Book Group Blog #1I am reading the book Speak. Speak is a book about a teenage girl named Melinda who called the cops on a party over the summer and since has become a social outcast. Melinda used to have a group of friends that she was really close with but now all of them hate her. Melinda claims that there was a reason she called the cops on the party but she can't say it. This leads me to believe that someone may be threatening her not to tell what really happened at the party.
Speak reminds me of a show I recently watched called 13 Reasons Why about a girl who was a social outcast and ended up killing herself. I made this connection because Hannah Baker the girl in 13 Reasons why became a social outcast and everyone hated and really pitted herself. Melinda in Speak doesn't really have any friends nut she is super negative and spends a lot of her time feeling sorry for herself. So far I really like the book because I want to know what happened at the party which is drawing me in to keep reading. The sections also end with cliff hangers sometimes that make me want to keep reading so overall so far I'm really enjoying Speak.
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Boy in the striped Pajamas Blog1. In a paragraph or two compare (similarities) and contrast (differences) Night and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
The Similarities between Night and the Boy in the Striped Pajamas are that the concentration camps are set up the same way, for example the prisoners got identification numbers and had to shave all their hair. They also had a whistle or a bell to call all the prisoners back from their work everyday. The differences are that in night a boy as young at Schumel probably would've been sent to the gas chambers right away instead of sent to work. In Night the Prisoners also didn't go and work in the soilders houses. The last difference is that it seemed pretty unlikely in Night that Bruno would have been able to give Schumel food or communicate with him. 4. Which did you like better and why (book or movie)? I liked the book better because it drew you in and created more suspense the the movie. I also like the ending better because the book ended with a good ending but the movie ending was terrible. I also think Night had a little bit more mature content then The Boy in the Striped pajamas which made it a better story to follow and stay engaged in. Overall I like both the movie and the book though. March MadnessSo far the two big upsets have been South Carolina beating Duke and Wisconsin beating #1 ranked, last years national champion Villinova. I'm predicting that in the sweet 16 #11 Xaiver will beat #2 Arizona. Xaiver previously upset #3 Florida St. where they won by 20+ points. Im predicting that the final four will be North Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon, and South Carolina. To make that happen #3 Oregon would have to upst #1 Kansas and #7 South Carolina would have to beat #4 Florida. My pick to win it all is the University of North Carolina. They were also my pick last year but they lost in the championship to a Villinova buzzer beater.
This tournament has had a lot of clutch plays and a lot of not so clutch plays. For example at the end of the Oregon-Michigan game, Michigan was down by 1 and the missed a shot at the buzzer that would've given them the win. On the other hand, Florida and Wisconsin were in Over time and at the buzzer Florida (down by two) shot a three that no one thought would've gone in but it did which gave Florida the win over Wisconsin. In the NIT Iowa missed a buzzer shot but we won't talk about that. Signpost Assignment Words of the wiser
pg:78 The man in the bed next to Elie was telling him that they have many more selections in the infirmary then outside because Germany has no need for sick Jews. He told Elie to leave the infirmary before the selection so he would have a chance at survival. This connects to words of the wiser because Elie does not have the knowledge that there will be a selection so someone who does is sharing it with him so he can protect himself. This affects Elie because if he didn't know about the selection he probably would have stayed in the infirmary and been sent to the gas chambers. A life lesson that this event shares is some things are too good to be true because Elie thought the infirmary was nice, he didn't have to work and got extra food but he didn't know that there would be a selection. Again and Again pg:107 Elie's dad keeps telling him things like "I cant go on " or "It's my time son". His dad is referring to the pain and suffering he's going through and is ready to give up. Elie refuses to let his dad give up even though his father is begging and pleading to have his life be over. I think the author brings this up again and again to clue the readers in that Elie's dad is very weak and he most likely won't make it much longer. This signpost builds up suspense and suspicion because the readers are beginning to wonder how much longer Elie's father will make it. Tough Questions Pg:110-11 The blockalteste pulls Elie aside and tells him that his father is very weak and he should stop caring for him. The blockalteste tells Elie to take his fathers rations of food and water, Elie starts to wonder about how much nicer it would be with double food but in the end makes the decision to stay loyal to his father. This tough question makes me wonder about how terrible the concentration camps really were that Elie was even considering abandoning his ill father to give himself a better chance at survival, after all his father has done for him. 3 potus prioritiesIf I were president of the united states (POTUS) my priorities would be Global warming, terrorism, and Gun control. Global warming is affected our environment in a huge way. Every year we seem to be having the hottest years on record. Eventually if our earth keeps heating up at this rate whole cities will be underwater from melting Ice. It will also get to the point where we won't be able to produce the resources we need and we will be forced into a climate war because we won't be able to support all the people living on earth. A solution to this is to stop greenhouse gas emissions, the major cause of green house gas emissions is livestock so if we could cut down on the amount of meat and other livestock products produced we could contribute to the fight against global warming.
My second priority would be terrorism. Terrorism is a major problem and puts the lives of US citizens at risk. I think that if we don't put an end to major terrorist groups like ISIS they will eventually become smart enough to come into the US and then it will be even harder to fight them. A solution to this is to help out small middle eastern countries that ISIS is occupying with military assistance to try and cut off their resources from those countries. My last priority is Gun control. I think there is no reason that an ordinary citizen needs a powerful military like gun. I think any person should have to pass a safety course to own a gun and large military like guns should no be available to citizens because it contributes to thinks like school shootings or just any shooting that aims to kill innocent citizens. Winter BreakOver winter break I did a lot of fun things! My family celebrates Christmas so on Christmas eve we went to church and then to my aunts. A tradition my family had is on Christmas Eve we all get new pajamas. This year I got ones with polar bears on them. Another tradition is my brothers and I all sleep in the same room so this year we slept in my brother Gavin's room. On Christmas day we got up early and opened presents. My favorite present was my new phone. We then went to my grandpa's where my two aunts and cousins were. We had a big lunch/dinner that consisted of Prime rib and fried chicken.
Also on winter break I played a lot of basketball. We didn't have any tournaments but I had practice and I just played with my brothers. When my brothers and I play they always want to play one on one and I always win. My favorite thing about basketball is getting to laugh at my brothers when they try to play me because I'm so much taller. 8 skills for 18 year oldsI read an article about 8 life skills 18 year olds should have before they go to college, and they go as follow, Talk to strangers, Find their way around a campus or twon, Manage work loads and assignmnets, contribute to the running of a houshold, deal with interpersonal problems, cope with ups and downs in their lives, Earn and manage money, and take risks. This article talked about how if a child is going to make it in the real world without their parents they're going to need these skills. This article could also be for parents. A lot ofparents may shelter their kids and do all of these things for them, but this article could give them a push to make their kids less dependnt on them.
I agree with all of these skills. In order for an 18 year old to run and manage a succesful life they need these 8 skills. If you grow up depending on your parents, your parents arent doing you any good because you will eventually need to do things for yourself. I think kids by the age of 15 or 16 should have these skills because they, are able to have a job, drive, and drop out ofschool giving them quite a lot of freedom. Dress CodeOne school rule that I strongly disagree with is the dress code. My schools dress code especially mainly applies to girls and I think it's unfair. If a girl wants to come to school and show her stomach I don't see why that's a problem. Girls should be treated as equals to guys and not have to dress according to how they're gonna think. If a guy wanted to come to school in a muscle t-shirt or a shirt with no sleeves no one would say anything but if a girl wore a shirt with no sleeves or a tank top they would be immediately dress coded. Boys should be taught to respect girls and that certain behaviors that have to do with how a girl dresses are not ok, instead the behavior is excused and girls are punished.
What I'm Thankful For I have a great life and I'm so blessed to have all the opportunities, success, and support I've had. The main thing in my life that I'm thankful for is my family. My family supports me in everything I do or want to try. My parents drive me all around for up to three different practices a day. My dad coaches me an has been my coach ever sense I started playing softball and basketball. My little brothers get up at 6 in the morning to drive an hour to watch me play in a basketball tournament at 7 in the morning, and they never complain. My little brothers are always in the stands cheering me on or giving me their own "constructive criticism." My brothers and I do fight but in the end we all love each other.
Another thing I'm thankful are my teammates. My teammates are like the sisters I never had. They put up with me and sometimes even put me in my place when need be. My teammates are so special to me because it makes it so much more fun to play sports knowing you have up to 12 other girls who have your back at all times. I am so grateful for how blessed I am and I hope everyone else has special things in their life that are this meaningful to them as I do. I hope everyone has a really good thanksgiving surrounded by the people they love! |