The Squirrel

Over the past few weeks, I have been taking Driver's Ed. My protégé, being my driving instructor, helped me to drive. He, being was incredibly erudite, showed me everything there is to be a driver, except for road kill. After I completed the driving course, I felt like I was being inducted into the position of Chief Driver, because I thought I was that good. On Monday, my mom told me that I could drive around in the parking lot of school while we were waiting for my brother who was practicing his avocation, wrestling. This took me by slight surprise, because usually, I had to become a militant for something so small. I guess my crusade of trying to drive whenever finally and come to an end, me winning. So I raced over to the other side of the car and hopped into the seat. I buckled my seatbelt and put the car in drive. I start driving to the school parking lot, thinking that I was a teenager prodigy of driving.
It hadn't even been a whole minute yet, when my mom gasps. I ask her what the matter was and she took me by surprise when she asked, "Did you not see that?" I had no clue what she was talking so she said it. "I think you just ran over that squirrel." I felt that my 'Oh-so-great driving skills' had lapsed. This very raucous news to my ears. So I made a circle in the parking lot to go back and see if I had really hit a squirrel. The dead, tiny, gray body laying on the side of the road showed me the tacit answer. Don't squirrels usually have the demeanor to run away from cars? My mom being adroit, got out of the car, went over to the squirrel with a piece of thick paper, and scooped it into the grass so other cars wouldn't drive over it. This had given me the definitive answer that the squirrel was officially dead. When we picked up my brother, he affronted me by calling me killer. Then, after my dad found out, he made me watch a TV show that had the same idea in one episode. I felt like a pariah by the end of the day. I can't believe I killed a squirrel.

Reading Times:
1/14/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 9 pg.
1/15/13=Clockwork Angel; 48 min.; 46 pg.
1/15/13=Research Project;26 min.; annotate
1/16/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 9 pg.
1/16/13=Research Project=30 min.; research, annotate
1/17/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 10 pg.
1/18/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 9 pg
1/20/12=Clockwork Angel; 26 min.; 24 pg.

Research Update

So far, my research has been going great... For last week. I feel a little overwhelmed if I'm going to be honest. To my rescue though, was a book I found in the library. I was very lucky. The idea came from Wendy. She had gotten an Art book and I thought that maybe I should get a book as well. I found four different books, and one of them I have used greatly. I did find a few articles online for my benefit, but online, I found it was harder to look for just the right article. I don't think I'm ready to write a paper yet. I don't have everything I need for it, and I don't know how I can put together a paper with what I have yet. I wonder when the first draft is due... I am still working on finding research, and I still need to paraphrase a few of my sources.
This paper is definitely taking it's toll on me. I haven't had too much stress on it, but I feel like it will eventually. This is my first research paper and one thing I learned is to think about a topic I like. Not just a topic I think would work and go on my way and do it. I need to next time pick a better topic. Also, I realized that the internet is all that glamorous. I know that the people who are reading this are thinking, 'Wow she's stupid!' 'Of course it's not glamorous.' 'Did she not know that?!' etc. I just want to say that I did know that, but this project has officially proved it to me. Books are my preference source for this project, and maybe many projects to come.

Reading Response

I haven't read as much as I would like to, but I got in my 150 minutes. I read two books this week. The one I've been reading in class is Life of Pi, and the second book I read is Clockwork Angel. Clockwork Angel is an interluding book in between now and when I start to read City of Glass. Life of Pi is getting very intense, and it's a litte sad because he's all alone in the ocean with the tiger. He wants to be rescued, but no one is coming. He has this hope (which is diminishing) that he will be saved immediately. Also, he's really scared because, wouldn't you be if you were on a boat with some wild CARNIVOROUS animals? But I can't wait to read more.
Clockwork Angel is also very good. I've read it in 7th grade, but I wanted to reread it. It's very good and I remember bits and pieces, but most things I have forgotten. I am in love with this book and it is very good! Nothing has really happened. The book has a very slow beginning, and a little confusing at first, but I understand it. I'm glad i'm reading it again!

Reading Times:
1/7/13=Life of Pi; 10 min.; 9 pg.
1/7/13=Clockwork Angel; 20 min.; 18 pg.
1/8/13=Life of Pi; 10 min. 9 pg.
1/9/13=Clockwork Angel; 45 min.; 42 pg.
1/11/13=Life of Pi; 10 min.; 7 pg.
1/12/13=Clockwork Angel; 18 min.; 16 pg.
1/13/12=Clockwork Angel; 48 min.; 45 pg.

Free Post: Research Project

For a duet project, World History and English both require the 9th grade to do a research project. In W.H.,  Coach Coco handed out a sheet of paper for his class to choose a broad topic. I considered the sheet for a few days before truly looking into what topic I was going to choose. I discussed with my mom about it, and she considered it with me. I thought of intolerance through the ages especially hard because I never agreed with intolerance, and thought I should look into something that I had a strong opinion about. After I thought about different intolerances through the ages, one thing that immediately came to my mind was Muslim intolerance. I don't necessarily know why that topic came to mind, but I couldn't get it out of my head, and when I told my mom she seemed interested as well. I thought this topic would be an easy, and amazing one because of it's large importance in this world today and the wide knowledge and sources of information I could use. I actually was excited... Then we actually started the work.
When we began to work on the research, I found out i had to narrow my topic down to a specific statement. So, I am now working on the specific topic 'Muslim Intolerance Post 9/11 in America.' It stills seems intriguing to me, but the sources are limited. Also, my paper is going to have more information on Muslim Intolerance throughout previous years as well as post 9/11 because I have to compare the difference. Now I realize that my topic isn't as exciting as before. Although this is the downside, the upside is that 1/3 of my paper is to be written on how to create mutual understanding with this intolerance, and I have a great idea on the mutual understanding than that of the research. So, although this is a very long rant that you probably don't want to read (if you are even doing so), I appreciate you letting me take this weight off my shoulders! I also hope your topic is less stressful than mine, and i hope you are not experiencing this along with me.

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)