Blog Seven

I have been trying to read a new book called The Time I Joined The Circus. It is about this girl named Xandra and she doesn't live with her father because he has died. She is going to find her mother because she always leave her for the circus. While in this book, Xandra turns into Lexi because she wanted a name for the circus. I did not get much into the book because I don't really find it interesting. Im sorry to say I might abandon it.

A sign post I have found in this book is an A-Ha moment. That moment is when Lexi likes this boy named Jaime. as this continues, the other friend she makes, Lina also likes him. That A-Ha moment is when Lina finds out the Lexi and Jaime have kisses.

Last Blog

The book "Day of Tears" is a book full of twist and turns, told by many different points of views. Emma is a slave to the Butler household. She takes care of Pierces', her master, daughters. Emma fears the day that is soon to come.. the day of the biggest auction. Her master, Pierce, has many debts he has to pay off so, he creates a huge auction. The auction took place on a stormy day in Savannah, Georgia. People from all around come to buy these hard working people. Emma feels the need to teach Pierces daughters to be good people. When Pieces daughters see Emma be sold they are heart broken. Will Emma be able to survive this horrible auction? Will all these other slaves being auctioned be separated from their families? 

This book seems to have many conflicts. Small or big, all these conflicts take a huge toll on Emma and those around her. They all pray to go to good people. Or at least people who won't mistreat them as much. All these slaves have a conflict with the society they live in. Everyone around them wants to buy them for their personal benefits, but what are the benefits for these slaves? Emma hears as the families are being sold. She hears how some of the people she worked with are being separated by their family. She's worried about what's going to happen to her. She's worried about the family she might go to.

Blog Six

In my book, The Catcher In The Rye the book is being narrated in first person point of view by the main character, Holden. He lives in New York City and has been to about four different schools. The reason he keeps moving schools is because he always gets kicked out for having flunked out every subject, except English (his favorite topic). With all the schools he has been to, he notices how "phony" as he says everyone is. After being in a fight with his roommate Stradlater because of he goes out with Holden's old friend, Jane, he realizes that he doesn't want to stay at Pencey until Christmas Break because how snotty everyone is. He has quite a lot of cash on him so he makes his way to a hotel, enters the Lavender Room wanting his favorite drink, Scotch and a Coke. He's only 16 or 17, and he makes his way back up to the room making some stupid decisions. The next day he does the same, but he gets really drunk, to make his way back home to talk to his little sister, Phoebe. Out of everything in the world, he has trouble find things he enjoys, he finds out later, something he really loves is his little brother and sister.

A signpost that came up in this book is a memory moment. That moment is when Stradlater asks Holden to write his composition for him. He writes about Allie, his little brother, who died when they were in Maine from leukemia on July 18th, 1946. Anyway, the composition was about Allie's left handed baseball glove. He remembers poems being written every where on the baseball mitt. In the book it says, "My brother Allie had this left handed fielders mitt. He was left handed. The thing that was descriptive about it, though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere. In green ink. He wrote them on it so that he'd have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up to bat." It didn't matter if Allie was dead or not. Holden still loves him, he loves him no matter if he was dead or alive, he even says "you don't stop loving someone just because they're dead".

Blog Number Five

In the book of The Diary of a Part-Time Indian, we meet Arnold, he is stuck between two worlds. He wants to find hope, but in order to do that, he transfers schools. From Wellpinit (reservation school) to  Reardan ("white school"). He leaves the rez and his only best friend, Rowdy. Arnold tries to get him to come with him, but Rowdy refuses and punches Arnold. Through everything, Rowdy was the one protecting Arnold from fights, and Arnold lost him. He gets to his new school and is lonely, gets picked on for being Indian, and he has a crush on a girl who is out of his league. His family is very poor, so no they use all the money they can to make Arnold look middle class. Then he tries out for the basketball team, its a good things, but he has to play against his old school, and his old best friend. Lastly, Arnold thinks that once he moved schools, not houses, that he has put a curse on his family and friends, because through one week, he lost any important people.

The way I see this book, is that it will be my favorite book. Im not the type of person to really read so much, but I found this book really interesting that I read through it fast. If I wasn't so busy, I probably would have finished the book quicker. When I read the part about his parents trying to make Arnold look middle class, I thought it was so amazing because his father is a drunk, and the thought of him not buying liquor, and using that money for Arnold was so thoughtful. Even though he still and to walk to school and home or even hitch a ride, its not like anyone knew. It seemed very depressing, can you imagine walking more then a mile just to get to a school where people didn't accept you? And if you lost more then two people in one week, do you think you would have had the energy to continue doing that? My favorite part of the book, is the ending, because it shows that not every book will have the happiest ending, it was accurate. I do recommend anyone to read this book, I know it might sound cheesy, but it was a 10/10 kind of book.

Blog Number Four

In my book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, we meet a American Indian who lives in a reservation, Junior. He knows that his family is poor, so everyday he hopes to get food. At the same time he says its okay because when they get food, he says it tastes better. He has this white best friend named Rowdy, he claims they have been friends since birth. Then one day at the school, he opens up a book, he sees that his own mother wrote the history book. He becomes angry because he knows that the school is so poor that they cannot afford real books. Junior then becomes very mad, all he wanted to do was hit something, instead he accidentally threw the book at his teachers face, and broke his nose. Mr. P, conferences with Junior, he discusses how he deserved it.

In my book, there is a conflict, Man vs. Self. In the book, Mr. P tells Junior that he needs to get out of the rez, because even Mr. P is tired of trying to get rid of Indians, that he should follow his dreams. Now Junior, he is stuck between leaving his best friend Rowdy and starting a "better life" or staying in the rez where Rowdy protects him from other white people. Junior draws a picture of his house, with two arrows pointed to it, one saying "Rez" and the other saying "Home" then on the other side of the pole he writes "Hope" and "???". If he moves, he knows it will be expensive, but he also knows if he leaves, the Indians will be angry with him if they ever come back. His mother tells him "You'll be the first one to ever leave the rez this way, the Indians around here are going to be angry with you." This proves that it will be hard for him to just transfer school, he stuck between being with people who accept him with not enough education or with people who treat him like a nobody and have little more education.

American Indian Analysis

American Indians were marginalized from society because white people were killing them. They didn't kill them physically, but the white people were trying to get rid of their culture. White people tried turning these American Indians into Whites, as in, the way they dressed, acted, and spoke To be taught not to be like your family, to even separate you, you didn't know how to live like them, you become different. In the text it says, "'Kill the Indian, save the man,' was Pratt saying." This proves that the captain would want these American Indians to change for the "better", but it wasn't better, it was only different. It also says "Along with his new name came a new look. His long hair was cut short. His leggings and moccasins were taken away, replaced by an itchy wool uniform and black leather boots." With this text, white people took away the American Indians tradition. Its killed who they were on the inside by taking away what they had on the outside.

The purpose of Shanice Britton writing this essay was to inform everyone, that American Indians are no different. In the text it says "We live in houses with electricity and running water. I take showers, watch Finding Carter on MTV, and wear jeans, just like any other teen." They way she explains how she lives is just like us, just like us because, "There are paved roads and a small grocery store, a gas station, and restaurants." American Indians aren't always people who wear feathers, wear moccasins, and leggings, but when that does happen its mostly at the ceremonies. The clothing they wear at the ceremonies, the music that plays, and the songs they sing, its just like how they remind themselves of their own traditions that were passed on. But sadly, some things that have died out because of the white people, one was: language, because not even Shanice learned it. Even though she tries to, it will still take her awhile because she learns at the ceremonies.

Perks of being a Wallflower

In my book we meet a boy named Charlie. He starts writing letters, but he does not address them to a particular person. Then it explains how he only had one friend, Michael, the thing is, Michael did something terrible. He has committed suicide, Charlie hates the fact that he never knew there was something wrong, but now he goes into high school, alone. As he gets through it the first weeks, he has to cope with some new things he wasn't used to in middle school. Later on, his English teacher, Bill then knows how smart Charlie is, so he gives him more advanced books. Charlie has two siblings, and older sister and brother, but his brother started college and his sister is a senior. No matter if Charlie was depressed and had anxiety, he still kept it a secret. Till he met two siblings, Sam and Patrick, they showed him happiness and makes him forget about the bad things.

My reflection on the book, I think if you don't understand the way he feels, you wouldn't really understand the book. Honestly, I think this is the best book I have read. I can connect to most feelings he has had. When he's friends stopped talking to him, he didn't know what to do anymore. All because of a stupid mistake. To be a smart student, doesn't mean you can't be depressed, it doesn't stop anything. If you're feeling alone, maybe you should read this book, because you can probably relate and you won't feel so alone.