TKAM Week of 12/15-12/19

Pages: 281 out of 281 (finished)
Prompt: List the personally characteristics of the main characters


                                       Mental Characteristics of Scout

    I would say that Scout is a very curious character who wants to explore the world in a different perspective. When I mean a new characteristic I think she wants to view a world that has equality with the statement of "all men are created equal". I feel like the thing that goes on most in her mind is the way she can get back at a person or questioning her society. We easily know that her major interest is to beat up people or to find a solution for every problem. In a character analysis it is shown that she has a very short temper, she seems more like a judge due to the reason that she wants answers immediately. Her behavior changes throughout the novel, in the beginning she would easily fight with almost every boy mentioned in the novel. She fights Walter, Dill, Francis, Cecil, and goes on an all-out brawl with her brother Jem. In the ending of the novel she becomes more mature, by learning the lessons of her father and being more kind to other people such as Aunt Alexandra. This is shown when she puts herself in Boo's shoes, by looking at Maycomb in his perspective.

                                         Jem the Comprehending Brother 

     Well, Jem was a bit rude in the beginning of the book, by leaving Scout out of summer activities and eventually punching his own sister. He becomes more mature when he is completely honest with Atticus, understanding the amount of inequality in our country, and teaching Scout to become more like a young-adult. The event that truly shapes Jem's life is the day of the trial, which left him with tears and sorrow. I think the advice and knowledge he receives from Atticus is a motive for his actions towards the end and his way of behaving around his little sister. The topic of courage which is discussed by Atticus also leaves a spark in his life, now he has the ability to look at people who have real courage. The ideas that travel in his mind are the reasons behind Tom Robinson's case and why would anyone declare him guilty. When Scout mentions the courthouse, he feels a sense of anger that makes him explode. This leaves the reader thinking that in the future Jem wants to establish equality and righteousness in our home country. I sometimes think to myself that Jem relates to the "I Have a Dream" speech.

                                         Atticus: Important Fatherly Figure 

    In many websites and people around the world agree that Atticus is a very important fatherly figure in the world of 20th century books and writings. I think that his major interests are to defend the rights of people and to establish equality in the town of Maycomb. He of course loves to give memorable advice to the other characters but also to the readers. Atticus does actions that leave a positive impact on people and his ideas inspire others. He was able to inspire people like Scout, Jem, and I think Calpurnia. Jem starts to behave more like a mature adult understanding how the world works and how to make it better. Scout is able to "keep her head up, and fists down" and she puts herself in someone else's shoes. His behavior in court shows the audience that he is a reasonable lawyer who establishes the constitution and defends people regarding their race. The most important thing to him in his life is of course Scout and Jem like any other father. The detail that makes Atticus unique is he goes by his own way of living, regardless of what others say.  

                                                                     

This picture shows a memorable father with the two most peculiar children in the world. In the image above we see Atticus's role as a father, but also as a man who establishes peace/justice in the court of Maycomb. Jem is shown to be a boy who wants to be like his father and of course a young boy who loves sports. Scout is shown to be a lovable girl who wants to get answer quick and is ready any time for a fight. 

This week I will comment on Sarai, Autumn, and Steven's Blogs. 

TKAM: Found Poem

"Atticus is...."
"not a man with a gun in his hand"
"but...I do my best to love."
"our society is unspeakable"
"makes men lose their heads"
"a court is no better"
"Atticus"
"gets along better with folks"
"makes the best of things"
"stand in Bob Ewell's shoes"
"that something I'll gladly take"
"I've got to live with myself"
"I...rarely win"
"Atticus"
"that's real courage"
"but you begin anyway"
"knowing you're licked before"
"no matter who he is"
"bravest person I ever knew"
"climb into his skin"
"consider things"
"keep your head up"
"fists down"

 

This week I will comment on Nikolas, Citalli, and Steven's Blogs. 

TKAM: Dill and Francis Relationship 12/1-12/5

Pages: 144 out of 281
Prompt: Pick a pair of characters and describe the similarities and differences between the two. What relationship do they have Scout and how does it effect her?


                            Similarities and Differences between Francis and Dill

       The first major similarity between these two characters is their age in which they are about 7 years old. In the first few chapters I noticed that Dill was a bit bossy and he likes to tease other people , especially Scout. I also noticed that they are a bit bossy when it comes to play most notably Francis during the family reunion. The boy Francis always wants to do something in which Scout disapproves this indicates that he is bossy. We see this when the author says "he enjoyed everything I disapproved of, and disliked my ingenious diversions." I'm starting to think that they become in common when they start to push away Scout in some sort of way. Dill does this when he starts to ignore his old pal Scout. The author says "Dill was becoming something of a trial anyway, following Jem about." The major difference between the pair is of course their personality because one is extremely mean and other some sort of nice. We could easily know another difference which is that Francis is family and Dill is a friend. Francis seems to criticize people a lot by saying "You're mighty dumb sometimes, Jean Louise. Guess you don't any better, though." He also says something about Dill which is "If Uncle Atticus lets you run around with stray dogs, that's his own business." Francis is being extremely angry with Scout, but Dill is sweet and passionate when it comes to talking about Scout. The letter he sent during chapter 12 shows that what Dill feels for Scout is true love, we see this when he sends a letter. Scout mentions "Dill concluded by saying he would love me forever and not to worry, he would come get me and marry me as soon as he got enough money together, so please write." Overall the similarities are being bossy and pushing Scout away. The differences are their personality and feelings towards Scout.

                             Scout's Relationship with Dill and Francis

When we compare the relationship between this pair of characters with Scout we can easily see that Francis is a foil and Dill is Scout's alter ego. The reason behind this is that Dill and Scout love the same things such as learning about Boo Radley or going on an exciting adventure, with this information we can see that he is an alter ego of Scout.  On the other hand  with Francis we know that they are foils due to the reason that they don't like the same things, Scout even mentions that he likes the things she disapproves of.

     We know from the first few chapters that Dill is best friends with Scout and Jem. He seems to be the excitement in the children's lives and the reason why summer is their favorite season. On the other hand Francis isn't that exciting. Scout describes him as being the most boring person in the world and selfish after calling Atticus harsh names. During the middle of chapter 9 we get to see that the relationship between Scout and Dill goes to a whole new level. They don't consider themselves friends, but in fact fiances. The true feelings that Scout has over this character is seen when she mentions " with him life was routine;without him, life was unbearable. I stayed miserable for two days." Scout shows that she is sometimes inspired by Dill, this is described in the early pages of the book in which Dill comes for the first time to Maycomb. She says "thus we came know Dill as a pocket Merlin, whose head teemed with eccentric plans, strange longings, and quaint fancies." The relationship with Francis is the total opposite since Scout mentions that she truly hates this character even more than Aunt Alexandra. She says "talking to Francis gave me the sensation of settling slowly to the bottom of the ocean. He was the most boring child I ever met." Francis might be her relative but she still loves Dill more than him. She even defends her fiance when Francis says "lets you run around with stray dogs." Scout gets extremely angry and even goes and punches her own relative. We can clearly see that she has a terrible relationship with Francis.

                       What Effect Does Dill and Francis Have on Scout?

    Since Scout and Dill are already fiancees this tells me that her friend is showing her how to grow up. I'm predicting that after chapter 15 they start to act like mature adults instead of putting plays and trying to figure out the Boo Radley mystery. I have a feeling Dill teaches her how to have love for other people instead of fighting with them all the time, although Atticus actually teaches her that lesson. In the beginning of chapter 12 she starts to act more mature by expressing her love for Dill, even though she still acts like child even after this chapter. She describes his kisses by saying "summer was the swiftness with which Dill would reach up and kiss me when Jem was not looking." Another reason is that Dill brings adventure into the life of both children. He makes Scout a bit more courageous and brave. Dill was the one who came up with the idea of investigating Boo Radley which created a spark of excitement in Scout's daily routine. Scout mentions "Dill gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out." In several occasions Scout says that she is miserable without Dill, during chapter 2 Scout says "we saw him off on the five o'clock bus and I was miserable without him." Francis is the base and main reason why Scout decided to fight with her words instead of her fists. The night before the Christmas reunion Atticus tells her daughter than she must learn how to control her anger towards other people. Scout's relative was the reason she stopped fighting because she finally realizes that her fighting causes huge pain to her father. Before the holiday party Atticus says "you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat." We first see that she locks Francis in a closet then he makes her lose her temper which results in a brawl. The quote that supports this statement is "Franics looked at me carefully, concluded that I had been sufficiently subdued, and crooned softly. Black lover..." Then Scout says "this time, I split my knuckle to the bone on his front teeth." She not only disappoints her father but also her Uncle Jack when he says "I'm disappointed in you -you had that coming aand you know it." After this fight Scout never punches anyone or hits them except for his brother Jem but he deserved it. We can see that he had a huge effect on her which is sort of positive since she is learning how to grow up.

 

This quote is summing up the relationship between Dill and Scout and the effect it had on her. She seems to choose her own family by saying that in a few years she will get married with Dill. If I were to explore the mind of Scout, I would infer that she would rather choose her family instead of being with her given family. We already know that she dislikes her Aunt Alexandra and of course Francis. If she were to choose I think she would choose Dill, Calpurnia, and Miss Maudie. 

This week I will comment on Stanley, Gustavo, and Sarai's Blogs.

TKAM - Photo Analysis

                                   

Title: Houses in the Black Section of Eutlaw, Alabama

Creator: Jack Delano

Published/Created: May 1941

Analysis

    In my observation I noticed that the houses were lined up in a row instead of the traditional column method. The first house that it seen in the photo seems to be rickety and shaky which essentially means that it is in a terrible condition. The foundation of the building on the bottom seems to be strong in which it is able to support the family home. A mysterious person is walking in a gloomy road near the row of buildings, the road is made of dust instead of cement. In the picture we can tell that the person's genre is male but his ethnicity is uncertain. The boy is obviously a toddler since he has a height of about 4 feet or 3. The houses are alongside a row of electricity lines and the boy could be white but I'm still not sure. 

   I feel like the picture was made in order to show our generation the way of life during the Great Depression or the early 1930's. The author or photographer of the picture is trying to express the uniqueness of the south side of the United States. We can easily tell that the area is rural but that it is possibly faraway from a town square or luxurious buildings. I can learn from this image that people lived a devastating life since they were hit with the Great Depression. The detail that came to my attention was that people here were probably separated. For example blacks on one side of the town and whites in another. We already know that the picture was released in the early 1940's but could it have been taken during the depression era. The two major things that are missing from this image is the form of transportation and a towns square.

  I have about 5 questions that I could possibly ask the photographer.

Who is the person in the photo? 

Why are the houses lined up like a prison center?

Did the houses actually house families or prisoners?

 What kind of family, white or black?

Where are the vehicles for these people? How did they move throughout the city?

    When I look at this image I think that it could possibly be Maycomb County but there are still huge differences between the two. The similarity is that these towns both have dusty roads in which they are not pounded with cement. In the other images that were shown in the website, most of them have cement roads or modern gadgets. In the book they mention that colored people are sort of in the same region of the town but this image doesn't indicate that statement. The picture is titled Houses in the Black Section of Eutlaw in which I can infer that people here are separated in different parts. Although in TKAM they don't bring up this topic too often but since Calpurnia lives with the Finches, this shows that blacks can live with whites. The town of Maycomb is of course a rural area because farms are mentioned numerous times in the book. The topic of farms comes up when the reader is introduced to the Cunninghams.  The picture is set in a place where farming is the principal job of many people. The only other difference that I saw was that the city looks a bit dry instead of rainy. The county of Maycomb is described to be very rainy and that there a bunch of red slops on the ground. Overall the picture could possibly be Maycomb but with another different sort of climate. 

Heaven is for Real Week of 11/17-11/21

Pages: 90 out of 163
Prompt: Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the
character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what
would you do differently?

                               Todd Burpo in the Verge of Dying

     The book I'm currently reading this week is more of a non-fiction book because the events that happen in the story actually happened in real life. The part where I am right now only one character has had a difficult problem which is Todd Burpo, the author of this novel. The first problems that rises in Todd's life is, the multiple accidents he has had over the past couple of months. He broke his leg in half, had possibilities of breast cancer,  and having stomach issues. He was on the verge of never walking again and his family was losing money fast do to the large hospital bills and Todd going without working. I forgot to mention before that Todd is a pastor in a small town called Imperial, in the state of Nebraska. He earns very little money in this job but that cash still has a large impact in solving the family's financial problems. In the beginning of the book he mentions that these were dark days for him and the faith he had on his religion. He would spent hours yelling god because he believed that he deserved better since his job is a pastor. The character solved this problem by praying and realizing that the son of god sacrificed even more than he has. The next day he was back on his feet and the great cancer warning was a false alarm. The second problem is even worst than the first and this truly impacted Todd's life.


                     What Would I do Differently? The Second Problem

     If I were the character Todd I would have taken more care of myself when I play baseball since he is at an age where your body is a bit fragile. I would also try to find a temporary job that doesn't involve me walking or more simply teach church lessons on the computer. The interactive lessons might earn him a bit of money for the time being, while his family passes through this financial chaos. The most obvious thing I would do is to not freak out and to stay calm which might even help me get better. Since I'm Catholic I would pray every day with a positive tone instead of yelling at god and my religion.  I would simply ask for god's mercy in a kind tone instead of yelling at him in which luckily Todd got his wish. The second problem is more of a life and death situation that involves Todd's youngest son Colton Burpo. In last couple of days Colton has been throwing up every 30 minutes and refusing to eat anything. The result and conclusion of this problem might have led to being the greatest thing that ever happened to the Burpo family.


                  Resolution of the Second Problem/How Would I Change it

      I mentioned before that Colton was diagnosed with an unknown disease which involves constant vomiting and losing all strength in the body. Todd could not believe that first he had suffered, now his three-year old son is on the verge of dying. Todd decides to solve the situation by yelling at god and again losing faith. The doctor who performed Colton's emergency survey reveals that Colton is perfectly healthy. When the Burpo family arrives home Colton starts to say things out of the ordinary, by mentioning that he rode Jesus's rainbow horse and saw for the first time his great-grandfather. Todd realizes that while he was yelling at god in the praying room, his son was actually being taken cared of by Jesus himself. If I were to be this main character I would try to have taken better care of my son by visiting the doctor every once in a while. I would have made sure that my son was healthy and of course having faith in my religion.

Watch the movie trailer.

                         

The girl in the picture above actually had a similar experience in which she also visited heaven and came back. She now paints drawings of what she saw in heaven which includes Jesus, angels, and the setting itself. When Todd asked Colton how Jesus looked like he mentions that he doesn't look like the man in the bible drawings. The real Jesus has giant blue eyes instead of the tradition brown eyes and wears white clothes. 

This week I will comment on Nikolas, Julia, and Leanna's  Blogs.

Passion Project *Update*

       Since the last time I wrote in my blog, I have accomplished a lot over the past couple of weeks. I mentioned before that I was going to work on creating a website for every country in the world and talk about multiple currencies. I actually changed my decision of what I will do for my final draft of the project. I have decided to make a completely different blog that focuses on world cultures, currencies, and hopefully foreign languages. My recent blog is named "Around the World in 80 Tags" in which I have successfully been able to create a brand-new theme and posts. I finished an introduction post for my new blog and I hope to rearrange the background in order for it to fit the central theme/message of the blog. I completely dropped the website idea since it would be a bit challenging and I wouldn't be able to fit every little detail into my educational website. When this project is completely finished, I hope to have 80 tags and one post for each country in the world.

    In the last couple of weeks I created another post that completely focuses on the currencies of the world. I haven't published the post yet, since there are dozens of currencies which will take at least 2 more weeks to finish the posts. I have gathered information for dozens of countries in which I keep together in a keynote/presentation. This will make it easier, when it comes the time to write the post for each country. I'm actually proud that I only have about 4 countries left in the North American section since there is approximately 23 countries in our continent. I want to make people aware of unknown island countries in our continent. In a couple of weeks or days I hope to make better progress. 

                       

Hollow City Week of 11/10-11/14

Pages: 397 out of 397 (finished)
Prompt: Analyze the impact word choice has on the meaning or tone of a text. Analyze how dialogue or specific incidents reveal information about characters. Make sure to include textual evidence.

             
                               How the Word Choice Impacts the Tone?

       This week I recently finished reading the novel Hollow City which is actually a sequel to the award-winning book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Since the beginning of the book I immediately realized that the story had a really dark tone, the reason being the background of every character. The story takes place during the early years of World War II which we all know were the most terrible years in our current history. I would say that this book has a lot of advanced vocabulary which is mostly used by the peculiar named Millard an invisible boy. The comparisons that the children used make the tone really dark. This is shown when Emma another peculiar says "some truths are expressed best in the form of myth", this is indicating that the reality that they are living is far worst than anything experienced in this world. The powers and graphic details seem to put the mood of the book at the top, especially when wights are being killed.  The strongest of the peculiars which is Brownyn denies having a bit of fun since she feels that she will betray her duty of protecting Miss Peregrine. I remember when she said "laughing doesn't make bad things worse any more than crying makes them better." The ending especially makes the story gruesome when the narrator says "a very dark ooze leaked out of the girl's back, when the wight decided to take action."

                         Dialogue and Specific Incidents Reveal Information

       I especially like this part of the prompt since it totally relates to the book, everything is revealed through flashbacks. Although the author is not very specific when explaining background information , but he seems to express it in the dialogue of main characters such as Millard. For example during the trip to the mystical mountain owned by an intelligent dog, Millard starts to imagine how his past was before the wights invaded. This is seen when Jacob says "then he got quiet lost in memories of a better time." The incident caused us to imagine what Millard has lived through and how these recent events have completely changed his life. After finishing the book I would think that the two characters with the worst backgrounds are Emma and the friendly yet smart dog Addison. When the kids get lost in London without money or shelter Horace another peculiar mentions something that makes Emma a bit angry. In the story the author mentions "that's because the true purpose of money is to manipulate time and make them lesser than you". I later learned that she was sold during her infancy to a circus.

                                  A Combination of Both Questions

     The event that seemed to be the most peaceful was actually to be the most horrifying one of all time. The backstories of every peculiar are revealed the most harmful one seems to be the one of Emma Bloom a very powerful girl. When each children is revealing their stories of manifestation, Emma seems to refuse telling her story.  Jacob finds out that she was brutally torched by her parents during her toddler years and they used her as a pawn to lure more curious customers for money. I find it surprising that a smooth train ride would have lead to a story of terror and sadness. The word choice that Jacob shows in the story, tells us that he suffers day by day which makes the tone extremely serious. I infer this after he says "dying inside day by day from regret." Although the story doesn't completely specify the regret, but I'm inferring that it comes from leaving his parents behind in the normal world. To find out more watch both book trailers,  trailer #1 and trailer #2.
*Caution the second one is a bit scary*

                         

The image above is showing every character that plays a main or starring role in the book. Although this is a basic photo we could predict or analyze the characters in the poster. We could seem to learn from these peculiars by just looking at their faces especially when you see the image of Brownyn. She has a stern and serious face which fits for her ability to lift about anything which helps the children in their adventures. 

This week I will comment Gustavo, Marisa, and Isabelle R.'s Blogs 

Allegiant Week of 11/3-11/7

Pages: 527 out of 527 (finished)
Prompt: What questions would you like answered about your reading? Would you like

the book/article better if you knew those answers now? Why? 

                                            *Spoiler Alert*

              Question #1: Why is that every character wants to end their guilt with something deadly? 

     I came across this question when the action started to be revealed through the author's writing. I can name at least three characters that have their bodies filled with guilt and remorse. The three "guilty" characters are Tobias, Caleb, and of course the anti-hero Peter. Since they're adults they should handle their emotions with maturity. I find it a bit odd how they all wanted to end their lives just to escape the horrible things they have done or witnessed. For example Peter, he has done all sorts of evil/good to Tris and her friends. He has the urge of drinking the memory serum which will completely erase his memory and his evil personality. In his mind, he feels that it is impossible for him to change from bad to good, which I find a bit outrageous. I as the reader feel that there is some sort of good in every human being, but sometimes you find it a bit challenging to overcome this adversity. That is the cycle of life you have to become a problem-solver and overcome daily adversities. I feel that I wouldn't like the story if this question was answered.


             Question #2: Can people be repaired after an event? Did Tris see a vision of heaven?

    This question kept twirling around my head after I read the ending of Allegiant based on Tobias experience with Tris. I think we can all relate to this topic do to the reason that we have been broken down before and we have the uneasy feeling of getting back on our feet. I've always wanted to ask the author why cause so much pain to your main characters? During the conclusion of the book I wasn't sure if Tobias would recover after what happened to the rebel leader Tris. The other question I had was if Christina could be mended after the tragic incident that involved Uriah. When the book started reaching the point of falling action, I was surprised that they would mention heaven in the action part of Allegiant. You see Tris decided to do the suicide mission instead of letting her brother Caleb proceed with the original plan. During the mission Tris was able to survive the death serum, but she couldn't survive the wrath of David the Bureau leader. She was shot about 5 times in the back by David but when she fell to the ground, she saw her mother standing behind David. The only thing that her mother said was to go with her into the afterlife. I was a bit discombobulated whether her mother was leading her into heaven.

                      Would I truly like this book if these question were answered?

     I'm a bit in the middle when it comes to this question, but I still feel that I wouldn't like this book if the questions above were answered. The reason is that the ending of the book kind of lets the reader make up a story of what happened to these characters after everything was in peace. The questions I listed above sort of teach a lesson on life and the decisions that a person makes everyday in his/her life. I feel that the reader wouldn't have the time to think about what they just recently read, if the author were to have answered the questions. For example I myself invented the part about heaven because the author was a bit implicit when it came to this topic. The author gave me the chance to come up with a story or image of what happened to Tris in the afterlife. The questions I came up with are ones that I want to answer with my personal experiences with people in the real world. Although I would still like the author to give her thoughts on the subject, but not to include her response in this book. This book was great and I feel that the ending will surprise future readers. 

                           
The picture above is showing a vision of heaven in which I feel that Tris had this sort of experience. I mentioned before that she encounters her mother after she was fatally shot down by David. I also feel that if the author were to have answered my question, the story just wouldn't be the same. I enjoyed how she was implicit because the reader was able to come up with an image/or final ending for the character Tris.

                 The picture below is showing the future reactions of people who want to read this book.

This week I will comment on Leanna, Carlos, and Gianna's Blogs. 

                   

The Infamous Fortunato is Missing!

                                 Fortunato Missing! 

 Locals Raise Concerns of Crime Rates Increasing.

         

Quick Facts:

Who: Fortunato

Age: ?

Weight: ?

Height: ?

Last seen 2 weeks ago in the annual carnival festival held in Italy and possibly in the Montresor mansion. 

Suspects: Montresor, Servants of the Mansion, Lady Fortunato, and a young tailor responsible for making Fortunato's motley outfit.

Witnesses: Late-Night Security Guard, An Elderly Butler worker of the Montresor Mansion. 

   The locals of a small village in southern Italy have become suspicious of the mysterious disappearance of former wine expert Fortunato. It has been approximately 2 weeks since residents last saw the intelligence and fearfulness of this young sommelier. A local witness last saw him in the annual carnival of Italy with his greatest friend Montresor. The Montresor family have always been associated with revenge and remorse toward those who hurt them. The ways of this typical Italian family is shown in their motto "nemo me impune lacessit". I find it ironic how a man who lives under this motto could still have faithful friends like Fortunato. He,he,he, were the loud laughs heard by a servant who works for Mr. Montresor, this laugh was so immortal almost as if all the ghosts in the catacombs were laughing. The witnesses of this crime have claimed to have heard the voice of Montresor during the time of his disappearance but since its his house he should be there.

Interview with the young tailor

Q: How long did it take to build Lord Fortunato’s motley?


A: It took approximately one week to come up with a fantastic idea like no other and to start sewing/building the motley.

Q: When did you last see him? Was he alone or with someone?

A: Well, I decided to hand-deliver the costume to Mr. Fortunato in which he answered the door with an angry tone. It seems that he hadn’t gotten his hands on a bottle of Amontillado. The last time I truly saw him was a few hours before the carnival started. I clearly remembered that he mentioned the name Montresor, I’m guessing an old friend.

Q: Did you always make his suits? Did you have a special bond with this young fellow?

A: I would only make his suits or costumes for special occasions such as the carnival last weekend. I have also been associated with members of his family such as Lady Fortunato a young woman who hides her intelligence under her make-up. I don’t know if you found out that Fortunato hated people that outsmarted him and in the end he was outsmarted. In my opinion I feel like I didn’t have a special bond with Fortunato, most of the time he would yell at my face. My day would be ruined every time I visited his home, my marvelous outfits would be spilled with the spit of his wine.

Q: How do you know he was outsmarted? Do you have some sort of details that hasn't been revealed to me? Do you have any specific suspects?

I would imagine that the person who kidnapped him or possibly killed him would be 5 times smarter than Fortunato. I feel like the kidnapper used some sort of plan that outsmarted all of use including the poor Fortunato. The other main details that I can tell you officer is that his companion seemed to have been dressed with the sane outfit. His friend had the same mask as Mr. Fortunato. The other suspect I could think of is Luchesi another young wine specialist a man who was always bullied by my boss. I clearly remember him mentioning that he hated this man Luchesi always indicting that he wasn’t good at his job. I clearly remember him saying “Lucheis he couldn’t distinguish a Sherry from a Amontillado.”

Did you ever meet the man Montresor? Was he close friends with Fortunato? Are you able to describe his physical description ?

When I hear this name, the first thing that pops into my head is the ancient catacombs under the old Montresor mansion. I want to be honest that I’m not sure if this man connects to the family I mentioned. I never did talk this young individual he always visited Fortunato. I remember a time when I went to drop Lady Fortunato’s wedding dress that they were talking about the casks of Amontillado he had at home. The smile he always had appeared fake to my eyes, a true smile shows kindness and compassion, not remorse and hatred. I clearly remember Fortunato’s excited expression, he always obsessed with this particular wine. I think he loved it more than his own wife. I can infer that he was close friends with Fortunato they always cheered about everything, the tone he used was realistic. It almost seemed as if the friendship they had was ripped out if a play almost as if taken out if a dramatic piece of literature. He was a short man with a weird tangled mustache. He had brown hair, with very dark eyes, and he had the tiring face of a millionaire.

Detective: Thanks for your time! Your information is greatly appreciated.

                                      Retracing Fortunato's Steps

  

        It was not at all easy trying to retrace this poor soul's steps, but with the information provided by a helpful tailor we have come up with a plan that could eventually lead to the appearance of Fortunato. The first fact that the tailor mentioned is that he last saw Fortunato a few hours before the carnival started, we another man named Montresor. The first thing that pops into my head is that he arrived to the festival with his friend, but the problem is what happened to him when the festival ended. I recently interrogating an elderly butler who has been working for the Montresor for approximately 45 years. The first question I asked him was whether he trusted Mr. Montresor, but the only thing he said is that he doesn't want to get on his bad side do to the family motto. Although the conversation was very vivid, this can still help me find Fortunato's kidnapper. I would imagine that Fortunato went to his friend's house, in which I've heard that he has dozens of cask of amontillado. Then the question is why would his best friend kidnap him? Or is Montresor innocent?

If you have any information please contact Detective Ludovico at the local police station west of Venice, Italy. Your information will be greatly appreciated.

                              Reward: 15,000 Euros
                              

Allegiant Week of 10/27-10/31

Pages: 328 out of 527
Prompt: 1st Person Narrator Reliable or Unreliable


                                     Is Tris a Reliable Narrator?

         Since I'm more than halfway done with the book I do feel that the character Tris is truly reliable because throughout the book she has always tried to make the right decisions. This book is a bit different from the other ones in the series do to the reason that it is told by two narrators, Tris and Tobias. I mentioned before that I do believe Tris is reliable but the character Tobias is a bit unreliable because of his previous actions. He always wants to settle everything with violence and extremely rude comments. Tobias doesn't have the power to control his anger, I feel like the majority of the time his hatred controls him. Well, based on what I have previously read an attack was launched inside the military base which is basically O'Hare International Airport. The attack was planned out by a scientist named Nita with the help of the untrustworthy Tobias. During the planning of this attack Tris strongly disapproved, she was always urging Tobias to stop Nita. I think this creates a border between the decisions that Tris and Tobias make.


                                    What Makes Tris so Reliable?

        I think the general detail that makes her reliable over Tobias is her way of controlling her own feelings. She is always greatly concerned about her friends unlike Tobias who only things about himself. If you have heard the previous books you remember that Tris used to always risk her life just for the fun of it, but in this book she becomes more mature.  The quote that shows that she cares about her friends is when she says " I'll say it one more time just be brave". She persuades her friends to be brave even in the most difficult situation both mentally and physically.  For example another character Uriah was critically injured do to Tobias poor decisions. She gave a sense of confidence and bravery to her best friend Christina. Another piece of evidence that makes this narrator reliable is when she says "I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me--- they, and the love and loyalty I give them." This is showing that when she is persuaded or pressured to do something she will never fall.
                                  Tris is Reliable Part II

       Although I did mentioned that Tobias was extremely unreliable do to his poor choices and how he handles the aftermath. He is unable to realize the impact the decision will have for the people around him, he needs to think about those who help him, instead of relying on a complete stranger. In the book Tobias even mentions that she is reliable by saying "the person you became with her is worth being." The other major detail is that she is in fact sane in this book while her fellow friend Tobias is the total opposite always coming up with dangerous plans. I admire Tris because she is able to forgive those who have hurt her. For example she forgave Jeanine Matthews, David, and of course Tobias. I find it heartbreaking when she says "If I don't survive, tell Tobias I didn't want to leave him." The quote is showing the power of forgiveness that Tris has inside and how we can always rely on this great character.

                                           

     
This is a picture of a quote from the book Allegiant and it also shows who would you choose Tris or Tobias. The words on the other side of the page is basically telling the reader that the story is told in two different points of view. The quote is trying to test you whether your truly know the characters of the Divergent trilogy. Who do you think said those words, Tris or Tobias?


This week I will comment on Nikolas, Autumn, and Gabe's Blogs. 

                         
   
   
                               
           

Allegiant Week of 10/20- 10/24

Pages: 150 out of 527
Prompt: Pretend you have special powers and could put yourself in your reading. Where
would you put yourself and why? How would you being there change the
story?

                                      What Would I do if I had Special Powers?

     In the third installment of the Divergent trilogy we get to know more about why the US government decided to separate people by factions. The major question behind the book is why did they choose Chicago as one of the cities to reestablish their own way of life. If I were able to put myself in the reading I would mostly like join Tris's quest of finding out the history behind the formation of these factions. If my character was created in the story-line I think I would be the one who works with Tobias. In the part were I am right now, all of the main characters are basically in a base which is actually O'Hare Airport to learn more about their past. The reason I put myself in this dangerous situation is to learn more about our government's decisions and how making a simple change can have a major impact. The reason behind these factions is what gives me interest in the topic. The other major reason I put myself in this part of the book is to learn why every faction is different. For example why does one focus on peace while the other on violence, can't we all be treated equally.


                                         Why I choose to be there? Part II

     I find it more dangerous staying in the Erudite compound with Evelyn Johnson than going to secret laboratory in which they look at people from all over the country. I feel like I wouldn't get along with the character Evelyn due to her political decisions and abandoning her son with a bunch of strangers. The reason I choose to be in the airport is to find out if they're doing this faction system in other countries of the world. Since the first time I read Divergent, I was wondering if Chicago was its separate country because it seems so secured. When I imagined the city it reminded me of the Giver in which they seem to be locked up from the outside world. The description and way of life in Chicago persuaded me to pick this specific location with the main characters. Why did the government decide to change people's personality just to make the country better? I mean we should be treated equally but we shouldn't be made equally. Those are the main reasons why I choose to be in O'Hare International Airport.

                                           How would I change the story?

     In my mind I feel like I would mostly likely change a character's personality and their contribution to the story plot. When my character arrives in the airport, I would want to change the perspective of Tris and her fellow friend Tobias. In every book of the series she is so expendable always trying to sacrifice her life because she likes the sense of danger. The transition would happen once I tell her that she needs to be more like the Amity compound. My character could teach her more about the value of life and favoring danger isn't always a good thing. Since the series is science fiction or a utopian society I would imagine that the book will end with a final battle. When I appear I will try to change the ending my advising my fellow companions to end this fight with an agreement. The lives of others are valuable which motivates my character to create a peaceful agreement between Evelyn and the Allegiant.

                             

The picture above is showing O'Hare International Airport after it was taken over by the United States government. The airport is now used as a military base or a research center for high American officials. It is separated from the city of Chicago indicating that the government doesn't want their citizens to know their evil secrets. The true secret is that they make people equally instead of treating equally. I feel like this is the place that will the determine if the final battle will be dangerous or something peaceful. 

This week I will comment on Citalli, Elenia, and Stanley's Blogs. 

                      

   

Time Travel to WWII

Q: Where would you go?

A: If I were able to time travel I would go back to the start of World War II, then to the year 1991 during the start of my sister's birthday party. The third place I would go to is the year 2003 to change a decision that my great-grandpa made that costed him his life. I think the last place I would go is to the start of the American Revolution in order to see George Washington's actions in person.

Q:To which year or period would you travel?

A: In order to be specific I feel like I would travel to the year 1991, 2003, 1939, and then back to the year of 1776. The time period would be the American Revolution period in which we were fighting to gain our independence. The World War II and Holocaust in order to stop this war from happening which can possibly save a millions of lives. Then the other time periods are family eras in which the whole family was united.


Q: Who would you want to meet or what event would you want to witness?

A:  I would like to witness when George Washington crosses the Delaware and the smiles of American people, when we gain our independence. During World War II I think I would want to witness the invasion of Poland, to warn other nations so they can put a stop to Hitler's intentions. This event wouldn't be happy so that is why I want to go back in order to change the future. In the year 1991 I want to witness the collaboration of my both families and to meet family members I've never met before. For example I would like to talk to family members that died when I was very young. In the 2003 I want to witness when my great-grandpa took a pill which would take his life. When I witness I want to change his future by making him avoid the pill at all cost.

Q: Where would you find this person or see this event?

A: If I were to find George Washington I think I would have to go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since it used to be the capital of the United States. In order to stop Hitler and his invasion, the location would be Poland in a small town to the west side. When I go to my sisters' birthday party in 1991, I would most likely find them in Durango, Durango, Mexico. The location of party would be a few miles from the hospital in the city. Then finally in 2003 I could find my great-grandpa in his old home by the teleferico of Durango. He might have been in his bedroom during that time.

Q: Why would you want to meet this person or witness this event?

A: I would want to meet George Washington because I want to know his personal experiences during the Revolution. I also want to find out his struggles and accomplishments as president at the time. How did it feel to be the first president of the United States? The reason I want to witness the invasion of Poland, is to find the way of life during that time. The witnessing of this event can show me the reasons behind the worst wars in world history. The marching of the Nazis will show me their intentions and what I can do to stop this bloody war. When I witness the birthday party of 1991 I can see family members I never go to meet. I could finally know the personalities of family members that died when I was very young. In the year 2003 I want to see the final moments of my great-grandpa. Since he has been such an interesting member of our family, I want to get to know his personality. 

Q: How might YOU change history?
A: I would change history by putting a stop to Hitler's intentions by warning other countries of his sinister plans. I would make sure that every country come together to stop him and to give him a very severe capital punishment. If I go back to the American Revolution one way I could change history by creating a more peaceful agreement between the United States and Great Britain. I might also give the president suggestions on how the country should be more civilized and the dangerous powers of future presidents. In the birthday party I could make sure that the whole family goes to this one single party. I would also try to combine members with other members that usually don't talk to each other. The last thing I would do is to give out warnings of events that might happen in the near future. The last date which is in 2003, I would make sure that my great-grandpa doesn't take that pill which will cause his life. Since he felt sick I would immediately take him to the hospital instead of letting him deal with the problem by himself.  If I make this slight change he might still be alive to this day.

           

              
  

Passion Project Reflection

What do you want to do for your passion project? What will this look like? How long will this take to achieve?

Why do you want to do this for your project? What are you looking to achieve? How will you know if you've been successful? 

   I think for my passion project I would like to create a website or possibly a separate blog which deals with countries from around the world. The website would include multiple pages, one for each country of the world. If I do a separate blog it would have a plethora tags more specifically 197. A certain tag will focus on a certain country. I think the final result of this project will look like a typical website which can persuade people to travel to different parts of the world. The blog will have tags that include the basic info, cuisine, and tourist attractions of each country. In order to finish this project, I think it will take approximately 3 months or possibly even more to finish the website/blog. 

  I wanted to make website for this project in order to gain more international recognition and to persuade people to explore the world. The main purpose of doing this is to show the wonders of this world and to show what people are missing out on. I am hoping to achieve a lot of viewers and opinions of people who have visited the webpage. I hope to achieve many viewers and to persuade people to travel around the world. My achievement will come from the joys formed in families do to learning about multiple cultures. I will know that I have been successful when people start to share their personal experiences of going to the countries. My success comes from positive comments that come from families and how they had an awesome time going to these places because of me.

                                                                     

1st Quarter Reflection 10/17

                                         40 Book-Challenge and Blog Progress

        I seem to be getting a slow start into my book challenge and I have greatly increased my writing skills in my current blogs. In present time I am currently on my 7th book for the 40-Book Challenge and I try to pick challenging books in order to improve my writing skills. Last year, I remember that I used to choose old pieces of writing, like Pale Fire and Frankenstein. Although they are challenging, this year I wanted to focus more on choosing literature that I usually don't read. For example this year I finished reading Paper Towns by John Green. I've heard about this author before, especially last years but I never imagined myself reading one of his books. Since my choice of literature changed, my blogs also seemed to change. This year in my blogs I focus more on analyze the author's writing and how the plot of a story impacts the character. This year we focus more on writing techniques, character development, and analyzing literary devices in our books. I think that these new prompts have opened up a different view of the book. I notice specific details that I usually wouldn't have noticed.

                                       What have I learned from the world?

        In past years I am aware of the news and what happens in the world around me. This year it seems that I have taken awareness to a higher level. In class this year we have learned a lot about the Ebola disease and more recently the threat that ISIS has against the United States. When I look back at last year I would look at the current news and easily forget about it. I wouldn't do any further research on a specific topic but that easily changed this year. When I was introduced to Ebola, I felt like this disease would be easily forgotten in about a week. In later weeks I seemed a bit surprised that we started talking about it in class. When the topic arose that week, I learned that this disease was even more deadlier than I thought. The past couple of weeks I learned a lot about world issues and how those problems can have a huge impact for people around the world. The last important skill that I learned was how current issues can be connected to events that have happened in the past. In the TED talk of this week I learned how news can be connected to famous historical text or stories. 

                          Improvement of Research and the Benefit of These New Strategies

        I've noticed that this year my research skills are slowly improving by collecting information from multiple sources instead of one. The new strategies, such as looking for a writer's techniques and development throughout the story has benefited me in a positive way. When we did the TV research project, I was surprised that it takes more than a couple of sources to support your argument. My argument and claim was that TV does impact the viewer and sometimes other forms of technology. When I used to do research projects, I would usually only include my opinions or just a bit of interpretation. The literary strategies that we learned in class help me understand the character's feelings and actions a bit more than last year. I  understood the reason why they were acting a certain way and the purpose of having them in the plot line. When I improved my research skills in class it also helped me outside of school.

                                         

I added this quote to show how my skills improved throughout this first quarter. I think my life in school did get better with change. The things we have learned in class has changed my skills in a positive way. The research skills got better because of change especially with my interpretation and sources. 

The Best of Me -Character Development 10/14-10/17

Pages: 292 out of 292 (finished)     *Spoiler Alert*
Prompt: How does the main character start to develop throughout the story? Explain.

                                The Best of Dawson (Identification of Each Character) Direct and Indirect

       When I was reading The Best of Me I noticed that the plot sort of connected to the requirements of a traditional character arc. There were some parts of the novel that involved the antagonist (Ted Cole and Abee Cole) chasing the protagonist (Dawson) or vice versa. The author Nicholas Sparks uses his words of knowledge in order to make the reader, like the good guy and hate the bad guy. During the reunion between Dawson and his high school love Amanda he says "marriage is a partnership not a democracy." The quote is showing how he has compassion towards any kind of love most importantly family love. The passion that Dawson has towards family love shows how he transitioned from a heart-broken maniac to a hero to others. Since he is known as the "good guy" of the story which makes him like able then what makes the antagonist Ted hateful. Although he doesn't have a lot of dialogue in the story, but based on his actions I could infer that he will do a lot of damage to the other characters. The direct characterization is that the author explains Dawson's physical and mental issues. He mentions that he is extremely strong even at age 42 and that he has a large capacity of love in his heart. Throughout the story he includes phrases which show his concerns about David's family and his thoughts regarding Amanda. The quotes that show his direct characterization are shown above. The indirect part of his personality is the theme he is trying to create throughout the story. Although Sparks doesn't say it in the story but he is trying to show that Dawson truly cares about family love. He includes bits of the theme when he says after David's death Dawson started to send money to his family. This is shown when he says "I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."


                                     Dawson's Transition and What Makes Ted "Hateful"

        I mentioned before that what makes Ted Cole hateful is his action towards Dawson. In the story he beats up Dawson during his early childhood and eventually tries to shot him (in which he succeeds). The other antagonist Abee believes seems a bit less crazy than Ted but he has a lot of mental issues towards his girlfriend Candy. Let's get back on topic the protagonist Dawson Cole starts to change after his accident with one of the only doctors of his small hometown. In his early teenage years he started dating a girl named Amanda in which they feel deeply in love. The beginning of this relationship seemed a bit like a Shakespeare play in which they were denied to be together. We start to see his development through his dialogue in which says "the past can be escaped only by embracing something better." This is showing that he wants to have a future with Amanda even after twenty-three years without seeing each other.

                                      The New Version of Dawson and His Early Flaws

       Guilt. That word and feeling was one of Dawson's earliest weaknesses after what he did to poor doctor David. The teenage relationship between these two lovebirds didn't end well which drove Dawson into a long depression. He started to feel remorse in which he believed that love wasn't that important in life more like a distraction. We get to see this through his actions in which he refuses to love anyone else and decides to live the rest of his life alone. I also see it in his dialogue when he says "you might not understand, but I gave you the best of me, and after you left, nothing was ever the same." The transition begins when Dawson decides to get drunk after Amanda leaves in which he loses control of the wheel. After the car accident he learns that he because of him a young doctor named David was killed. The horror of seeing his family suffer and his kids growing up without a father eventually changed Dawson's personality. That is when he decides to take stand by fighting his cousins in order to protect Alan (David's son) in order to show his change of heart. The risk of helping Alan caused his life but showed that "love is the most powerful magic of all". -Once Upon a Time.


                      
This tree is symbolizing family love in which it grows from generation to generation. I put this picture to show the main reason why Dawson changed and how it impacted the lives of other characters. He used to think that love wasn't that important but after seeing how much David's family suffered, he realized that that's all you ever need in life.

This week I will comment on Athziry, Autumn, and Steven's Blogs. 

Reflective Writing 10/6 - 10/10

Prompt: What are you noticing? What has progressed? What can you learn from your writing?
 
                        My Writing Style (The Beginning of 7th Grade)

       When I was looking back at my 7th grade blogs I noticed that I indented a lot in my topic sentence. In my present self I still indent a bunch but less than my 7th grade version. I used to press the space button like 5 times. When I looked back at my blogs I was extremely redundant even more than I am right now. For example in my dragon series blog the main and supporting character's name would pop up every two lines. The picture on the bottom of my writing would be very descriptive but the problem was that, the first sentence of every statement was redundant. I remembered that I put a picture of an ice cave which was very detailed.  In every sentence the word "this" would pop up and two of the statements would start with "this is the first time". My paragraph length is still the same but my vocabulary is greatly increasing. My word choice and supporting details have progressed since the beginning of 7th grade.


                                        Today vs. Last Year
 
       The next major error in my 7th grade blogs was my choice of words that would start off the topic sentence. My grammar was terrible, reasons being that I would start off the topic sentence with words like oops or wow which directed the reader to a different path. The sentences in my paragraphs wouldn't make sense do to the reason that I would leave out a word like an. I learned from reading my past blogs that I should always proof read anything I write or type. I always write what I'm thinking but sometimes I think too fast which can't keep with my writing. The blog would be filled with nonsense statements, failure of providing grade level vocab or even higher level word choice. In my recent blog you might find more advanced words that fit with the author's use of word choice, this seems to be a sign of progress. Since the blog was about John Green's form of writing I would say that his writing techniques impacted the way I wrote my piece of writing.

                                   Prompts and In-Depth Captions for Pictures

      In my opinion I feel like providing more in-depth pictures will help the reader understand the book better and leave a little a bit of mystery that will persuade the reader to read the book. The prompts I used in the beginning of last year were too simple more like ISAT extended response questions. The prompts I used to choose did increase my understanding of what I was reading. The prompts this year give me the chance to know what the author was thinking while he/she was writing.   The pictures I include on my weekly blog were slowly changing over the last year. The quality of the image showed progress. I remember that last year I would put pictures of places that would probably be in the book. I now include images that have a bigger meaning to the novel or an image that will leave the reader hanging. In this past year I've learn how to be less redundant, more sophisticated, less wordy, and understanding the whole purpose behind a novel.


                       

        to                                 

The picture of these books is showing how I have changed my way of reading and also my style of writing. I have gone from fairly easy books to a slightly challenging novel and the Icefire book is trying to show how my 7th grade writing reflected on the writing techniques used by the author Chris. The book Paper Towns is symbolizing my growth of word choice and vocabulary that I use in my current blogs.


                     

Paper Towns 9/29- 10/3

Pages: 158 out of 305
Prompt: Analyze the writing techniques used by the author. Explain the affect the technique has on the writing. Style and Mood

                           Green's Writing Style in Paper Towns 

    In this particular book the author John Green seems to develop a kind of romance/comedy throughout his writing. He seems to have the habit of including a lot of high level vocabulary that connects to the certain character that is in the book. For example in Paper Towns the character Quentin Jacobson talks like a normal teenager but he seems to use high school level vocabulary. It seems that in the middle of his paragraphs or in some pages he transitions genres. During the beginning of the book the reader would feel like this would be a romance/comedy but after the disappearance of another character Margo he starts to make the genre mysterious. The genre mystery is seen in his writing because he plucks out certain pieces of famous literature in order for it to connect to the disappearance of Margo. During this transition period he references a lot of books in the middle of the plot by using poetry from Walt Whitman and including some quotes from The Great Gatsby.

                                       Writing Style Continued.....

     Since I'm not very familiar with John Green's style I would imagine that he tries to make a character personality that readers could relate to. The first few chapters show that the other main character Margo is very adventurous and that she likes to create mysteries even though she is a mystery herself. I for an instance can relate to the other character Quentin who has the urge of staying out of trouble but will always tune in for an adventurous depending on how much a person persuades him. I liked how Green includes sentences or even quotes that makes the reader think or sometimes it foreshadows events that will eventually happen later in the book. When Margo says "the town was paper but the memories were not" and this statement makes the character Quentin infer that he is the one who needs to find her. He has a flashback of when Margo says "I picked you and then you picked me back." I didn't realize until later that this was foreshadowing how Quentin will be the one who finds her in the end.

                                      The Mood of the Reader

  In the section where I am right now completely changed my mood towards the book because Green transitions his use of word choice. I just recently finished the part where Quentin goes to random pseudo divisions in the city of Orlando, Florida and he believes that Margo is buried beneath one of the trees. The idea of going to these pseudo divisions comes from the highlighted parts of one of Walt Whitman's poems. Quentin believes that it is a suicide note which made me feel a bit scared now that there is a possibility of Margo being dead. His technique of transitions not only changed the genre of the book but also the feelings of the reader. The technique he uses had a huge affect on the writing because it creates a darker tone and a scarier atmosphere for the reader. I myself felt that this book would be one of those happily ever after stories where two souls meet and they eventually live a happy life. The author's use of connecting death with famous pieces of literature created a suspenseful feeling and made me infer that this book will not end happily.

This week I included a picture of the book that included the poem which is frequently mentioned in the story line. I mentioned before that Margo seems to have left a sort of like suicide note in Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. The found poem that she made has let to chaos in the plot now that it has changed the tone, the mood of the reader, and even the genre. After reading Margo's found poem it had changed my mood from humor to suspense.

This week I will comment on Jenna, Steven, and Stanley's Blogs.