English class

I guess i will miss English class a little bit because it was fairly easy for the most part. However Romeo and Juliet was not very pleasing to me so I am excited for that to end

Uglies vs. Found

        I think that I like Uglies a little more than Found because it is a really unique book and I like things that are different compared to other stuff. It's interesting how Tally wants to be pretty, but then she doesn't, and then she changes her mind again and says she wants to be pretty. I think that Uglies is better written because it always keeps you wondering what will happen next and has many unexpected turns. In Found, you can always predict what will happen next and it won't surprise you. Don't get me wrong because both of these books are great, but Uglies is probably a tad better.

Sports Illustrated

         Is it just me or do you guys think that reading magazines is way easier than reading books? In magazines there a lot of pictures, graphs, and other features, which make it more interesting to read. Books can get boring sometimes because they are just words after words after words. I get the weekly editions of sports illustrateds, and those often take the place of books. They are just so much more entertaining and you can find out things about your favorite athletes and teams. One of my favorite things in the magazines are the touching stories that are sometimes written. They make you really think about life and how you probably had it better than most people around the world.

Blogging Reflection

The quality of my writing and blogging improved drastically throughout the course of the trimester. In the beginning of the year I didn’t always use the best diction or format, but I think that changed over the course of my blogging experience. My blogs started to get longer and they became more in-depth with my thoughts on the reading. One of my better blogs that I made during the trimester was analyzing the text to make inferences, and that one was superior to my blog about characterization. I used better textual evidence to support my claims, and also used better warrants based on the evidence used. In my analysis of Uglies, I used three pieces of textual evidence and all of them helped prove my points. Not only did I type out the quotes, but I also analyzed them to find the meaning behind them and what they can prove to me.

Another thing I did in my later blog post was use better diction to enhance my writing. I used words like slithering, severe, and atrocious, instead of using words like sneaking, harsh, and bad. Using good diction does not only make you look smarter, but it gives your writing life and makes the reader want to read more. In the first blog post I didn’t even use correct grammar at some points. A part that I wrote was “but they kept on getting more mysterious and making their heads boggle”. Instead of using ‘making’, I should have used made because it makes more sense in comparison to the sentence. Also, I didn’t even use the correct format of typing when I showed the changed the dialogue. I put the dialogue all in one big paragraph, instead of creating new paragraphs every time there was a new speaker. Mrs. Bowman really taught us this, and this was a technique that I used in my blogs towards the end of the trimester. For all of my textual evidence I used different paragraphs, and this also helps the paper look neater.

Throughout the trimester, I struggled with the desire to read, and also trying to do another blog outside of class. I have never really enjoyed reading, with the exception of a few series. It hasn’t been one of my interests, which is surprising because I’m a superb reader and can understand difficult text. I tried to overcome this struggle by setting certain times for reading most days of the week, but sometimes that didn’t happen. Often times I would get distracted by other things, or would just have too much homework in other classes that I needed to focus on. I struggled to blog because I don’t enjoy reading in the first place, and it was tough for me to express what I’ve been reading because it didn’t always interest me.

Some things that were my strengths in blogging were making connections and writing detailed sentences. I’m usually good with writing appealing sentences that the reader wants to read and using excellent diction. I guess I sort of reached my reading goal, but I didn’t set it that high because I don’t read as often as others do. I read one complete book, and about three quarters of another book. I planned on reading 3-4 books this year, so I guess I am on pace. I downloaded the Goodreads app on my phone, but truly I never really used it. I used it to show that I finished a book, but I rarely got on and updated my pages. I have always been a good reader so I didn’t improve too much, but reading a tougher book like Uglies made me a better reader. I can read very quickly and comprehend things well, which is one of my strengths for English class and life.

Uglies

          I've been reading Uglies and I am almost done with it, so I am most likely going to read the sequel Pretties. Is it any better than the first one or is it worse? Feel free to comment your thoughts.

Uglies

       In the Uglies, Tally and Shay have met and have already become pretty good friends. Both of them are still ugly, and have not gotten the transformation that makes them pretty. The main ideas of the book can kind of be related to high school. In the book, the uglies all look up to the pretties and want to be like them but they can not because they are not of age. In high school, this is like the freshmen wanting to be older and and wanting to be like the junuiors or seniors. The juniors and senoirs get certain privileges that the freshmen don't get because they are older and more mature, having gone through most of their high school career. The uglies do not get to do all of the things that the pretties do including go to parties, and also living outside the certain area where uglies are required to live.

       It also relates to the idea of living with your parents and then moving out when you go to college. The uglies essentially get to move out after they become pretty, as do people when they finish high school.

Uglies- Scott Westerfeld

       I have just started a new book, called Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It is about a girl named Tally who is about to turn sixteen, and this special age brings a change that will affect her life forever. The people from this dystopian society are born ugly, but undergo a strange transformation to become beautiful for the first time. The uglies are not allowed to talk to the pretties because they are still viewed as children, and pretties don't want to be embarrassed by their company.

       Tally decides that she is going to see her friend Peris, but he is already a pretty and that would be illegal. Because it is illegal to go across the river, Tally has to be sneaky and hide around in bushes. She says two pretties together, but is able to get away without them knowing a thing. Tally eventually crosses the river to the mansion after a tough battle.

Uglies Chapter 2,3

       Tally eventually gets to the party after an arduous challenge, but she is forced to where a pig mask inside because she doesn't want people to know that she is still an ugly. The guests at the party chase her through the mansion because they want to catch the 'little piggie' and see who it is. Tally runs into Peris, the man she was looking for, and they catch up for a little on the elevator with Peris telling Tally to get out and hide so she isn't caught. To get out of the party, Tally bungee jumped down the side of the mansion by jumping of the roof.

       On her way home, Tally meets another ugly named Shay. They may share that very distinct characteristic, but it turns out that they are completely different. They begin talking, and Shay reveals that she actually wants to stay ugly and not get the surgery. But why? This leaves Tally shocked because she has basically been looking forward to this day for forever. Instead of talking about, all Shay wants to do is continue practicing the hoverboard with Tally. Tally and Shay end becoming friends, even though Tally got her in pickle by pulling the fire alarm at the party.

Analysis- Uglies

       In Uglies, the main character Tally starts out the story by trying to go see her friend Peris, who lives in a mansion on the other side of a river. While she tries slithering out of her house, she gets worried that she may get caught sneaking to his house. Why would she be in so much trouble for going to try and see her friend? Some parts of the story may have clues that can lead the reader to determine why going to see Peris could mean trouble for Tally.

       "Of course, Tally was nothing here. Worse she was ugly. But she hoped Peris wouldn't see it that way. Wouldn't see her that way. Tally had no idea what would happen if she got caught... But she and Peris had always been very careful about not getting caught on these expeditions." (Westerfield 7)

       This quote from the story can lead the reader to make inferences about the differences between Tally and Peris. Tally doesn't want Peris to see her in her state, which might mean that Peris has already gone through the transformation that would make him 'pretty'. I guess that Tally has not gone through the plastic surgery yet, and that she isn't able to be in contact with anyone that has. The uglies are not allowed to talk to the pretties, according to the text.

       "One step out of the underbrush and she'd be spotted. Her face seemed to burn as the light touched it. What was she doing here? She should be back in the darkness of Uglyville, awaiting her turn. But she had to see Peris, she had to talk to him."(Westerfield 8-9)

       This textual evidence shows how the dystopian society she lives in is very strict with the rules. The fact she is still fifteen is important because she doesn't have the legal right to go and talk to somebody that is already sixteen. I'm not sure if her town is actually called Uglyville, or if she was making a joke about it because all the people living there are uglies. The text also says that she "has to see Peris", so maybe Tally has an important question to ask him, like what it is like to be sixteen and have the surgery.

       I can predict that at one of these points when she tries sneaking out, she will be caught by a pretty and be given a severe punishment. The text describes how Tally goes out so sneakily, saying, "Tally crept along the river until she reached a pleasure garden, and slipped into the darkness beneath a row of weeping willow." It must be an atrocious thing to do if you sneak out to go and see a pretty.
        

Book Recommendation- Found

       I have recently finished the book Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix, which is the first book in The Missing Series. Overall I think it was a really good book, coming from a person that honestly is not the biggest fan of reading. Some of the most important aspects of a story were present in this book, which made it such a success. These aspects include the theme, characterization, setting, and imagery.

       One of these aspects was theme. The theme of the story is to always attack your fears. This theme was fully developed throughout the story by the author, as she brought up many examples of how Jonah, Chip, Angela and Katherine attacked their fears. When Jonah and Chip found out they were adopted, they didn't hide from the fact, but instead tried to do research to learn about their background. They met up with specific people to see if they anything about them.

       The characterization in the story was also good because the author did a good job of describing their appearance and feelings in the beginning, and then how they changed. In the beginning Jonah and Chip were a little embarrassed that they were adopted, but were able to pick up on the fact that they are different and that is all right. The setting is one of the most important parts of the book because of the influence it has on Jonah, Chip and all of the characters. When the setting gives them new information they haven't heard before, they use that to help solve the problem and find out why they were receiving letters.

      
       I would definitely recommend this book for others to read because it really keeps you on the edge of your seat by the way the chapters end. The chapters leave you wondering about what will happen because they end of all sudden after the character's find out big and important news. The book doesn't seem like it would have a lot of action, but it actually does with all of the plot twists. Jonah and Chip go to crazy places and are even pulled into the idea of people time traveling. They try to experience this for themselves.

       When reading this book you are actually on the edge of your seat because you want to keep flipping the pages, and the suspense gets to you. I will not tell you anymore, because you need to read the rest of the book for yourself. When you finish reading, the next book in the series is Sent, which I definitely will pick up. I'd rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

 

Theme & Summary- Checkpoint 3

       A part of the text that I am going to summarize is after the Skidmore's get home from Mr. James Reardon's office. While at his office, Jonah and his family don't really learn much about Jonah's background and who he has become. Jonah was adopted and gets mysterious letters from unknown senders, and he wants to find out the point behind those letters and why he and his friend Chip are getting them. When they are at Mr. Reardon's office, Katherine takes a couple pictures of some secret documents that were on his desk.

       As soon as they get home from his office, Katherine and Jonah want to tell their adopted friend Chip about what happened. They head to his house and bring along the pictures to upload to the computer, and they zoom them in on the computer. On a page that says witnesses, they see the names Jonah Skidmore and Chip Winston lying directly next to eachother. This gets Jonah freaked out in the matter of seconds.

       Not wanting to learn anymore, Jonah races back home as fast as he can. He sees a mysterious figure lurking in his room, and asks his parents what they were doing in his room. It wasn't them. When Jonah races up the stairs as fast as he can, he doesn't find anything creeping in his room. All he sees is a letter sitting on his table, that he sworn he had somewhere else in his room. When Katherine finally comes home, she tells him that her and Chip were calling all of the names on the lists, and that all of those people were adopted and got the letters.

      One of the themes that I have begun to notice in Found is that you should try to attack your fears or obstacles in life. This theme starting coming along after Jonah and Chip got the second letters, because they were both curious to find out more about themselves and see what these letters are all about. As soon as Chip finds out he was adopted and they get the second letters, Chip and Jonas start meeting up at each other's house to gather information.

       "Today, coming home on the school bus, Chip had gotten obsessed with the idea that he had to see his birth certificate, that it would tell him everything he needed to know. So now the two boys were crouched beside a wall safe in Chip's basement." (Peterson-Haddix, 36)

       This part of the story showed how Chip and Jonah wanted to help each other learn more about themselves, and so they decided to try and break into Chip's dad's safe in the basement. When Chip learned that he was adopted, that became an obstacle for him and so he wanted to get over it. Finding out what your background was like was one of the biggest steps they took.

       When Jonah and Chip find out both of them are linked to James Reardon, that brings even greater fear into the two of them. The fact that they are both adopted raises the question of whether they came from the same place, considering they live next to each other.

       "She offered to call him for us, but she was so scattered I thought it might be better if we met with him ourselves. Would you like me to arrange that, Jonah? (Peterson-Haddix, 69)
       "Yes," Jonah said. (Peterson-Haddix 70)

       When Jonah finds out that he is connected to James Reardon in some way, he wants to learn more about himself. Considering that Chip also found a file with that name made Jonah even more confused. Jonah wanted to schedule that meeting because he wanted to find out where he was born, who his birth parents were, and why he is in the situation he is in today. Although the meeting didn't go too well, this showed Jonah attacking his fear and trying to get over it.

       I'm sure this theme will come back when I get deeper into the book, and will stretch my ideas when that comes.

Found- Reading Skills

       While I have been reading the book Found, there have actually been some things that I could relate to and understand better, which help me make predictions. The main point so far in the book is how Jonah and Chip are both adopted, and then how they keep getting mysterious letters that say "You are one of the missing". Receiving these letters gets both of them worried, and they do not know what may come next. Knowing these things helps me make predictions.

      Later on in the text, I think Jonah and Chip will have to go to some private meeting place to talk to people who know things about each of them. I make this prediction because Jonah went to a meeting with some man named James Reardon, who supposedly had some information about Jonah but was unwilling to give them the big details. It can lead you to think that Mr. Reardon will probably want to meet up with Jonas at a later point because he didn't give them the important parts of Jonah's questions.

       "Not always," Mr. Reardon said. "Many times we have strong reasons to keep something like this secret. And I can't tell you the reasons without giving away the secrets. Quite a quandry, isn't it?" (Peterson Haddix, 85)

       Mr. Reardon says he doesn't want to give away secrets now, which could mean he gives them away later in the book.

Some things that I wonder are why is Jonah so honest about being adopted, while Chip gets all worrried when people mention it to him? Also, why can't Mr. Reardon even tell them where Jonah was born? I think he should have the right to know where he is from. Finally, why would Mr. Reardon get all snotty with them when all they wanted to know was where Jonah was from and some of his background?

        A text-text connection I can make is to a magazine article I read about adoption. It really was an interesting read because it talked about how some kids react differently to being adopted than others. This is just like Jonah and Chip because Jonah isn't embarrassed to be adopted and tells everyone, but Chip didn't even know he was adopted and got sad when his parents told him.

      A text-self connection I can make is that I have an adopted cousin who is from China. Now she is seven, but she also has a lot of questions about her origins just like Jonah. She sometimes asks who her birth parents were, and why she isn't with them anymore. This is actually really sad to think about, but her family conforts her. Jonah's family does this too and doesn't exclude him from anything.

      A text-world connection that I think of is how people that find out they are from another country want to go back to that place. These peole find out about their origin, and want to go back to where they made their start and see what it's like there. Jonah wants to find out about where he was born and thinks that it would be cool to see his surroundings from when he was born. This adoption story is just like people going back to their home town to see what it is like.
      
 Adoption Article

Found Update

      I have been reading the book Found, and there have been multiple advancements in the plot. When I had left off, Jonah had just been informed by his dad that a man named James Reardon had information about Jonah. It was mysterious because Jonah found a post-it note in Chip's basement with the same name on it, and they are both adopted. Jonah wanted to learn more about this Reardon guy, so he and his parents decided to set up a meeting with him to discuss Jonah's past.

      When their family gets to the office, they already can sense something weird is going on there. Jonah gets handed a free mountain dew by a random janitor, and Mr. Reardon says a lot of things that sound suspicious. He refuses to tell Jonah where he was actually born, which was very confusing to me.
       "Is he a naturalized American citizen or native born?" Mr. Reardon shrugged, still smiling.
       "Why does it matter?"

       This part of the meeting shows how Mr. Reardon was very awkward and was unwilling to give the Skidmore's any information about Jonah. He wouldn't even tell them where Jonah was born, and was really trying to hide from all of the questions they were trying to ask him.

       While in the meeting Jonah has to throw up, so he rushes to the bathroom. In there he sees a different janitor, who tells him to look at a file on Mr. Reardon's desk. Jonah gets confused by this, but his sister Katherine was able to get pictures of the files.
     

   

Characterization- Found

     
        In the beginning of the book Found, Jonah and Chip were just hanging out when they found a strange letter in Jonah's mailbox. Little did they know was that these letters would keep on coming. At first they thought that these letters were just pranks being put on them, but they kept on getting more mysterious and making their heads boggle. They thought they were just fine, but realized they might be in trouble as the book move alongs.

       In the beginning of the book we find out that Jonah is adopted, but we didn't discover that Chip was also until he got the same mysterious letter as Jonah. They seem to be pretty different because Jonah accepts the fact that he is adopted, but Chip is embarrassed and gets angry. They advance the plot by trying to figure out where Chip is from by breaking into his parents' safe. To show that Jonah doesn't really care the text says, "Then he sneaked a glance to Chip, to see if this made a difference. It didn't to Jonah-he'd always known he was adopted, and as far as he was concerned, it wasn't much more of a deal than his liking mint chocolate-chip ice cream while Katherine liked orange sherbet." (Haddix, 13)

        In the beginning of the book you could kind of tell that Jonah was more laid back and Chip was very worrisome, but Jonah is also turning worrisome. He starts to realize that these letters may not be a coincidence, but may have something to do with the fact that he is adopted. Chip and Jonah are starting to worry, and they always check with eachother about updates with the other one getting letters. "Jonah? Dad said, sounding worried now. "I'm here," Jonah said. "The phone must have cut for a minute." If in doubt, blame the technology. He gulped and tightened his grip on the bricks. "This guy...what does he know about me?" (Haddix 100) You can tell how Jonah doesn't want to hear more about the situation.

I can infer that they continue to gain fear in themselves because the letters are certainly not uplifting and bring up concern.

Found- New Advancements

       As I continued to read Found, I sort of realized a changing in the theme or idea of the story. I predicted correctly, that they would continue to get more letters, and the letters are changing how Jonah and Chip feel about themselves. "Beware! They're coming back to get you!" Jonah recited tonelessly. "It took no effort to remember; he'd stared at the words for so long the night before that it seemed like they were imprinted on his eyeballs." Jonah is starting to get worried, and him reading it over and over shows that.

       Jonah decided he wanted to know more about himself, and he asked his parents if they had any other information. They got back to him, and a name they found in documents was James Reardon. The same name found on a post-it in Chip's house. I stopped reading there, but I am very intrigued to continue reading the book. I wonder how the same name shows up for both Jonhs and Chip? Maybe they are from the same place and handled by the same people...

Found- Margaret Peterson Haddix

       So far throughout the book, it is tough to come up with themes or summarize the characters. The book is about two adopted boys named Jonah and Chip and they each receive a mysterious letter saying "You are one of the missing". At first they think the letters are just pranks put on them, but they then think the letters may be serious. It is hard to draw a theme from the first fifty pages, but one might be that even if you are adopted, you are still cared for by someone. Chip gets mad at the fact that he is adopted, but Jonah helps calm him down by using quotes about adoption. He says, "You know there are lots of reasons people can't take care of their own kids. Maybe your birth parents died. Maybe you're adopted from Russia or someplace like that, where things are different." (Haddix, 34)

       We meet the two main characters, Chip and Jonah, whom have only known each other for a couple of months. They seem to be pretty different because Jonah accepts the fact that he is adopted, but Chip is embarrassed and gets angry. They advance the plot by trying to figure out where Chip is from by breaking into his parents' safe. To show that Jonah doesn't really care the text says, "Then he sneaked a glance to Chip, to see if this made a difference. It didn't to Jonah-he'd always known he was adopted, and as far as he was concerned, it wasn't much more of a deal than his liking mint chocolate-chip ice cream while Katherine liked orange sherbet." (Haddix, 13)

      I can predict that Jonah and Chip continue to get strange letters because they are both adopted. My cousin is adopted from China, but she really doesn't even care about it. So far I like the book and think it will get better.

Final Four

Prompt B:

        All of the complex characters in The Final Four develop over the book, and some more than others. One of the characters that develops a lot over the course of the book is Michael Jordan. In the beginning of the book he didn't have the confidence to be a go-to player and attempt a big shot. When his coach tells him to take an open shot, he gains confidence in his game and ends up making a huge shot in overtime, as well as talk trash to the opposing team.

        It is kind of the opposite for Malcolm McBride, as he has to try and become more of a team player and not take bad shots. In the beginning of the book he takes a lot of bad shots trying to win the game, but he actually just hurts his team's chances to win. In the end of the book he eventually starts passing to his teammates and realizes that there needs to be teamwork to win the game, which is one of the themes in the book.

        The players from Troy do not develop as much as the Michigan State players do though because they already believe in team play and are always passing the ball to the open teammate. They have the same attitude throughout the whole book, which helps keep their underdog team in the ball game.

Here is an article about The Final Four by Paul Volponi. It is a summary written by a student and he gives a solid review of the book. Final Four Article