Much Ado About Nothing.

I have enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing so far. My favorite character is Claudio, as he is extremely brave and manly, yet caring and sensitive. Because it's a comedy, I know that everything is going to turn out ok, but I also know that Don John is going to do everything in his power to ruin things. I think that Hero and Claudio would be such a cute couple, and should definitely get married. I also really like the idea that we watch the scenes on film after reading the passages because it gives you a better idea of what is going on. Though it looks unlikely so far, I also believe that Benedick and Beatrice might fall in love. They seem to have the same ideas about life, and I think they could get along well even though they never stop bickering! I am excited to read more as a class! Next scene I play Hero.

Life of Pi... what happened this week!

Survival is a key word in the book Life of Pi. Pi is still living in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. He explains to us how the Bengal tiger got his name. He was a cub, captured in the rain forest with his mother, by a hunter. Information was sent about him to the Pondicherry zoo. The cub had been named thirsty, but it kept getting mixed up with the hunters name, which was Richard Parker. Mr. Patel finds it so funny, he keeps the tiger's name as Richard Parker. On the lifeboat, Pi gets really thirsty. He searched the boat, and finds some cans of water and various items to eat. He is happy for what he's found, but decides that Richard is a real threat to his life. He then makes a separate raft attached to the boat, in order to keep a distance from the tiger. The Tiger is getting hungry too, and kills the hyena for a snack. Pi later realizes that is raft might not be such a hot idea. Richard Parker can swim, and will kill Pi if he really gets hungry. Also, tigers can drink saline water. The only way Pi has the slightest chance of surviving is if he gets along with his animal pal. Then, Richard Parker lets out some sort of noise that Pi remembers as a sign that a tiger means no harm. He thinks it would be a good idea to try to train the thing, and makes a whip out of a whistle, and yells out loud to prove he is the alpha male. Richard hates the sound of the whistle, and lies down on the bottom of the boat. Could Pi's plan be working? I wonder if he will survive.

Enchanted!

This weekend, I saw the movie Enchanted with the little girls I babysit. I have to say, it was really cute. It started out the typical fairytale. A beautiful maiden named Giselle was singing in the forest, hoping to one day find her true love. Then, a handsome prince sweeps her off her feet, saving her from a nasty troll, and hoping to marry her the next day. Giselle goes to the wedding, but is pushed into a fountain by her evil stepmother. She ends up in New York City, and is in disbelief about how everyone is so cold, and mean. Then, she is taken home by a handsome lawyer by the request of his daughter. Giselle originally believes in love at first sight, but ends up taking a different view on love. Her prince charming comes to rescue her the next day, but Giselle is not in love with him any more. They go to a ball in New York City, and you can tell she is really in love with the real life man. But it's not over yet. The evil stepmother comes to the ball, and poisons Giselle. She is awakened not by the prince, but the real man's kiss. The stepmother attempts to take over everything, but is slayed by Giselle and her true love. It ends with Giselle still in New York, and the prince with the lawyer's ex-girlfriend back in the fairytale land. Everything still ends up happily ever after, but not in the typical sense of a fairytale.

Into The Plot of Life of Pi.

Life of Pi is starting to get really exciting. Pi is aboard a boat called the Tsimtsum on his way to North America. All of the sudden, he wakes at a loud noise. He tries to wake his brother Ravi, but can't. He leaves the cabins and climbs to the main deck. He sees that the boat is tilted completely to one side and is making terrible noises. Pi begins to worry. Then, some Chinese crewmen put a life jacket on him and toss him over the side of the boat. He lands in a lifeboat on the side of the ship, but then a zebra jumps in after him and the lifeboat falls into the water. The ship in which his family are still on sinks, and then a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker boards the lifeboat. Scared, Pi jumps into the water. He figures this is not a good idea when he sees the sharks circle around him. Pi gets back into the lifeboat, but only sees the zebra and no tiger. The Zebra is injured with a broken leg. Then, a hyena appears, and Pi figures the tiger must have drowned because it couldn't live on the same boat as the hyena. Next, an Orangutan named Orange Juice floats up to the lifeboat and gets in. Pi saves the net in which she arrived. Pi realizes that his family is probably dead. He tries to make a barrier between himself and the other animals out of fear. Also, that night is horrifying for him because he doesn't know what could happen. Daylight comes, and the hyena eats the Zebra alive. Then, it eats the Orangutan. Pi is already in great fear when he notices Richard Parker under a bench. He then falls asleep. I am really starting to enjoy this book, and am excited to read more!

Christmas Movies!

There have been many Christmas movies on TV, and I have been watching some of them. Jingle all the Way is the most recent one I have watched. It was actually filmed in a house not more than a block away from mine. My house, and the park across from my house, are filmed for a few seconds when the characters are driving in the neighborhood. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a dad who is always busy, and never has time for his family life. It is Christmas time, and he was supposed to buy his son the Turbo-Man action figure weeks ago. It is the most popular toy of the season, and sold out everywhere. The movie is about his journey to find the toy and win back his family's support. It is a happy ending, and of course he ends up with his family's love. Oh yeah, my brothers friend was filmed in the movie. His foot appeared in the scene at a crazy toy store when Arnold is attempting to buy a Turbo-Man, and he got $100 for it. Anyway, you should watch the movie! It was a good one.

The research paper!

I've been working hard on my research paper, and have actually had fun researching uniforms. I've learned a lot from the articles I've read. Many people support uniforms. Research leads to the conclusion that uniforms have benefits such as decreased violence, higher test scores, less teasing, increased school attendance, lower clothing costs, and higher student confidence. Also, parents report an easier morning routine. Studies have supported this data, and now uniforms are moving from private schools, to public ones. On the other hand, many don't approve of uniforms. Arguments against them are definitely present. Some claim a violation of the 14th amendment, others say they have paid much more than fits into their budget for the outfits, researchers are skeptical about the benefits partly because other factors may contribute, and kids just don't like wearing them. I've taken pretty much a middle ground on the issue. I think uniforms can be very beneficial, and schools should consider adopting them with exceptions to help those who can't afford it, and transfers to schools that don't require them. Hopefully my paper will come together!

Still Setting The Scene

I'm on about page 90 in my book, and still things haven't heated up. Pi describes his life as a child. He was very interested in religion as a boy. He was raised in Hinduism, but walking into a church at age fourteen, decides to be Christan. Pi then explains how he became a Muslim at age fifteen. It began when Pi met a Muslim baker Mr. Satish Kumar, who, in the middle of a conversation with Pi, excused himself to pray. Pi watched the routine and returned later to ask the baker about his religion; the baker explained that Islam is about the Beloved. Pi began to pray with Mr. Kumar and to visit a local mosque. He later tells his parents he has decided to be all three at the same time. His parents tell him he has to choose one, but he says he just wants to love God. Mr. Patel, Pi's father, decides that it is time for him to move to Canada, because he is annoyed with the Indian government. Pi and his brother Ravi are unsure. Mr. Patel sells many of his zoo animals, but plans to take some with in a cargo ship with the family. Pi remembers setting sail and being very excited, but he also remembers his mothers apprehension. I think it will get exciting very soon. This is where the problem is going to come in. Can't wait to keep reading.

Pi from Life of Pi

Pi is the main character in the book I'm reading, Life of Pi. The story is told from his point of view, and he is definitely the main character in the book. Pi is very smart, and his dad owns a zoo. He thinks deeper, and is more analytical than most people I know. Though many think it is cruel to own a zoo and keep animals caged, Pi explains it differently. He says that putting animals in a zoo is not much different for them than being in the wild, if anything, it is better. They mark their territory in the wild, and it is about the same size as the cage they are in. Also, in the wild, they struggle to get food, and sometimes don't receive a days meal, but in a zoo they are fed regularly. Pi is originally from India. He has a very close relationship with his parents, and grandparents. Pi, again, seems very intelligent, and educated. I think he will be able to handle any problems he encounters later in the book.

I really enjoyed watching On The Waterfront. I liked it even more than The 400 Blows, because I thought it had a more suspenseful plot, and the fact that it was in English also helped. I thought Terry was the most interesting character because he was caught in the middle of the major conflict. In love with Edie, he had to stand by her side with the whole Joey thing, but also wanted to be true to his older brother, who was apart of the mob. In the end, as the mob betrayed his older brother, Terry obviously took the opposing side to them. He stood up to the mob leader, and really proved a point. There were many great cinematic elements used, and I thought the movie was well done. It is so fun to watch movies in class, and I hop we will continue to watch them throughout the year.

So Far In Life of Pi

For the new outside reading book, I chose to read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I decided to read it because I wanted a fiction book. The librarian recommended it to me, and said it was a good adventure, so I decided to go for it. I haven't read very much yet, mostly just in the time we've been given in class, but I think I'm going to like it. It is about a boy named Pi. He is from India, and believes in several religions. His dad is a zookeeper, and Pi practically grew up in the zoo. He is also a very good swimmer, and was taught everything about the sport by his grandfather. Not much exciting has happened yet, but I know in the book Pi becomes stranded in a life boat with a tiger. I am ready for this part of the story to occur. Hopefully, Life of Pi will be a great book!

All My Sons Reflection

Overall, I enjoyed All My Sons. I thought the plot was very scintillating, and kept me engaged. The characters were emotionally complex, and were fun to read about. I thought the ending was dramatic, and suprising. Many themes also abounded from the story. I thought the theme about morals, and how differing they were between characters. Chris was my favorite character in the play, because he thought for the most part about others over himself. His concerns were for society, and went farther than his family's financial situation. I also enjoyed Kate, though she was somewhat psychotic, because of her intense emotions and self confidence. Joe really took me off guard when I found out he was responsible for the killing of 21 pilots as he sent out the faulty plane parts. I really didn't think he had it in him. I think that overall though, he is a good man because everything he did was for his family. Even up until the end, Joe really killed himself for Chris, and couldn't live with the thought of his sons hating him.As a whole, I thought All My Sons was a well written play and would definately read it if there had been the option not to.

All My Sons Prediction

In Act III of All My Sons...

I predict that in the end, Larry will be pronounced dead, his body found in a crashed plane. I think that Joe will fess up about what he did, and go to jail for it. Therefore, Steve will be released. I also think that Ann and Chris will end up getting married, without the support of anyone, and Kate will kill herself in devastation. A sad ending yes, but not everything can have a fairy tail ending.

Prediction For The End.

I have about 50 pages left in my book. I have no idea what is going to happen, but I'm going to take a shot in the dark. The Glass Castle has so far been set in only Jeannette's childhood. It started as her at about age 3, and she is now 13 years old. With age, she is realizing that her life is not easy, and that her parents aren't really doing all that they could. I believe that the end of the story is going to pace a bit faster, and Jeannette will grow up and move out. I think she's going to ditch her family for the most part, and pursue dreams of becoming a writer, a vet, anything to get out of her current situation.
"I was studying hard because I wanted to become either a veterinarian or a geologist specializing in the Miocene period, when the mountains out west were formed. I was telling him how geodes were created from bubbles of lava when he interrupted me. 'For the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans,' he said (pg.183)."
I think her parents are going to be stuck in their ways, not wanting help from Jeannette. I feel her siblings Lori and Brian will also get away. I can tell Jeannette wants something better for herself, and shes going to go out and get it. Maybe she will get married... but I know the book will finish with her in a better position.

losing trust

As I earlier predicted, Jeannette starts to lose trust in her dad as The Glass Castle continues. He is the town drunk wherever they move, and his empty promises are starting to lose meaning for Jeannette.
"Why do I always have to get Dad?" I asked (Pg.181).
Jeannette is sick of taking responsibility for the father she once believed in, but never comes through.
"'I don't blame Dad,' I said. And i didn't. But Dad seemed hell-bent on destroying himself, and I was afriad he was going to pull us all down with him" (pg.188).
Previously, she would always stick up for her dad and would do anything for him. I thought it was about time she figure out hes not worth the wait, and she is definately moving on.
"Mom never told Dad that I'd urged her to leave him. That summer he still thought of me as his biggest supporter, and given that there was so little competition for the job, I probably was (pg.189).
I really hope that Jeannette's dad steps up for his family, but I highly doubt he will. Jeannette is finally starting to realize this and is at the point in her life where she wants her family to be better off. I believe shes the one who'll come through over her drunken dad.

400 Blows Paper

Here is part of my paper! (Intro, Literary aspects, comparison)

The 400 Blows Review
The 400 Blows, by François Truffaut, is a black and white movie made in 1959. Overall, I enjoyed it. This film was very effective as a memoir. The actors in the movie portrayed emotion well, making me feel as though I were a part of it. Truffaut was able to bring his work to life through the use of literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements. The plot of The 400 Blows was also very exciting and kept me engaged. Through this film, I got a great sense of what François’s childhood was like. I liked the movie in general, and thought it was very effective in its purpose.

The 400 Blows shares many aspects with literature. Setting is one example, and the movie takes place in Paris, France. Two other main literary elements include plot, and characters. The story’s plot is exciting, and during it, many characters are developed. Antoine is a troubled kid, and the relationship he has with his parents’ is strained, especially the one with his mother. Antoine’s mom is discouraging, which feeds his desires to live on his own. He and his friend René skip school and attempt to escape their home several times throughout the film. Antoine continually runs into trouble as he lies to his teacher, sets part of his house on fire, steals a typewriter, and runs away with his buddy. Antoine’s parents try to improve his behavior by rewarding him and punishing him, but both efforts fail. Mr. and Mrs. Doinel eventually decide they don’t want to put up with it any more, and send their son away to an observation camp. Antoine can’t stand the camp, making a break for it during one of the daily activities. We never find out if he makes it as the last scene ends with him still running. Many themes can be taken away from the film as well. The one I find most significant is as follows: Maturity can not be forced, but is something that must come naturally. As displayed in my explanation of the plot, Antoine’s parents attempt to force him into maturity through bribery, discipline, and finally just sending him away. Other literary elements occur throughout the film, such as point of view and symbols. The many aspects that The 400 Blows shares with literature enhance the overall quality of the film.

There are many parallels between The 400 Blows and Black Boy. First of all, both stories are memoirs. Richard Wright and François Truffaut outline a part of their earlier years in their work. Another similarity that The 400 Blows shares with Black Boy centers around the main characters. In The 400 Blows, Antoine is an outcast in his family. He is rebellious, and because of this is sent away, disowned by his parents. Richard, from Black Boy, is rejected in his family as well. Richard’s grandma and aunt are very religious. When he decides not to pursue religion, Richard does not even exist in the eyes of his close relatives. Contrasting the two works, they are very different through the setting. While The 400 Blows occurs in Paris, France, Black Boy takes place in the deep south of the United States. Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and Wright’s Black Boy are alike in many ways, but also have aspects that differ.

400 Blows- the ending.

This week we finished The 400 Blows. I really liked the movie's plot, but thought the ending was lame. It ended on too much of a cliffhanger for me. After all the suspense and build-up, we never find out what happens to Antoine in the end. Does he get caught by the camp? Does he escape and start a life of his own? Does he go back to his parents? Does he reunite with Rene? I really wanted to know but will never get the chance to find out. I did actually learn about cinematic, literary, and dramatic elements. There are many examples of them in the film, as written in my paper. Watching movies in English class is so much fun, and I hope there will be more to come!

This week in Glass Castle

Jeannette's family life is crazy. They are very spontaneous and just do things without any thought or consideration. Here are some of the main events in the pages I read this week.

• Jeannette is moleseted by some random homeless guy who walks into her house. She is annoyed by the event, but doesn't make as big a deal out of it as I would feel necessary.
• Jeannette's mom takes her swimming in a public fountain telling her kids to ignore what others think.
• Jeannette's dad takes her to the zoo, and they go in the cheetah cage to petting it and making a huge scene.
• Jeannette's dad loses her job, and the kids go hungry often.
• Mom decides to go shoplifting in order to get maureen some nice clothes.
• Dad comes up with an idea to have some extra cash. He realizes that the computers at the bank take a couple minutes to process, so his idea is to open new accounts each week. Then he will at the end of the week have his wife go through the drive through and withdraw money at the same time he closes the account withdrawing all the money.
• Dad is a huge drunk and destroys the house during the period he is wasted.
• At Christmas, dad ruins the whole day as he is drunk and lights the Christmas tree on fire which doesn't only burn the tree, but all the presents too.
• Jeannette asks her dad for her birthday that he stops drinking. He struggles a lot with this, but forces himself to stop.
• They decided after thier dad is sober to go to the grand cayon, but thier car breaks down and they end up having to walk home.
• After all he put himself through, dad goes back to drinking.
• They decide to move to west virginia where Jeannette's dad's parents' live.
• It takes them a month to get there.
• Jeannette is dissapointed when her grandparents aren't very nice and hopes things will get better

My favorite quote from this part is as follows: "'Okay kids,' dad said, 'the civilians are revolting. We better skedaddle'" (pg. 109).

I Like this quote because it represents the rebellious and different life that the Walls family live.

The 400 Blows

I really have enjoyed The 400 Blows so far. It is very funny in certain parts. I also enjoy listening to it in another language because I take French so I can understand a little but can cheat and look at the subtitles for the most part. I am curious to see if the title will gain significance in the end or the movie, or if it already has and I just didn't understand.

Now about the plot. Antoine to me seems like a good kid, but just a little mischevious. So far though, he has gotten in trouble quite a bit. He gets in trouble at school, and at home. He skips school and runs away from home. He lies, sets things afire, and just isn't very smooth about things. I feel bad for him though because he finds his mom cheating with some random guy, and she is meaner to him than any mom I have ever known. It seems at the last part we watched that she is trying to bribe him as she knows he witnessed her cheating. If I were Antoine I would tell my dad on her sorry behind. But, that's just me. Can't wait to watch more tomorrow!

Proud of her Dad?

Jeannette Wall's life has been a hard one, and I feel her struggles are a lot because of her dad. He is constantly losing jobs, getting in fights, and drinking. For some reason though Jeannette has a respect for her dad. She stands up for him countless times.
"'Dad has to start carrying his own weight,' Lori said as she stared into the empty refridgerator.
'He does!' I said. 'He brings in money from odd jobs.'
'He spends more than he earns on booze,' Brian said" (pg.78).
If I were in Jeannette's situation, I would take the side of her siblings Brian and Lori. I would be dissappointed in my father and be ashamed more than proud of him. I honestly don't understand what she sees in him.
"'Don't go and try and pretend you're better than me. 'Cause I know your daddy ain't nothing but a drunk like mine.'... I started to runout of the house, but then I stoped and turned around.
'My daddy is nothing like your daddy!' I shouted. 'When my daddy passes out, he never pisses himself!'"(pg.83).
Again, Jeannette defends her father. I don't understand her reasoning, but they must have some sort of personal relationship. They must have a special relationship that can't be understood by the reader.
"'I swear, honey, there are times when I think you're the only one around who still has faith in me,' he said. 'I don't know what I'd do if you ever lost it.'
I told him that I would never lose faith in him. And I promised myself I never would"(pg.79).
I am curious to see if Jeannette's relationship with her dad will change with time.

Characters in Glass Castle

The only characters that have appeared in the book so far are Jeannette and her family. Jeannette's parents are very carefree. In my opinion they don't seem like very good parents. Her dad encourages her to play with fire after her burn. "Dad also thought I should face down my enemy, and he showed me how to pass my finger through a candle flame" (pg.15). I wonder to myself what kind of a parent does that. He lets her do things that I never a imagine a parent allowing. "By the time I was four, I was pretty good with Dad's pistol, a big black shot revolver, and could hit five out of six beer bottles at thirty paces" (pg.21). Her parents seem somewhat too laid back. "Some parents worried that their kids might get hit by lightening, but Mom and Dad never did, and they let us go out and play in the warm, driving water" (pg.22)

Even though Jeannette's life seems somewhat unstable, she doesn't seem to mind it. "'Do you like always moving around?' Lori asked me. 'Of course I do!' I said. 'Don't you?' Their crazy nomadic lifestyle doesn't seem to phase her. Also, Though I don't think of her dad as a good parent, Jeannette seems to look up to and respect her dad. "When Dad wasn't telling us about all the amazing things he had already done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do" (pg.25). I admire Jeannette's attitude toward life as a child. Though she has it rough, she seems to make the best of it. It may just be the fact that she is a child and knows nothing else, but I see a srong character in her. Already she has had many struggles, but always makes the best of it.

Glass Castle Plotline

After Jeanette comes home from the hospital, instead of being afraid of fire, she is fascinated by it. You'd think after being severly burned, fire might be a little scary, but it isn't for her. A few months later, Jeanette's dad wakes everyone up in the middle of the night and they leave the home in which they currently reside taking only the "necessary" things. Jeanette says her family was always doing the skedaddle as she calls it. She was poor as a child and her dad flees from bill collectors they have not paid. They live like nomads moving from town to town. Her dad would get odd jobs, and every once in a while they would live with their rich grandma. But that wouldn't last very long because a fight always breaks out between her and the dad. Her dad tells the kids stories about when he was young for entertainment. He also promises them that one day they will strike it rich finding gold from the machine he is inventing called the prospector. After they do, they will live in a big beautiful house made soley from glass called the glass castle. Jeanette and her family travels in a car they call the green caboose. During one of their many trips, Jeanette falls out of the car and her parents don't notice until her brother Brain tells them about a mile later. She is mad at first but her dad cheers her up. In thier many moves, Jeanette and her family travel to Las Vegas, San Francisco, And then back to a small town called Midland. They have Christmas one year in MidLand and Jeanette explains that shes never believed in Santa Claus beacuse her parents told her the truth. She never gets much for Christmas, but one year her dad gives all the kids a star of their own for "keeps". Her mom then gets pregnant and they move to a town called Blythe. Jeanette goes to school there and is the smartest one in the class. Unfortunately, the other kids aren't too fond of her and she is beat up several times. Her mom finally has the baby and they name her Maureen. A few days later, they embark on another trip. They rent a U- Haul and all the kids are to ride in the back. The car door flys open during the ride, and the kids almost fall out. Thats pretty much all thats happened so far. The book is unlike any that I have read before, but i really like it.

Hunger in Black Boy

We've been talking about a few themes in Black Boy. I am really interested in the subject of Hunger throughout the book. The defintion I came up with is not satisfied or wanting more. Richard is hungry in a physical sense but also really hungry for knowledge. He is wanting to broaden his horizons and I feel a sense of his determination to better his life.

* "I studied night and day and within two weeks I was promoted to the sixth grade... I told the family emphatically that I was going to study medicine, engage in research, make discoveries. Flushed with success, I had not given a second's thought to how I would pay my way through medical school. But since I had leaped a grade in two weeks, anything seemed possible, simple, easy" (pg. 125).

This paragraph shows how much Richard wants to change his life. I am inspired by the fact that he is so excited about learning and thinking about all the opportunity availiable through school. He is taking a different path than he knows through family expierence. I am pushing for Richard to reach his goals and become something that no one thought he ever would.

So Far In Glass Castle

I chose to read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. One major reason I chose to read this book is because it is a memoir. As we are reading Black boy, I thought it would be fun to be able to compare and contrast writing styles for the same genre. I have only read The Glass Castle during the time we got in class last wednesday, so i havent much to say. So far though, they both have a sad tone. In Black Boy, Richard's family life isn't very stable. I see a similarity in The Glass Castle. Jeannette starts the story as a little girl. She was burned very badly while cooking lunch on her own at only age three. She is put in the hospital for a little while and really likes it there. But, her dad decides to sneak her out of the hospital for "her own good". I feel that shes not going to get along very well with her parents as the book progresses. I am excited to read more in the book, and have heard it is very good from many people. Goodbye for now!