20 pages
8/31/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 15 min; 16 pages
9/4/12= City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; 12 min.; 9 pages

I'm reading a book called "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare. I have started to read this book already, but I couldn't finish it because it seemed boring. Although I felt this way towards the book, my friends had said otherwise, so I have decided to give it another try! It is going pretty well so far and I'm enjoying what I have read. I'm not too far into it, but it's an easy read about a different world colliding with the human world! I don't know what is different about it now then when I read it before, but I'm enjoying it a lot more! I'm very excited to see how it all unravels in the end.

I've haven't read too much of it, but what I have read is maybe a fourth of the book, so I guess it's far enough for now. Hopefully I'll get a lot of reading done during Hurricane Issac. It's pretty suspenseful, but also very strange, because I don't understand everything that's happening. There are a lot of mysteries that have to be solved. The main character, Clary, has to learn the truth about her mother, her father, these weird people she keeps seeing when no one else can, and so much more. It all very exciting and I can't wait to read on.

"In Defense of Sleep: A Sleeper's Manifesto"

Sleep is an important part of a growing teen's life, meaning that it's a very important thing in my life as well! There are four elements that improve in a child, or teen's, life when they get the right amount of sleep. Three of these elements were studied and proven by a study done at St. George, a private boarding and day school in Middletown, Rhode Island. The teens involved in this study, in ninth through twelve grade, started school later by thirty minutes. The kids were happier, had better concentration, their health improved, and their motivation increased.

The kids in St. George were happier after getting thirty+ minutes more of sleep. Kids were happier to go to classes, and many sleep-related depressions had decreased. By a survey, the students who claimed they were unhappy or depressed dropped from 66% to 45% (a 21% drop). Also, the students' concentration increased during the school day than before the school time change. They ate breakfast and got to their first classes on time. To add to this study, many other studies and personal experiences, have proven better concentration after a good night of sleep. Another element proven to increase through this study is that the students' health increased. There were less student visits to the health center at the private boarding school complaining about fatigue-related issues.

This study also proved another element, yet slightly more minor than the other three. The teens were also more motivated to get the sleep they needed and wanted. Since they had a later start time, the hypothesis for the later start time for these students would be to stay up later, but after the kids understood what it was like to get the sleep they needed, they were motivated to go to sleep on time and wake up later. Since these results were so great and it improved everyone's life, the school decided to keep the later start time and henceforth increased the students' life by improving their mood, concentration, health, and motivation.

I got this from http://www.naturalhealthstrategies.com/teens-happier.html

In Defense of Food-response

When I first picked up In Defense of Food, I thought, 'Are you serious?! I have to read THIS?!' And the answer to that is, OF COURSE! So, when I started reading, I, honestly, hated it! I wish I had never even started it. But after I finished it, I realized it wasn't as bad as I put it to be. I was slightly confused at a few parts because he seemed to contradict himself and other health books. Also, he used so many long words and different vitamin names and ingredients. The idea of the book stood out to me along with a few other ideas on the right food to eat, but there were times where I thought he didn't put things clearly. Otherwise it wasn't that bad of a book.
I actually learned very interesting facts on certain food, health, and what we should eat. This book could teach everyone to eat healthier if they read it, leading to our nation's loss of obesity. In fact, this book might've showed me what I want to become when I'm older! The study of dietitian and nutrition seems very fascinating, and I think it would be cool to study in that field and work as a dietitian or nutritionist. Learning about the right, healthy foods to eat is fascinating and should be paid closer attention to because it will help out with many conditions in life such as health issues.

English Class (in My Opinion)

Hi, I'm Morgan! I'm just starting out ninth grade, high school, and I'm excited, but also a bit scared. After the first few days, it's been fine. It's easier than I thought it would be, but it will get harder and I'm a little worried for that! High School is very pressuring because there's homework, harder classes, higher expectations, and, of course, anticipation for college. For four years, all of that will definitely increase. I've visited all of my classes already. I have World History, Geometry, Biology Honors, Spanish Honors, and, to the class I'm writing this for, English. I can't wait to become closer to my teachers and learn more on my subjects!
High School seems challenging for some people, easier for others. It may seem like a jail cell or an amazing place to stay and enjoy. It all depends on the person and opinions on how you interpret High School. My opinions on it is that it's a transition from a little kid to an adult, being the little kid in Middle School and the adult in college. High School may be challenging, but if you don't go through with it, then you'll never be that adult in college. I'll take the challenge one step at a time because I want to be that adult in college!