4th MP Independent Reading Post #1

I am going to read The last Song. I choose this book because it relates to a lot of the love stories that you hear about in the 21st century. I like books that are thought provoking and emotional so I think that this is a good choice. I saw a preview for the movie and thought it would be good but I heard the book was much better and I should read it before going to see the movie. I think that it will be a good book to read because I think that it will interest me a lot.

On your blog, please respond to the following:

ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL IS THAT GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING." - Edmund Burke

Reflect on this quote in the context of the first 7 chapters of The Kite Runner.

100 word minimum

I think that this quote is true. If no one does anything to help the situation than nothing will change. In order to have change in something especially something bad you need to take some sort of action in the right direction. When Hassan got raped in the book Amir just stood there and watched, letting evil triumph. If he would have said something or tried to stop it than maybe what happened wouldn't have happened. If no one does anything to stop the evil than it will just continue to grow and grow. All it takes for evil to be stopped is for people to stand up for what is right but if no one stands up and no one does anything than evil will continue to overpower the good.

Now that you have finished watching 'El Che', on your blog, please post the following:

3 points that you feel are worth mentioning (either for your theme or project)

-he got assassinated

-how he went missing for awhile

-to some he was seem as a hero but to others he was a dictator
2 points that surprised or shocked you

-how much the book differs from the documentary

-how close he was with Castro
1 point that you may want to research further
-who actually assassinated him
Include an image or video & comment on your blog buddy

When you are finished, sit with your final project groups and start to outline your project.

RAFT Peru

r- Ernesto

a-you

f- letter

t- Peru

Dear Alyssa,

Peru is like nothing I have seen before on my journey. When I first arrived all I saw was barren hillside with little vegetation. The people here are very friendly esspecially the cholos. The architecture and culture here is amazing. The churches are beautiful here because it shows the culture of the locals with some of the European art. I am learning a lot about the people and the culture. I am learning esspecially about the Inca people. They have gone through a lot with all of the different leaders that they have had. The people I have met here have so much hope yet they are distressed.

Take out your notes on PERU.

On your blog, please respond to the following:

'They wore short, sadly colored woolen ponchos, tight calf-length pants, and sandals made from rope or old car tires....but the people before us are not the same proud race that repeatedly rose up against Inca rule, forcing them to maintain a permanent army on their borders; there people who watch us walk through the streets of the town are a defeated race.' (93)

What impact does this experience have on Ernesto? Why? How is the 'tone' of his writing changing at this point in the book?

It has an important impact on Ernesto. It shows how what the world is really like. It makes him realize the distress in the people. I think that this is when he starts to become and creates the idea of Che. I think that this was an eye opening experience for Ernesto because he has never really seen any people like them before. It showed Ernesto a sense of pride from the people he encountered. His writing is changing and becoming more political and cultural rather than just description of the scenery.

100 word minimum

On your blog, please respond to the following:

Choose 2 of the following prompts and post a response to each on your blog. Each response should be a minimum of 150 words.

• Tell what you like or dislike about the current chapter or the book and why. Be specific.

• Tell what you noticed about the characters or people in the chapter or book…such as what made them act as they did or how they changed.

• Find a “key quote”. Share it with your readers and explain its importance to the book as a whole.

• Illustrate, through a picture or a symbol, an idea scene, or some part of a chapter or the book. Explain your choice.

Comment on your blog buddy's blog when you are done.

What I like about the chapter I am reading now is the description. I like the insights in the book. I also like how the author is honest and doesn't try to sugarcoat what is going on. The book has a lot of description in it. It makes it easy to relate to and easy to read. Since the book is a true story about the author it allows me to be able to connect and feel for the author rather than just reading knowing it isn't real like most books that I have read. The description keeps me hooked throughout the book so I keep reading. It describes what is occurring in his life and insights into the life of addiction.

What I noticed about the characters in the chapter is that they all are trying to help the author. The family in the book is very supportive but also in denial. So far the family of Cope has been trying to deny that he has a problem. They all are concerned about him but take no action to do so. Also in the chapter I am reading I noticed that the author is starting to change and is about to go to a rehab facility. His family gave him an ultimatum to either attend rehab or the would no longer support him. That is what made him decide to go. I have noticed that the author is very stubborn and wants everything to go his way.

On your BLOG:

What are you choosing to read for your IR for this m.p.? Why? What 'passion' are you going to learn about? What type of book are you going to read (novel, biography, short story, non-fiction, biography, poetry, blog, etc....)? Why?

100 word minimum.

Comment on your blog buddy (if there is time)

When everyone in the class is done, you will head to the library to read your IR book, choose an IR book, read the next section of TMD, and/or work on Theme #5- This I Believe.

I am going to read the book called Broken. It talks about addiction and a guys recovery and redemption from this addiction. I want to become a therapist or counselor for those who struggle with addiction. It talks about how he struggles in his own life. It also tells about how he does get help and overcomes his addiction. I am passionate about helping those people who have an addiction so I think that this would be a good book to explore it. It is a memoir. I like memoirs because it makes it easier for me to connect with the book.

On your blog, please respond to the following:

At the end of Senior year, if you had the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime where would you go? What type of transportation would you use to travel to your destination(s)? Who would you take with you as your travel companion(s)?

In a blog post of your own, describe this Road Trip. Post your travel itinerary. Your trip should be at least 2 weeks and include 8-10 destinations of your choosing. You can use Google Earth or Google Maps to chart your journey.

Be specific and creative!

At the end of my senior year if I could take a trip of a lifetime I would go from the United States to Australia. I would go around the world stopping at different places including Jamaica, The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Ireland, France, Italy, Greece, Madagascar, and than Australia. I would go site seeing at every place that I went.I would go to the city where my family comes from in Ireland. I would see the Eiffel Tower in France. I would want to roam around all of the countries to get a feel for the culture. I would spend most of my time in Ireland and Australia. I would go in the summertime so that when I was on the islands I could get a nice tan. I would want to go in the summer because there is always a lot going on. In Ireland I would go to the Cork Midsummer festival. In Australia I would go to the winter festival of peace since it would be there winter. I would use a boat, a car, and a plane to travel. I would take my sister with me to travel and one of my close friends.

TMD Preview

Based on your preview of TMD, what do you think this book may be about? What types of characters, issues, themes, etc… do you think you will encounter? What sort of background information (already known or researched) do you think you will need to understand the story? Have you ever read a diary, memoir, or travel narrative before? If so, what stood out? If not, what do you think you can expect? How will this differ from the previous 2 novels we have studied?

100 work minimum

I think that the book is going to be about the authors journey. I don't think it will just be about his traveling journey but also about his journey to find himself. I think that a theme will be finding yourself. I think it is going to be about what he sees and observes along his journey. Some background information that will be important in understanding the novel will probably be the time period in which he took his journey, the places that he went to, and the author himself. I have never read a travel narrative before so I am expecting it to be in a diary format. I expect it to be about the places he went with a lot of description about the things that he saw on his journey. I think that it will differ from the format of the other two books. I think that I will like this book more than the other two because I think it will be easier to relate to since it is a diary format.

Reading Interest Survey

Reading Interest Survey

On your blog, please post a response to the following:

Imagine you are walking through a bookstore and are interested in buying a book. What does it take for a book to get your attention? What are some examples of books that caught your attention? Why? Labels: Reading, Survey, TMD

50 word minimum

It takes a good title and a really good cover to get me to look at the book. The cover of the book needs to get me to want to know more about the book. I read the book a million little pieces, a brothers journey, and cut. A Million Little Pieces caught my attention because of the cover. The cover made me want to know more about the book. The cover is a picture of a hand covered in jimmies. It made me interested in what the book was actually about. These are the things I look for that make me pick up a book.

Semester Reflection

On your blog, please post a response to the following:

You are 1/2 way through the year. What went really well for you this past marking period? What do you think you could have done differently? Where are you now, at the start of the 3rd marking period? What do you need to do to be successful from now until June?

50 word minimum

I think that what went really well for me was the themes. I think that i still need to work on doing more homework and making more of an effort to read and analyze the book. At the beginning of the third marking period I am starting to get excited for college. After being accepted to the school I want to go to I am not really as worried as I should be about high school and more worried about next year at college. I need to still be focused in school and out of school in order to be successful. I need to keep up on homework and classwork.

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat....Because, Mr. Norton, if you don't know where you are, you probably don't know who you are." (Ellison, 577)

Reflect on these statements in regards to:
1. the Narrator and his journey for self-realization
2. your own search for self and identity

100 word minimum & an image

In the Narrators life he was being controlled. If in life you are controlled you cannot find your own identity, but if you live your life the way you choose to live it you can create your own true identity. You need to know where you want to go in life in order to be able to define yourself. The Narrator throughout the book didn't know where he wanted to go and did not control his own life but allowed others to control his life. This made it difficult for him to find himself and his true identity. Also it states that humanity is won by continuing to play in the face of certain defeat. This shows that even when the Narrator was at a loss or when he was defeated by others around him he still continued to try to succeed. After failing the Narrator continues to get back up and try again creating his own journey for self realization. This quote says that you cannot allow others to control your life because than you do not have your own identity but rather one that has been placed on you from your peers.