Spoiler

I have recently finished reading the book Life as we knew it  by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It  is written from the point of view of a girl named Miranda. The world turns for the worst when the moon comes closer to the earth which causes massive tsunamis and also causes power outages. It also makes volcanoes erupt which blocks out the sun and makes the earth colder which causes the crops to die. Since no more crops can grow food supply is shortened and people start to fight over food. One theme that comes out is that people don’t realize what they got until it is taken away from them.
After this happens Miranda’s and her family’s lives change forever. People can no longer get out and but the food which means that they have to ration it. Throughout the book the family starts to eat less and less until they only eat every other day. Not a lot of people realize how valuable food is. Little things also become more precious such as washing the characters hair. Nobody really thinks much of this because it is such a minor thing. The author is basically saying be grateful because one day you might not have the thing anymore.
This can connect to the world in a many ways. Some people may not realize and or cherish what they have because they think that it will be around forever and never be taken from them. Some teenagers will sometimes not wear a type of clothing because of the brand it is. Meanwhile kids in other places cannot afford or have clothes such as a shirt. Never think that a minor detail in life is unimportant because it might get taken away and then the person will realize that it is important. Overall just be grateful for what you have because even the most tiny things will feel like a blessing when you no longer have it.

In the book Romeo and Juliet there are a lot of interesting characters. The play is about two young star crossed lovers. They are Romeo and Juliet. Their parents however have a rivalry and Romeo and Juliet end up dieing. The character that I found most interesting was Mercutio. He is aligned with the Montague and is killed by Tybalt.

I thought Tybalt was interesting because when he dies he says “A plague o’ both your houses” he is referring to the Montague and the Capulet. I thought that this was strange because he Is aligned with the Montague. I expected him to say that only to the Capulet. I also thought he was interesting because he always had a thing to say when Romeo didn't want to dance at the Capulet’s party. He convinced Romeo to dance when didn't want to. I also thought he was interesting because he decided to fight Tybalt when he didn't have to. Tybalt even told Mercutio that he had no reason to fight him but Mercutio still provoked him into fighting.

I wonder what motives Mercutio had for deciding to fight Tybalt. I especially wondered this because he was kinsmen with the Prince who did not want the Capulet and Montague to fight. Mercutio can kind of be related to some people. He decided to fight Tybalt because Romeo didn't which is kind of like people who defend other people. He was also king of a scapegoat because he died instead of Romeo who could have died if he had decided to fight.

The article “Horse meat found in Ikea's Swedish meatballs sold in 13 countries, authorities say “ is about how horse meat traces were found in meatballs  that was supposed to be beef and pork. The meatballs had gone to Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland. The Czech State Veterinary Administration had found horse meat in 1 kilogram packs of meatballs that were made in sweden. the meatballs were being shipped to  the czech republic to be sold in ikea stores.Meatballs from that batch were taking off the shelves of the ikeas in those countries. They were however not the only company that had traces of horsemeat in their products. Nestle Spain also had horse meat in meat that was supposed to be 100% beef.

The author wants us to feel like those companies did a bad thing but that they should not be blamed entirely. the author made me feel this way because she only gave examples of how ikea had traces of horse meat in their products. the author also gave information about other companies that had horse meat in their products. she also explained that supermarkets had horse meat in their products and that they were taken off the shelfs. the author does however say that these companies search for the cheapest food which might contain ingredients from multiple people in different countries which might contract other people for production which make things hard to monitor. the author also didn't really give that many responses on the companies that had horse meat in their products.

i thought that the companies should be responsible for what is in their products. it may be hard for the companies to monitor the meat that they sell because it come from different places but they should at least try to make a bigger effort. i agree that measures should be taken towards tougher regulations on food. the price of the food might go up but i think that it is better than eating horse meat. so overall i think that measure should be taken so people wont have to eat horse meat when it says that it is pork or beef.

song analasys

One song that I used to listen to was “sorry blame it on me” by Akon. I found the song very catchy. The song is basically about him apologizing to the people he had hurt in his life. He apologized for his actions that he did. He apologized to his mom, wife and a 15 year old girl. He apologizes to his wife for spending little time with her and his son. He apologizes to his mom for stealing and getting sent to jail. Lastly he apologizes to a 15 year old girl for causing her embarrassment.

I think that Akon is saying that sometimes people make mistakes and blame them on other people. For example when he was apologizing to the 15 year old girl he says that he got blamed for grinding with her. The people blamed him when it wasn't his fault because the club was supposed to be for 21 year old people. The club was supposed to get blamed but he got part of the blame. another part that supports this is that the chorus is basically saying it. the chorus is “You can put the blame on me Said you can put the blame on me You can put the blame on me” It is saying that even though it isn't his fault he is willing to accept the blame of things that he did not do. One last quote is “Why doesn’t anybody wanna take blame” saying that the people don't want to be blamed for the action and they are willing to put it on other people.

I think that this can connect to the world because  often people blame other people for things that they didn't do. For example when I was little and me and my cousin would play and if one of us did something such as break a cup we would blame each other so one of us wouldn't take the consequences. I think people should not blame other people for something they didn't do. It could ruin their chances at doing something. so overall I agree with what Akon is saying.

reading response

I have just finished reading the book “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins. It is the third and final book of the hunger games trilogy. She doesn't want to become the mocking jay but eventually agrees but with a compromise. She then goes around boosting morale in the districts. She then goes to the capitol with a group of people. Things go wrong and people end up dead such as Finnick. She then kills president coin because she might have been involved in her sisters death.

One thing that I noticed is how Katniss receives help from others such as gale. Other times however she doesn't want help. I think that the author is trying to say that it is ok to receive help from others instead of being independent. If Katniss had not received help from those people then she wouldn't have been able to accomplish them. One point of this is when Katniss is taking the test to see if she can go into combat her “commander” tells her to dive she does. If she hadn't she would have been destroyed by the blast but instead she let her commander do it. One other example is when Katniss and her group are trying to get away from the mutant dogs and a lot of her soldiers stay behind and sacrifice themselves. If they hadn't stayed behind she would have been killed too.

I think that this could apply to everyone. I sometimes have to much pride. I would rather do something on my own before asking for help from someone else. I don’t thing it is a sign of weakness if you ask help from someone. If you cant do something on your own you could get help from a person and it will improve you. For example if you cont draw and you let someone teach/help you it could help you realize what makes your drawings look weird. Another thing is that if someone helps you the job will get done faster and might come out looking better.

non fiction reading response

The article “Cuomo Signs Gun Legislation Into Law" by Thomas Kaplan he talks about the legislative session that was held. They passed/approved a package on gun measures. It was passed after 5 hours of debate on a 104 to 43 votes. It would ban semi automatic pistols, rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines. People who had them would have to register them to the state. The author wants us to know what was passed in the session and what it banned. He also wanted to explain the process of getting weapons and ammunition.

I think the author wants us to feel that this was the right thing to do. He gave a lot of backup evidence that supported this. He quoted mayor Bloomberg when he said it “protects the second amendment rights of people, and at the same time it makes all new Yorkers safer.” He also said, “it fills in loopholes, and it expands it, as the society’s needs have changed, and the dangers have changed to all of us.” He has given many more examples explaining why it was the right thing to do.

I think that this was the right thing to do. If we did not take any actions towards having restrictions it could result in something like what happened in the Connecticut elementary school. It was smart because not anyone will be able to buy gun whenever they wanted and it would be reported when someone but a lot of ammunition. I will also feel safer knowing that not anyone can get a gun anymore. One issue a thought of was that they are aware that there are technical; issues in the package and they will fix them. While they fix it they can change what the package is actually supposed to do.



Thomas. "Kaplan." Cuomo Signs Gun Legislation Into Law january 15,2013: 1-2.

I have just finished the book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. It is about Katniss going back into the arena with former hunger game winners. It started with another way to show that the capital is still in charge. In then however turns into the start of a rebellion which is stated at the end of the book.

One thing I was thinking about throughout the story was that the games were harder then the first one for katniss. There were many ways that the games were harder then the first. One thing was that former winners were going into the arena which meant that all of those people had killed at least one person before and were not afraid to kill again. One other thing is that in the first arena Katniss was familiar with some plants and the type of place they were in while in the second one Katniss does not know the biome or the type of animals or food that are edible in there.

I think this was not the smartest idea for the capital to make. However I understand that the capital was making a point that they are in charge and that no one should challenge them. Everyone in the capital grew to love the champions. It would be hard for the people to see the champions they grew to love die.

In the book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Katniss a former winner of the hunger games goes back into the ring with her “Lover” Peeta. Since it was that 3rd quarter quell one female and one male victor from the past games would be chosen to go back into the arena.  She makes allies with former victors and goes into the arena prepared but she find horrors waiting inside the arena.

It is sad what the capital does to all the tributes that are in the arena. They suffer both emotional and physically before and after they are in the arena. Katniss was harmed emotionally because she was ready to say goodbye to all her friends and family members but instead she was hurried away and never said anything to her loved ones. That was harsh because she knows that she will never return to her family and she never made peace with her friend Gale. Also when they are in the arena they use close friends and family voices to hurt them. This was probably devastating to them. It would have been for me. Just imagine yourself in a place full of horrors not knowing what is going to come and then you hear the voices of people you know in pain that you care about.

It was shocking that a lot of people risked their lives in order to save Peeta. First of all when Peeta hit the force field he died but then Finnick saved him by started his heart up again. Also when Katniss and her group was attacked by the vicious monkeys another tribute jumped in front of Peeta which saved him but cost the tributes life. One last thing is that Finnick blocked a spear that would have impaled Peeta, because he did that he got stabbed in his thigh by his enemy.

Reading Response

In the book Black Beauty by Anna Sewell  the story is narrated by a horse named black beauty. He is constantly moving from home to home because he is a horse. He has lived in horrible places and wonderful places. He never loses hope and always tries his best. He prefers people who are gently towards him and know how to ride a horse.

A common issue throughout the book are the relationships. The book is about horses and they have a hard time trusting humans because they are scared of them. A horse named Ginger was raised in a bad home. She was ill used and therefore she does not trust humans. Since she was ill used she would bite and kick people because she did not trust them. Eventually she grows better because she is treated nicely and better when she goes to a new home. What this means that the only way for a relationship to grow and develop is to show that you care for the person/animal. You have to earn that persons trust. Also many horses in the book do not trust humans because of this. Since they were ill used and not congratulated they lose trust and the only way for them to regain it is if they are treated nicely by other humans.

This can connect to the real world in a lot of ways. If you get into a fight with your friend your friendship will be broken. The only way to fix it is if you work together and be nice to each other. If you don’t they will not be friends with you because they don’t trust you. Also if you are a mean friend people wont trust you because you are not nice to them. If you talk nice to them and care for them they will gain you trust. In other words the only way to start or regain a friendship is to be nice to each other.

Be Grateful

Many people don’t appreciate what they have when they have it. They will only appreciate it when you don’t or barley have it. In the book The Lake of Souls by Darren Shan the main character and his friend Harkat get teleported into a different world then the one they are used to. They get there through a portal that Mr.Tiny made in order to find out who Harkat was originally before he was created again. They need to figure it out because Harkat has nightmares and will eventually go mad and die.

When they are there they are grateful for everything. They are teleported into a desert so water is rare and precious. They are grateful every time they find water and they preserve it. They only drink sips at a time because it is that rare. When they were in the real world they didn't have to worry about not having enough water most of the time. Also when they are in the other world there is basically almost no food. They could only survive on the lizards they could find and eat. This made them very grateful when they met Evanna and she had set up a great meal for them.

This can connect to the real world in so many ways. People are ungrateful for the food they have. Some kids in the world go hungry every night. Also we have a roof and clothes to wear while other kids live in cardboard boxes or out in the open and have ripped or no clothes at all. Also during Christmas some kids are mad because they didn't get what they wanted but they should realize that there are actually kids who don’t even get something on Christmas. Hopefully this made you realize that you are lucky to have water, food, shelter and clothes.

We Might Not Know Ourselves

David Morales 809
Am I Blue? by Bruce Coville.  
In the short story Vince is trying to figure himself out. He is not sure if he is gay or not. It all starts when Butch Carrigan decided to bully him. A fairy godfather comes to him to help him out and find the right path for him so he can get his priorities straight. An example of this is when Vince meets his fairy godfather and describes him as”kind of handsome-almost pretty”. I thought it was worth mentioning this because handsome usually describes a boy while pretty describes a girl. I thought this meant he wasn’t sure if he was looking for a girl or a man.
          
Another example is when Vince realizes he is slightly tinted blue. Blue means that you are gay or had a gay experience. He asked Melvin (his fairy godfather) what this meant. Melvin told Vince that it meant that he was still trying to figure himself out. Melvin described him as a confused puppy. This meant that he was still trying to figure himself out and it would come to him in a while.

Another example that happens at the very last story is when Vince says “and my third wish? I’ve decided to save it for when I really need it-maybe when I meet the girl of my dreams Or Prince Charming. Whichever.” I thought that this was important to include because it shows that he has not figured himself out. He is still wondering if he is gay or not and that is why he is waiting for the right person to come into his life, either Prince Charming or the girl of his dreams.

A way this can connect to the world is that a lot of people do things because they are trying to figure themselves out. Sometimes people will do weird and strange things in order for them to figure themselves out. I think this means that we shouldn't judge people because they might be going through a complicated phase in their lives and they are confused about who they are. This has taught me that i shouldn't judge people because they might appear weird or different on the outside but i don't know if anything complicated is going on their lives.  I think that a lot of people can learn from this short story if they read it.

      The conflict in the story  The Drummer Boy Of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury resolved itself when the general of the army spoke to Joby. Joby was the drummer boy. He was feeling weak and defenseless because he had 2 sticks and a drum instead of a weapon to protect himself with. He was feeling down because he did not think he was an important part of the army. The general told Joby that he was the heart of the army and controlled how the army felt. He explained to Joby that If he beat his drum with a slow rhythm the soldiers would get lazy, tired, and sluggish. However if he played a fast, steady rhythm the soldier’s blood would travel through their body. They would hold their head up high and proud and march step after step. Joby then realized he was important.
       The themes I thought presented themselves were that no matter what you do you are not worthless. The other theme I thought presented itself was that even a small role can make a big difference.
       I thought this connects to the world because some people think that they are worthless because they cant find anything that they are good at. However if they kept on looking they would have eventually found something they are good at and finally realize that they are not worthless.

I am currently reading the book I AM A SEAL TEAM SIX WARRIOR by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin. One of the conflicts of the book was that the main character would be abused as a child. His father would beat him every time he did something wrong or did not work hard enough at his job. He would be beat if there were seeds on the driveway because of the trees they had. The problem resolves itself by the main character becoming a marine to escape his life. His whole childhood had prepared him for that. He could endure huge amounts of pain. Also he became a sniper and to do that you need to pay close attention to detail to do that. Picking up the seeds from the driveway helped him with that. The theme that revealed itself was that you should not give up no matter what even if you think you cant take it anymore. Another theme i thought was presented was that you should do anything even if it is pointless because in the future it might help you out.

Reading Response

Over the summer I read the book Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez. it was a good book. it showed the problems that that the girl had and it wasn't just a statement the narrator went into detail on things. i enjoyed the book because the plot was interesting it made you think about the things that could happen. one example is when the main character , Anita, saw the light turned on in her uncles shack even though  he had  mysteriously disappeared. one thing i thought was clever was when the author made Anita start out as a loyal person to the Dominican republic and then made her start questioning the leadership of her country. overall it was a good book and i think that people should read it.