After reading Act 1, Scene 5, I do not believe that Romeo and Juliet are in love. I don't think there is such thing as love at first sight, like when the two saw eachother at the Capulet party. During this party, they saw eachother from across the room and imediately started engaing in a conversation. The nurse states, "His name is Romeo, and a Montague; The only son of your great enemy." This quote shows the reader that Romeo is forbidden to Juliet, since their families are enemies. By stating this, I believe that they want to be in a relationship more because of the fact that they would be star-crossed lovers. Their parents would not approve, which will make them more eager and rebellious to keep the relationship going. Even though Romeo and Rosaline were from different families, this relationship is different because Juliet likes Romeo back, and they both want to be part of a relationship. But, because of the complication being that their families are constantly feuding, this makes them want to be defiant against their families. I believe this is more debatable than simply stating it was love at first sight.

Book 4 Reflection

Shelby, the main character in Steel Magnolias, is a very likable character in the book/play because of many different reasons. Even Weezer, the old and snappy woman of the town, enjoys Shelby’s presence and tolerates everyone else in the small town. Shelby has quirks that set her off from everyone else that also makes her more interesting and likeable. 1. Shelby has diabetes and other sicknesses Her friends and family have known this, and have tried to make Shelby’s life as fun and care-free as possible. She has had diabetes her whole life, as long as a couple of other illnesses that aren’t as severe. Shelby’s family has dealt with the many life-threatening experiences Shelby has gone through, and this may be one of the reasons she is so likeable- everyone knows Shelby could come to a life-or-death situation, so they make sure to cherish every moment spent with her. 2. Shelby has a favorable mother Shelby’s mother, M’Lynn, has lived in the small town they still live in today. M’Lynn is a hardworking and caring person, and that’s one of the reasons her presence is still enjoyed. When the townspeople found out M’Lynn was pregnant with a girl, they were all very excited to know that Shelby would turn out just like her mother. Even though M’Lynn can get on Shelby’s nerves and annoy her, Shelby knows she does the same thing to her mother and has to accept their similarities. 3. Shelby is favorable Just like her mother, Shelby does things around the town that are helpful to many people. First of all, her father and brothers always shoot at birds chirping in the trees, which causes a ruckus of screams, dog barking, and words of annoyance. Shelby also gets fed up as well as her mother. When her father isn’t around, Shelby would find and hide her father’s pistol where he can’t find it. She especially did this because it was the day of her wedding reception, and didn’t want it to be a disaster. 4. Shelby is engaged As well as her family, friends, and neighbors, Shelby has a soon to be husband, Jackson. They are both deeply in love with each other, and are anxious to be married. Jackson is also aware of Shelby’s illnesses, and is why he does the best to keep her safe. All of Shelby’s friends and family also accept Jackson to be her husband, and are also anxious to know that Shelby will get to spend the rest of her lifetime with the man she loves. 5. Shelby ends up passing away As much as this was expected because of the many illnesses Shelby has had since she was young, it came to a surprise for many people to know that Shelby would pass away so early. Everyone also felt sympathetic for Jackson Jr, Shelby and Jackson’s son, to know that he would have to grow up without the support of his mother by his side. It will be hard to move on from this loss, but they know that Shelby would rather have them carrying on with the rest of their lives instead of mourning over her loss. Even though everyone would do anything to have Shelby back, they accept that the things they can’t control and continue their daily lives. They all cherished the days spent with Shelby, and still have memories spent with her so they can one day tell her son how much of a successful and beautiful person she was.

9. Book 2 trailer

8. Book Talk presentation

Book 3 Listicle

Charlie is a very laid back and care free character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He doesn't have many friends, except for a few close ones. This may be one of the reasons he writes in his journal every day after school.

 1. Charlie has a limited amount of friends

 Even though he doesn't have the best social life, that doesn't stop Charlie from living a happy and successful life. He writes in his journal about the few friends he has come across during his high school career, during football games, and social events. He’s not the type to hang out with friends over the weekend or after school, and he would choose to do school work over things like that.

2. Charlie has a lot of time

He did many sports as a kid, but the coaches and doctors made him quit, because they made him too aggressive. Even though he was good at the many sports he played, it still wasn’t worth it to influence his character and personality. Now, Charlie has a lot of time on his hands and that makes even more time for him to write about the events and thoughts he has had throughout that day.

3. Charlie is a “good kid”

Instead of partying and  hanging out with his friends on Saturday nights, Charlie would much rather stay home and write rather than going to parties where he could risk getting in contact with drugs and/or alcohol. He is a very motivated and perseverant student, and wouldn’t want to use any of those that would lead him in the wrong path. “I usually walk home from school because it makes me feel like I’ve earned it.” (pg.25). Other students are probably getting together after school, while Charlie is walking home, anxious to get home and write in his journal.

4. He wants to be an author

Charlie is perpetually asking for extra credit and work opportunities. His English teacher helps him with that, and supplies him with more books and essays to type. Allowing this, Charlie’s teachers recommend writing opportunities for him, so he could possibly become an author and hopefully get into a college that encourages Charlie to continue writing and become an author. Aside all of the work and essays his teacher gives him, Charlie writes in his journal about his daily events.

5. Charlie enjoys writing

Charlie is in many excelled classes in school. Even though his siblings are in mostly standard classes, Charlie takes the opportunity to enroll in accelerated classes. It’s not because his parents make him, but because he enjoys writing and most class experiences to get him where he is today. Since he enjoys his classes so much, he incorporates this into his home life, where he takes the time to sit down and write about his recent experiences.

All of these reasons prove why Charlie isn’t like most kids, and how he utilizes his life to eventually become a successful author and not letting other kids influence his life. He is happy with the few friends he has in his life, because they are true friends and he would rather have a few true friends than many fake ones. Charlie is a successful student and will continue to live a successful life. He might even write in his journal about his later encounters in life.

Blog assignment #2: Mi clase favorita

Mi clase favorita es la clase de español. Me gusta la clase de español porque me gusta la profe, ella es amable y trabajadora. Ella se llama Sra. Scruta. También es inteligente. Le gusta leer, escribe, y tocar la guitarra. Para la clase de español necesito un lápiz, el papel, y el borrador. No necesito una novela para la clase de español. Tenemos tarea cada noche.

En la clase estudiamos  ser y estar:

Cómo soy yo

Hola, mi nombre es Lydia. Yo tengo quince años. Yo soy de Mason, Ohio. Yo tengo gemela, se llama Julia. Tengo el pelo castano, y ojos marrones. Yo soy bajo y delgado tambien. Mi gemela y yo no miramos nada igualmente. Yo soy cómico, amable, y trabajar. Yo soy divertido y feliz también.Me gusta tocar el piano, bailar, y escribir. Mi hermana es Julia, somos gemelas. Ella es extrovertida y habladora.

Post 5: Truth in Memoirs

If a book has an engaging plot and interesting story, I feel like it is then acceptable to provide facts that aren’t 100% credible. As long as the overall information is true and convincible, and the story is entertaining to the audience, it is completely fine to use a few facts that are not true.

I agree with Janet Fitch, because she mentions wanting to hear a story, even if it has a few lies in it. Janet states, “I don’t care if it’s true or not.” If a book is a half-lie, I don’t think the audience should mind, as long as they finished reading and were pleased with the author’s work. However, this might not be the case, and some readers might’ve not enjoyed either the plot or the half-lies. But, most readers will enjoy the story, besides the fact of the lies. If they picked up the book expecting to get a history lesson, I personally think it would’ve made more sense if they picked up a history textbook.

I think David Shields has a good point on the subject, but there should still be lines between fiction and non-fiction. But, I would still consider a memoir non-fiction even if there were a few phases of story bending along the way. My theory is if a reader decided to purchase a book with a memoir in the setting of the historical event, they should know some background information about the specific event, instead of relying completely on the memoir itself.

The Color of Water

The Color of Water by James McBride is a very moving and inspirational novel. The main character is James McBride, who lives with his many siblings and white mother. He is curious as to know why her skin color is different than hers. He would wonder why she got mad whenever he asked. One day when he had to opportunity to spend alone time with his mom, he asked what color God was. His mother replied with, "God is the color of water. Water doesn't have a color."

I believe that this is the quote why this is such a popular book. It says how God doesn't see skin color, and will love everyone, not based on the color of their skin. This is an important life lesson, and many people have worked to make it come true. When blacks and whites were segregated, many blacks would work to make this idea one commonly known. It took many sacrifices to do so, but many say it was worth it. Even though racism still lasts today between many groups-not just blacks-there is a voice that is heard from the people who reach out and say something. One of these examples is this novel, The Color of Water. Throughout the book, decisions are being made that could influence the characters' lives. Judging of the characters is seen constantly, because James is black and Jewish. Many people are against this, but James makes a decision to stand up for who he is, no matter his skin color/race, or his religion.

More James McBride information:
http://www.jamesmcbride.com/

Text-to-Society

Boy 30529 is a memoir that is about a boy, Felix, who battles World War 2 and the Holocaust. During these hard times, he realizes that he needs to stay focused on surviving and returning back to his family. He realizes that this is called perseverance. This means to not give up, no matter how hard the situation is, and to not let the enemy win. This is exactly what Felix did, and used the lessons and memories of his past to help him achieve his goals.

Felix used the benefit of his dad being a health fanatic, which made him healthier than others in the Holocaust. Also, his mom taught Felix and his brother Hans to be positive, and to always look on the bright side of every situation. So if Felix was in a life or death situation, his motivation was to look on the bright side, use his past knowledge, and utilize it to help him receive something good from the scenario.

I connected this theory to an article in which I found perseverance. This article is about a man named Tyrone, who was born in Compton- a city in California, filled with drugs and gangs. Tyrone graduated from high school and went to Ranger college on a baseball scholarship. This motive stopped after he had an incident in the grocery store. His total was $20.93. The problem was that he couldn't spell twenty, and, embarrassed as he was, went to ask the cashier for help. He enrolled in lecture classes, and was usually the oldest in the class. Despite that, he was motivated to learn how to read/write. He eventually learned, controlled by his motivation to become someone different than who he grew up with. He didn't give up, and this is another example of perseverance.

Article:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20130510-55-year-old-to-graduate-from-ut-arlington-after-persevering-for-years.ece

Boy 30529 Summary:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16284952-boy-30529

Book Review of Room

     Room was one of tmy favorite books I have read, because it was very engaging and had a great plot that made it hard for me to put it down. Room started off with Jack and Ma- Jack is Ma's 5 year old son, who was born because Ma had been abducted and raped by Old Nick. Everyday, Jack and Ma wake up and proceed to their everyday activities. These include eating breakfast, phys ed, watching tv, eating lunch, watching tv again, then concluding with a bath and dinner. One day, Ma confesses to Jack that "Outside" is actually real, and that encourages both of them- Ma to go back Outside and reunite with her family, and Jack to finally go Outside- to leave Room. They both create a plan where Jack pretends to get sick and old Nick does nothing to help or cure Jack's sickness. Jack then dies, and gets rolled up in Rug. When Old Nick comes back in Room, he believes that Jack is dead. The next part of their plan is to have Jack jump out of the truck when Old Nick drives somewhere to bury him. He is to then scream and tell everyone and anyone what is happening. To know what happens next, you must read the book to find out. I definitely rate this a book a 5/5, because of the amazing story/plot and the writing style Emma Donoghue chooses to use.

     The writing style she chooses to use is in the perspective of Jack, who again is 5 years old. This makes some parts of the book hard to read and understand, but I like that it's a challenge to read once in a while. I reccommend this book to anyone who wants to read something different but yet a great read. In my opinion, anyone who enjoys reading realistic fiction novels will enjoy this novel, which puts a twist on the average realistic fiction novel you might come across.


Room Summary:
http://www.shmoop.com/room-emma-donoghue/summary.html
YouTube Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmzm44OCPIw

Post 4: Adapting your Book 2

One essential scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's is the scene where Holly gets out of the shower, and her friends are talking about a party. This is a scene where her friends' true feelings about her come out. Fred talks about how Holly is self-centered and selfish, but she doesn't see that. This also gives Holly a chance to see their true colors. If this was made into a movie, I would not want to see this scene being left out, because it would challenge the actors. In the book, there are many personality traits that the actors/actresses would have to express.

Another scene that should be kept is when Holly eats her breakfast outside of Tiffany's-hence the title. Usually, she walks a short distance from her apartment to Tiffany's (the jewelry shop), and eats her breakfast outside the shop. This allows the reader to share thoughts with Holly, because it gives her a relaxing place to collect her thoughts and blissfully relax before she starts her day.

The last part of the book the film directors should decide to keep in the movie is the scene where Holly gets the opportunity to visit the convict for 100 dollars a week. This would encourage her to talk to someone about her feelings and her life, because-mentioned in the first example-, she has a hard time trusting her friends. This allows her to share her thoughts and frustrations with a convict in jail, who will not judge her and also share his/her feelings back to her.

One scene I would not keep in the movie are just generally the scenes in the book where nothing is going on, and the author describes what Holly is doing or what she's thinking, or just anything that doesn't have to do with the rest of the story. There are many scenes in the book that are like this, and I don't understand why the author chose to use them. I know that every book must have some of these to act as fillers, but the author used way too many in this book and would make the viewers of the movie bored and uninterested as well.

A character that I would take out of the movie is Holly's acquaintance, who lives upstairs in her apartment complex. She would come down late at night and vent to Holly about her drunk husband, and would talk to Holly about her writings. This is another example of how the author didn't make the best choices of how to engage the reader, because I would always get bored while reading the parts when this character would show up, and nothing they talked about would spark my interest.

Setting

      Room is a novel about Jack and his Ma living together in Room. It starts off with Jack celebrating his 5th birthday, and receiving his present. It's a drawing of Jack sleeping, and his Ma made it when he was sleeping so it would be a surprise. They hang it inside the wardrobe so Old Nick won't see it. In Jack's perspective, Old Nick comes in Room during the night when he's sleeping, and also bring them their Sunday treat- any item they have run out of that they want/need.

  Now that Jack is five, he has to measure his height. They have drawn a scale on the wall to measure Jack's height every year. "Pen tickles my head. When I step away there's a black 5 a little bit over the 4." Their lives are very simple, but Jack doesn't know any different. Jack has lived in Room for his whole life. He wakes up every morning to do the same repetitive, uneventful tasks of the day. Such as count out his pieces of cereal, do the laundry, eat a snack, do "phys ed', watch tv, go to bed. He doesn't know any different.

Links: http://www.roomthebook.com/inside/
This link gives an overview of Room, for more visual readers.

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8rj2otXNfM

Visual:

Post 3: Book 1 Project

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Book 1 Project: Room Lollipop

     Our spectacular and tasty treat from the best-selling novel is finally here. The Room Lollipop comes in four different colors/flavors- orange (mandarin oranges), red (apple), green (vegetable), and blue (kool-aid). These are some of the everyday foods that Jack and Ma would eat.

     In Room, by Emma Donoghue, Jack wakes up with his Ma and eats breakfast. Then they obviously eat lunch later, then follow with dinner. Since Old Nick only gets groceries rarely, they have limited foods and get the same foods each time groceries are brought home. But, there can be an exception of Sunday treat where Jack or Ma can have Old Nick bring them any food item or resource they want/need. Jack would always ask Ma if they were able to get a lollipop. Ma would always say no, and get the things they needed, such as new jeans/t-shirts, pain relievers, and the occasional candy bar or chocolate. When Old Nick once came in the room during the night, he left Jack a delicious strawberry lollipop that he snuck out of the trash can where Ma put it. In his opinion, it was the best thing he had ever tasted, and had always wanted another one after that. “I find the lollipop nearly in the bottom, it’s a red ball shape. I wash my arms and the lollipop because there’s yucky stew on it. I get the plastic right off and I suck it and suck it, it’s the sweetest thing I ever had. I wonder if this is what Outside tastes like.” Once Jack and Ma escape and are in “Outside”, they go to a hospital and Jack has to take 6 shots to prevent him from any bacteria or viruses he hasn’t ever been exposed to. He is petrified of the many needles soon to be injected into his arm, and runs out of the room. He’s promised a lollipop with his choice of flavor at the end, and then agrees to come back in the room and take the shots. “Dr. Clay puts the needles in a box on the wall called Sharps He has a lollipop for me in his pocket, but I’m too full. He says I can keep it for another time.” Jack has a number of lollipops when he’s at the hospital, and some more once they are living by themselves. “Pilar brings in a jar that’s full of lollipops, that’s what suckers are.” Jack loves lollipops, and would do practically anything to get one. 

     This idea will broaden the audience by being able to act out a tiny piece of Jack’s life- eating. More specifically, eating lollipops. Fans will be attracted to re-live the book, because they don’t want it to go away. This is common with most fans for a book- they know that the book will eventually fade and the hype will go away. This will prevent the fear of that happening, and will save the book for another period of time. If these lollipops are sold in stores, more and more people will see the product, and more and more people will possibly become curious and read/purchase the book. This will increase the popularity of the book so it will stay around longer. This idea also allows and encourages fans to stay connected and involved by intriguing the fans and consumers who want to read the book. The author will also earn money for this product, which will possibly encourage him/her to write another book, or maybe even a series of books to re-live the book even more.   

Post 2: What is a book?

A book is a life. When you read a book, you are reading about someone else's moment in life or possibly their whole journey throughout life. Every book is so unique, and every book has its own story. That's what makes it different from all the other books in the world, but that's what makes it the same about where or how you read it. If you read an actual book, you read the same story as if you were to read it from an e-book or a kindle. I agree with Joe Meno, when he states that a book is a place. I agree with this statement because you're another character when you read the book. It's like you're in omniscient 3rd person. You know all of the thoughts and actions of every character, which impacts you emotionally. You feel the same feelings as the main character, which attaches you to the book. When you can  connect emotionally to the characters in the book, that's what usually makes that book on your list of favorite books. I disagree with Tom Piazza, because he states that ebooks and books are two different things. He also says that you don't get a sense of scale if you don't  read the original piece. His thoughts are not ones that I agree with, because of the fact that you are reading the same exact book, just from a different perspective/screen. I understand how some people may think they're different, because of the physical look, but in reality, they are the same thing. You are affected the same way, even if  you didn't enjoy the book. A book posses a combination of many different feelings, emotions, and dynamic changes throughout the book. I personally do not have an opinion in which type of device I read the story from, as long as it's engaging and if I enjoy the book as much as I have others.

Post 1: Why I Read.

I read for a variety of reasons.One of the first and main reasons is for passing time beneficially. During the summer, my family goes to Norris Lake, which takes around 4 hours to drive there. I finished my summer reading book like that, and i find this setting is a place where i can read without being disrupted or distracted while focusing.
Another reason i read is for pleasure. I rarely do this, because i can never find a book that sparks my interest and keeps me engaged. I read for ths reason when i was younger, since i didn't really have a preference at that age. But once in a while, i will either come across a book that one of my friends have read, or one that we read in English class that i enjoy.
Also, i obviously read for school. Most of the time, they assign a book that is boring, but helps with learning the lesson that is being taught. But out of all the books i read in class for a year, i can pick out two or three that i really liked- not just for school, but ones i find i would also read in my free time.
I am looking forward to this class because yes, there is a limited amount of books to choose from,  but at least i have a choice of which one i would pick. I also have time to research reviews on the book before i go out and make my final decision.
Overall, i enjoy reading and it is a necessary skill to practice to increase your vocabulary or to just simply relax.