Book Shelf

Books to read:

West Side Story by Ernest Lehman

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

In the heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Looking for Alaska by John Green

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 

Final Blog Post

Dear 811 ELA class,

One thing that I learned from 8th grade ELA is how to write a synthesis page. We wrote so many synthesis pages in the beginning of the year so later in the year they were really easy because we had already made so many. One text that was memorable was Lord of the Flies. It was memorable because of how difficult the reading was, but with using the strtegies that we were taught it was really easy to understand. Another thing that was memorable was preforming Romeo and Juliet. It was very fun to watch and interesting to see another way that Romeo and Juliet was interpreted.

My hopes and goals for reading  in High School are to read a lot more often and to read more complex books. Also, I want to read more classic books. My writing goals are to write more complex stories and to explore new topics that I haven't explored before. Something I hope to read is Sherlock Holmes and something I hope to write is a complex mystery.

Poetry project

Poem 1: Haikus

 

 

As the sun peeks out

Over the tall green trees

It’s rays begin to warm us

 

The falls come crashing down

In between two countries

Divided

 

Facebook status—

Failure to update means

You are forgotten

 

Through the mountain

Is a tunnel

To the other side

 

One blemish

On a perfect record

Can ruin your life

 

One wrong decision

Can change your life

Forever

 

 

To write these poems I would just think of a meaningful sentence, then I’d divide it into 3 parts. I incorporated some personification into some of the haikus make the objects and ideas seem more humanlike.

Poem 2: Free Verse

 

 

Being in the wrong place

At the wrong time

Can get you convicted of something

That you could never have done

 

When the cop cuffs you

And reads you your rights

“You have the rights to remain silent”

You know you didn’t do it

 

In the car ride to the station

You try to reason with the officer

But he just ignores you

You know you didn’t do it

 

On the prison transport bus

You try to reason with the Warden

But he just ignores you

You know it’s not you

 

When your time is over, 20 years later

Your life will be different forever

Because you were convicted of a crime 

That you know you didn’t do

 

 

To write this poem I thought of something that could ruin your life and I wrote about it. I didn’t use any literary devices because I didn’t think my poem needed literary devices to make the 

Poem #3: Sonnet

 

 

Baseball is a lot more than just a game

The bases, the players, the field, the coach

And all the best are in the Hall Of Fame

The player walks toward the plate on his approach

Around the bases the players do run

Fast as they can, so they don’t get called out

They run so fast like they’re being chased with a gun

The crack of the bat makes everyone want to shout

As the batter rounds the bases everyone cheers

The pitcher is as mad as a Lyon

But the batter has done this for many years

The batters name is either Brian or Ryan

All these things about baseball I do love

Baseball was sent from the gods above

 

 

This poem was very hard to write because I had to make each line have 10 syllables and also I had to follow the correct rhyming scheme (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG). I used similes in this poem to compare two things.

Heart Poem Reading Response

 

​The poem “Touchscreen” contains many literary devices such as repetition and irony. There are many examples of repetition. The first one is “Doesn’t it feel good to touch? /Doesn’t it feel good to touch? /Doesn’t it feel good to touch?” This repetition is used to put emphasis on the certain sentence. Also, the word “click” is repeated many times in the end of the poem to show how much people are “clicking” digital technology. Another literary device is irony. One example, is “my problems can be solved with a 1600 by 1700 resolution.” This is ironic because problems can’t be solved by a certain amount of pixels. In addition, another example of irony “When our technology is advance enough…/to make us human again.” This is ironic because our technology won’t be able to touch us back for a very long time.

​

​The poem’s meaning is that technology is getting too advanced and the human race is getting too absorbed in their devices. One example is “but with 3,000 friends online /only five I can count in real life / why wouldn’t I spend more time in a world where more people that ‘like’ me.” This quote shows the meaning of the poem. It also shows how the writer of the poem feels about technology.

 

​My reaction to the poem is that it is very creative and very well written. It is also a very interesting topic. One line that is very good is “I face Facebook/ more than books face me/ hoping to/ book face-to-faces.” I like this line because of all the repetition with the words “face” and “book.” Another line that I like is “I update my status/ 420 spaces/ to prove that I am still breathing.” I like this line because it shows many different aspects of technology. My overall reaction is that the poem is very good and flows really well.

Argument essay

Raising self-esteem is always difficult, but when you've been bullied since you were six it is even harder. In the book Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan there's a character named Tiny Cooper that is gay. Since tiny was little he was bullied for being gay. Tiny's feelings change throughout the story. In the beginning he feels unwanted by the end of the story his feelings change and he feels wanted. 

In the beginning of the story Tiny feels unwanted and uncared for. When Tiny gets dumped by his boyfriend Zach he feels totally unwanted. "' My heart is broken,' Tiny say" (19). At this point Tiny feels like the whole world is against him. He feels like nothing will ever go right for him. He also feel like no one is on his side  and no one cares at all about him.

In the end of the story Tiny feels cared for and very wanted. During a play that Tiny wrote, acted in and directed he gets a surprise that makes him feel much better.  "me: my name is will Grayson and i appreciate you tiny cooper!" (307). This goes on for about a dozen more people. At this moment Tiny feels appreciated and cared for. He feels like people are on his side. Tiny doesn't feel unwanted anymore.

Throughout the story Tiny's feelings change. In the beginning he feels unwanted and uncared for but at the end his feelings change and he feels wanted and cared for. This book shows how big events can change people's lives and their feelings.

Foreword for picture

At a young age Antonio Brown wanted to play in the NFL. The road to the NFL is usually hard, but for Brown it was even harder. When Brown was 16 he was asked by his Mom to leave the house. Brown thought of the situation as a positive moment in his life rather than a negative one. He thought of it as a way to help him become a better person and a better man.

            Antonio grew up in Liberty City just outside of Miami. Liberty City sounds like a nice place but the name can be deceiving. It was impossible not to be affected by crime and violence and for most growing up there gunfire was just background noise. Liberty City was not a nice place to grow up. When Brown got kicked out of his house he bounced around from his friends houses. Anywhere where he could get a few hours sleep he would go to.

Brown’s life consisted of going to school and football. Despite the trouble he wasn’t angry or envious at anyone.  He didn’t hold any grudges. “ Brown didn’t allow the experience to make him bitter and angry, and today he holds no grudge against those who weren’t there for him growing up… Today Antonio Brown is a young man with a constant smile and a positive despite attitude.” Brown stayed positive despite all that happened to him.

Boy 21 synthesis page

How does this text make you think about justice in the world?

This text makes me think about all the towns all of the country that just aren't a safe environment to live in. The town in the text is full of mob violence, drugs, and graffiti. "Only, seven or so blocks from our homes, drug dealers hang out by the town courts and old men sit around drinking from brown paper bags." This quote shows how the town is not safe to live in. The town is not the only one, many towns across the US struggle to maintain order. In a few towns the police are corrupt and don't help people. The book has made me realize how tough it is for some children to grow up in areas where it's not safe to step outside of your house alone.

This text has also made me realize how affected some people are by a loss of a loved one. In the story a boy named Russ loses his parents, and then moves to live with his grandparents. There he pretends that he is an alien and that his parents are going to rescue him. He did all this because he was so upset by his parents loss. Russ does this to avoid get his mind of his parents death and to try and forget about it. Russ, who was being scouted by colleges for basketball, gave up his basketball career because he was so sad when his parents died.

 Is this story fair? Why/why not?

No, the story is not fair because children should not be forced to live in a neighborhood where you are not able to go outside alone. Also, there is a very powerful mob in town, and they killed the main characters mother, and hit his friend with a car and severely injured her. Kids shouldn't have to grow up with this type of violence so close to them. 

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Social Awareness Project

2) Observing My Surroundings

·      Bullying

·      Drugs

·      Underage Drinking

·      Homelessness

·      Racism

·      Poverty

Homelessness is a major issue all over the US but especially in New York City. In October 2014 in NYC, there were 59,246 homeless people. Without a home, these people can’t have all the necessities that they need to survive. Many people are homeless because they have lost their jobs, but is it fair for them to lose their house and live the streets and into shelters just because they can’t come up with enough money to pay rent? People shouldn’t be allowed to live on the streets and in parks. The city needs to provide aid to people who desperately need it.

There are many things that New York City could do to improve life for homeless people. The city could turn more parts of the city into affordable housing for the less fortunate. The city could also make more jobs in different areas so that people who are jobless can begin to work, and get enough money to move off the streets and into homes. Homeless people may need to take course to train themselves with certain skills, so they can get new jobs. Homeless people also need free healthcare. All doctors could offer services to people in need. If the mayor raised awareness and oney for the homeless many lives would be saved and New York City would be a better place for everyone.

4) Reading Response

           

Last Sunday, 5 members of the NFL team, the St. Louis Rams raised their hands to show support for Michael Brown. As the players ran out of the tunnel before the game against the Oakland Raiders, they held up their hands like Michael Brown did before he was killed. “The article St. Louis Rams Players’ Display Is Condemned by Police Association,” is about how the players of the Rams responded to the act of injustice that the police did a few weeks earlier. I think that what the Rams’ players did should not be punished, because they were expressing their freedom of speech.

At the moment, it looks like the Rams’ players are not going to be punished by the team or the NFL. But it has created some tenseness between the players and the St. Louis Police Officers Association. They demanded that the NFL discipline them. They also said that they were “profoundly disappointed,” by what the players did. The Rams head coach has yet to punish them and he says that he doesn’t think he will. He didn’t think that what they did was right but he also didn’t think that it was wrong. “As far as the choice that the players made, no, they were exercising their right to free speech… They will not be disciplined by the club nor by the National Football League,” he told reporters. I think that what the Rams’ players did wasn’t meant to offend the police officers. Their actions were no different then a protest.

This wasn’t the first time athletes have inserted themselves into political debates. Muhammad Ali refused to join the army during the Vietnam War, because of his opposition to war. Ali was charged with draft evasion and stripped of his boxing title. Later, the case went to Supreme Court and he got his title back. In 2012, the Miami Heat led by LeBron James wore hooded sweatshirts like the one that Trayvon Martin wore. James and his teammates were not punished by the NBA after the act of protest.

The Rams’ players should not be disciplined or punished in any way. All they were doing is expressing what they thought about the killing of Brown. The only difference between the Rams’ players and the protesters in Ferguson, was that the Rams’ players had football uniforms on. It’s not fair that they should be punished for expressing their feelings.

5) Poem

Some think as a teenager it is cool

To drink alcohol in middle school

But alcohol messes up your brain

Not healthy, not legal, nothing to gain

Giving into peer pressure makes you a fool

The social issue I wrote my poem about is underage drinking. It’s a much bigger problem then it seems. Alcohol use in middle and high school leads to lower grades and more absences. It also makes you more likely to get certain illnesses. Drunk driving is a big cause of death in the US. Every 53 minutes, in someone is killed from drunk driving. This means almost 27 people each day. I think all kids should be educated about the dangers of alcohol.

Bibliography

1.     "Basic Facts About Homelessness: New York City - Coalition For The Homeless." Coalition For The Homeless. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

2.     "Fact Sheets - Underage Drinking." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014

3.     "11 Facts About Driving Under the Influence." DoSomething.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

4.     Belson, Ken. "St. Louis Rams Players’ Display Is Condemned by Police Association." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Dec. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014