Final Reflection

Prompt:

1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

Three Most Important Details, Lesson for Life, and Nicest Thing

  I think that the three most important topics we learned were the importance of having a voice/to make a change around the world. I would say that the runner up would be learning in depth about the Holocaust and how it still has a physical/emotional impact on different people. In my opinion the third most important skill we learned throughout these past two years is being able to annotate to the fullest and which helps us understand the text to a higher level for my future. I feel that the butterfly project will stick with me for the rest of my life because it was unique to our classroom a true representation of Mrs. Larson's class room. We are lucky to have done this project not everyone around the world is able to do such a marvelous project like the butterfly representation of the Holocaust. We were able to bring out the artistic side of our personality and it will truly leave a mark for the rest of my life. I think that the nicest thing someone in our class did for me this year was when a group of people accepted me into their group for a vocabulary skit. I was quite surprised due to the reason I usually wasn't picked to be in anyone's vocabulary skit, sot I felt special/unique in my own life.


                         What did I teach Mrs. Larson, Biggest Improvement, and Challenging Part

   I didn't specifically teach my teacher anything from the regular literature studies/language arts class but I did teach her something in my passion project. I taught her more about my culture and numerous cultures around the world. I was able to give her insight in different parts within Mexico and was able to give her a brief lesson on the traditional Mexican culture and cultures around the world. I feel that I improved a lot in my writing from simple little improvements such as run-on sentences to writing a formal argumentative essay with having an almost exceeds grade. When we looked back at our blogs from 7th grade I could easily tell that I did not write with fluency or even with proper grammar. I was able to improve not only my fluency/grammar but also incorporating higher level vocabulary in blogs along with a paper. If I had to look back at my grades I am extremely proud of getting higher than a B on my argumentative essay because honestly I thought I was going to do terrible with Blackfish/SeaWorld. There have been many challenging parts within this year but I feel that the butterfly project was a bit over the edge than a paper. I found it shocking that I received an A+ on my project which made my day and also taught me that I should have a bit more faith in my schoolwork.


                                The Best Piece of Writing, My Favorite Book, and Advice

  Although writing has never been a major skill in my life I feel that I have improved in my text structure not only in Lit/ELA but also in another class within my schedule everyday. I would say that my TKAM Thematic Paper was my best piece of writing even if I had to make a little change to my original essay but at least I received a 95%. In my opinion I feel like it was the best due to the reason that I added a lot of challenging words, more quotes, and being able to make only one mistake on the Works Cited page. I didn’t read as much as last year but I would say that my favorite book was a surprising yet funny novel called Schooled by Gordon Korman. I enjoyed this book so much because it discusses how we must appreciate a person for who they are instead of “judging a book by its cover.” I would recommend that students next year try their best instead of complaining about how much work because they never know what we learn can be extremely beneficial for people in the future.

Morrie Aphorism Project

Prompt:

1- Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?
2- Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.
3- Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.
4- Take a picture of your aphorism to use as your graphic.

Aphorism: "Three materials will help you progress in life kindness, determination, and faith." - Abdiel De La O

                             "Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others" in Detail

  This aphorism was created prior to the lessons with Mitch and Morrie.  I learned that it was written down by Morrie in "the Audiovisual". Mr. Schwartz would write numerous aphorisms within his notebook to get rid of his boredom and to understand the main philosophies he was going to speak about in "Nightline". I feel that this quote connects more with "love each other perish." He wants people to understand that if we are not able to forgive those who have hurt us in the past we will never able to move forward in life like Mitch Albom. In the sentence prior to the aphorism list Mitch mentions a detail about  Morrie writing down these mini life philosophies. Mitch says that Morrie was living next to the shadow that will eventually take his meaning at the end of Tuesdays with Morrie. In this time period Morrie was already in a wheelchair full time with the early stages within the ALS disease and he would jot down his major philosophy which would appear "Nightline". I think that Morrie's message is we as humans must forgive others/be clean before we leave like Morrie.


                                                         Aphorism in Real Life

  I have heard this life lesson numerous times throughout my life especially in places like church and  I try to incorporate it in my everyday routine like Morrie. In numerous religious classes I have learned this life lesson extremely useful due to the reason that we turn to violence as an answer for a major problem like bullying. I usually attend a youth group every Thursday in which we talk about numerous life lessons, but forgiving others has always had a major role in the Catholic religion within my life. I have seen an example of this aphorism in television and a novel which led to having a major impact on the main character. In Battle of the Books we read Schooled which talks about the life of a young adult named Capricorn. I noticed that in the first few days within school they used to bully him a lot but in the end he was able to forgive them in “C” Average the nickname for his actual school made by Zack. In a show called La Fea Mas Bella the main character Lety is bullied by her neighbors but recently she was able to forgive them which led them to having a bit more kindness in their heart like Mitch.

My Opinion on the Aphorism

  There were numerous aphorisms to choose from, but I felt that this specific life lesson has made a large impact on my life. I completely agree with the aphorism due to the reason that having the ability  to forgive others will relieve you from guilt and problems which might occur in the future for numerous people. I think that the first specific reason to support my claim was when Mitch was able to forgive himself after not visiting for over an decade and forgetting to give his full attention to Mr. Schwartz a.k.a Morrie. He didn't do such a great job keeping touch with his friend but in the end he felt better knowing that his old professor would always love him just like the other aphorism "love always wins." I noticed that the other most notable example in the book was when Mitch finally decided to call his brother and forgive even after not speaking to him for over a decade living in Spain. This book was excellent but overall the main detail that makes Tuesdays with Morrie fantastic is that Mitch was able to forgive himself and finally being able to start a relationship with Janine. 

Tuesdays with Morrie Week of 4/27-5/1

Prompt: Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book.

Pages: 115 out of 192


                                                    Which Tuesday Inspired Me?

   In my opinion every single Tuesday chapter we have read in class has truly inspired me based on the detailed discussions given by Morrie. I would say that the first Tuesday We Talk About the World explains how we should be informed about the world around us even in the most difficult situations like with Mr. Schwartz.  I think that the main detail that inspired was Morrie's attitude towards recent news and his gratefulness for the things he has compared to other people around the world. I also noticed that he reads news articles relating to homeless people or starving children instead of celebrity gossip like O. J Simpson. I myself find this inspiring especially in Morrie's times because of many other articles like the end of the Cold War, Princess Diana, and the O.J Simpson trial attract the attention of people around the world. This chapter of the novel had a huge impact on me and the news articles I choose for my Article of the Week. I do choose significant topics for my homework assignment, but I focus too much on attacks made by ISIS. In the future I will try to pick articles that pass the recommendation made by the professor.

The Importance of the World

   Morrie mentions to his good friend Mitch that he feels closer to people in the news in which he is able to compare his adversities with the suffering of people around the world. We can tell this topic is important because it brings people together even if they are thousands and thousands of miles away like in Bosnia. There is one memorable quote in this chapter in which he says "now that I'm suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. The other night, on TV, I saw people in Bosnia running across the street, getting fired upon, killed, innocent victims...and I just started to cry. I feel their anguish as if it were my own." This takes caring and kindness to a new level because even in his situation he still willing to grab the anguish of a stranger as his own most notably the people of another county like Bosnia. In our everyday lives we don't seem to realize that some people have it worse than us and Morrie seems to take this to a new level of consideration which impacts people like Mitch.

Evidence Proving Morrie's Philosophy

    I think that we should learn at least one thing about the numerous aphorisms that Morrie gives Mitch in this lesson. I learned that it takes a big equalizer for strangers to actually shed a tear for a complete stranger like the people in Bosnia. Mitch mentions "the one big thing that can finally make strangers shed a tear for one another." This makes the topic even more important because it makes us think about our feelings towards other people specifically strangers in different locations around the world. Morrie not only mentions that we must care for others, but also give out love to people instead of sleepwalking like Mitch. He says "the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in...Let it come in. We think we don't deserve love, we think if we let it in we'll become too soft...Love is the only rational act" quoted from Levine and Morrie. I think that he is trying to tell the reader that if we give out love than we can avoid war and love will help us progress in life for people around the world. 

 The image above shows the logo for "Tuesdays with Morrie" The Play, but the viewer can clearly see the happiness within Morrie. I think this picture sums up the philosophy of Morrie Schwartz in which he is trying to express his happiness because he was able to give out love to people like Mitch. He is representing how people can be more happy if they gave out kindness and love instead of hatred/bullying. We gain more by giving out love and in fact we make a more positive impact on people's lives like Morrie did to Mitch. 

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

                                                      

Tuesdays with Morrie Week of 4/20-4/24

Prompt: What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesdays with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is on your Bucketlist?

 

   I truly enjoy Tuesdays with Morrie and the life-lessons provided in this novel can lift the spirits of people who are suffering numerous diseases throughout the nation. My major reaction is that Morrie is a brave soldier that is able to face his fate. I find marvelous that he is willing to express love in every minute that he still has on this planet even in his current state alongside his friend Mitch. In my lifetime reading books I think Morrie is the only person who is not afraid of death it sort of compares to another novel called Embraced by the Light. I myself think that Morrie is a true hero a person who enjoys making others improve their lives through lessons that can have deep impact in someone's future like his fellow student Mitch Albom. This character's behavior and personality sort of compares to Guido. It's ironic how even Morrie and Guido both provide humor even in the last moments of their lives in "Life is Beautiful". My overall feeling is that it will have a major impact in the reader and the life-lesson will truly affect Mitch Albom.


   In life I went to hopefully graduate high school, but my main goal is to get a bachelor's degrees in any university. I want to get in any of my favorite universities including UIC, the University of Virginia, Le Cordon Bleu, or any religious school. In my bucket list the number one thing is to make a positive impact in the world, but with kindness we can change the way of society like Morrie. I haven't specifically decided what my career is going to be in which I have narrowed it down to being a priest, lawyer, or chef. I think my next big major thing to do in life is to skydive it lets a person feel like a bird or even a butterfly similar to the children of the Holocaust. This next goal will connect to my previous goal which is to make a positive impact on the world. I want to travel every country of the world and befriend numerous people like the famous traveler Matt. I myself have been sort of scared of heights, but I really want to bungie-jump in the future. In lent season I tried to stop drinking sugary drinks like soda, but it only worked out for a month. I will attempt using my bucket list.


  I think the last couple of goals in my list relates to food, literature, and movie  my three favorite things in the world. I want to read fifty books in one year adding on more to our forty book challenge. My food goal relates to vegetables to be specific green foods like kale. This will challenge me to eat different vegetables which can not only help me in learning, but also physically. I heard about this fruit called dragon fruit and I hear this fruit tastes fantastic especially in Cambodia. There are some that are sold in supermarkets, but a dragon fruit is better in a foreign country. I came up with this goal from Mr. Larson who told me about his trip in the beginning of the school year. In a nutrition book I heard about something called a rainbow which is a combination of fruits in every color, I'm interested in the color purple. I learned last year that a new Star Wars movie will be coming out and my goal is to watch on the premiere date.  My last major goal is to be a wonderful uncle.

This quote sort of represents my idea towards achieving the goals within the bucket list. I think a person wants to look back at his/her life in a positive way because we must "make sure it's worth watching." When researching for a quote I learned that Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson made a film entitled "Bucket List". I think that watching this movie will be the next goal added to my own bucket list. This film might have a huge impact on people's lives such as Mitch Albom and Morrie.

This week I will comment on Gabe, Jenna, and Nadrian's Blogs. 

"Life is Beautiful"

Prompt: Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading? What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces?
How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film. Pull out at least two examples from different parts of the film and explain your rationale. 

   When we read Night and see the film it didn't specifically leave us in tears, but it did show us the true realities of a life changing event the Holocaust. A poem develops the theme differently than a novel and a film such as the "Concert in the Old School Garrett." I think that the detail in "Life is Beautiful" most people didn't notice is that the deportation to concentration camps started later in World War II. If we think about it the film started in 1939, but it skips to five years later in which Guido and Dora have Giosue. In Night Elie along with his family is sent to Birkeanu until 1944, then they ended up in Auschwitz. In my poem it starts off with the piano being played by so many people, but suddenly it isn't touched for half a century which reveals the Holocaust. We think that the most vague similar event between the three pieces of Holocaust literature is that they start off with life prior to the war and how reality quickly catches up to the community which is Jewish. I noticed that the major connection between "Life is Beautiful" and Night is the strong bond between father/son in World War II. In my opinion the bond is different from the film and Night is was represented differently in the camps. If we take for example Guido he tried to defend his son from any event that occurred in the concentration camp. He even went as far as giving lies to Giosue by mentioning that the whole process was a simple game in which the winner won a war tank. Elie's strategy was a bit different he tried to protect his father instead of his father defending Wiesel. This can be considered a huge difference due to the reason that the only way to protect a parent in the camps is giving up the ration of bread provided by the German soldiers. In this way we can compare both plans in which one focuses more on humor while the other deals with surviving until the liberation of camps. 

  The material we have seen in these past couple of months relating to the Holocaust has its own unique way of carrying out the tone/mood. If we look at the film it starts off with happiness which connects to the beginning of Night. I think that the other similarity between the novel and the film is that the setting creates a positive atmosphere in which each character has something to do in either Sighet or Italy. In the next 20 pages the mood quickly transitions to negative as Elie boards the train heading to Auschwitz. We noticed that "Life is Beautiful" changed from cheerful to a sad tone after Dora realizes that Guido's uncle, Giosue, and Guido are boarding train heading to a labor camp. This occurs after viewing the film for over an one hour which explicitly shows that they transition at different times especially the loss faith within Elie Wiesel. I did notice that the other similarity between the two pieces of Holocaust material is that it gets even more negative after viewing what happens to the Jews. A young Elie witnesses the acts of German soldiers towards small children and Giouse mentions that all the children were taken for "showers" within the camp. This affects Guido.


   In the beginning of the film life did seem beautiful Guido and his friend were exploring the landscapes in which he falls in love with Dora. I think that the development of their friendship seems beautiful because two Italians are focusing on love instead of topics like World War II. In the first hour of the film life is beautiful because his constant efforts to impress the woman of Guido's life Dora. We can see that he is warm hearted in which his only intentions is to impress Dora and to include her in his everyday life in Italy an Axis power. There is one part of the film which clearly shows that life is beautiful for this couple even in the concentration camps. He puts on the song they listened to in the opera which truly warms the heart of Dora. I think that the second example that represents the title of the film is the effort Guido makes to help out Giosue. He even makes the camp into a game in which the winner obtains a war tank. I found it touching how this family was never truly separated and that it shows the unity of family which makes life beautiful for Giouse. It completely distinguishes itself from Night because this topic isn't really part of the novel by Wiesel.

This is a representation of how much Guido cared about his son Giouse and how this played a big part in "Life is Beautiful." I think that the film was trying to carry out the theme of family and how they are united even in the Holocaust.  In the book Night Elie gives up his ration of bread which creates a lesson different than the message provided by Guido. In my opinion this is what makes the film unique because it provides topics that usually don't relate to the atmosphere of the Holocaust.

This week I will comment on Amelia, Autumn, and Diego's Blogs.

   

Night

Prompt: How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?

    The novel is a fast read, but it takes a while to analyze the overall message the author is trying to show to the reader with the Holocaust. A reader can notice throughout the reading of the book that Elie Wiesel has an interesting character filled with emotions and thought provoking questions having to do with the camps. In the beginning of the novel Elie was a religious Jew even more than his father and probably had more faith than the rest of the residents of his little community in Romania. He meets a man named Moshe the Beadle who starts to question his religion and his answer shows that religion is the foundation of Elie. This young man responds by saying "Why did I pray?...Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (Wiesel 2). It shows the reader that he cares so much about praying that he compares it to breathing. This is kind of saying that it would be impossible for him to live he were not able to pray or study the Talmud. If a person were to finish the book this quote leaves the reader thinking on how much young Elie has changed in 1 year from 1944 to 1945 in the camps. These three phrases can have a huge impact and it's surprising that this quote would help carry out the theme of Night. In the book the first section focuses on the life of Elie Wiesel before the camps made their way to his everyday routine and we can easily tell that he was in some way unique amongst the other Jews. He continues to have faith throughout the ride to their location it is the separation of his family that leaves him alone in Birkenau.

    The main focus is religion and how Elie's experiences in the numerous camps not only changed his views on his religion, but also his overall personality especially in Buna. He first arrives in Birkeanu in which Elie first sees the treatment of Jews in the camps. He notices that prisoners around him are reciting something called the Kaddish, but Elie has a feeling of anger within him having to deal with the faith he had in God and the impact it had on his people which were Jewish. Elie says to himself "for the first time I felt anger rising within me. The Almighty...Master of the Universe chose to be silent What was there to thank?" (Wiesel 33). We can start to see that he is starting to lose his devotion to his religion and that he is no longer a typical religious Jew. These thoughts were in his mind because he saw what the soldiers had done to his people the overall treatment that the Jewish people received from the camps. We can tell that his faith is starting to fade away and now it seems that his beliefs were something left behind in Romania. 

    The second major thing that Elie experiences is inhumanity towards other humans which can also be known as silence a huge topic in Night. There is one event that changes Wiesel's personality, but also his feelings towards his father in Buna. He witnesses the other side of human nature by looking at his fellow prisoners heading to Buchenwald. In order to be specific he sees a man with a small ration of bread, but his son tries to take it away from him while they are  heading to the camp. The man says "Meir. Meir, my boy! Don’t you recognize me?... His son searched him, took the bread, and began to devour it. He was not able to get very far...Others joined in" (Wiesel 97). In one page of the book Elie mentions that he was spoiled before he arrived in Auschwitz. There were other thing that changed him, but witnessing this event it changed his personality in Buchenwald. Elie's father is having trouble with the treatment of the German soldiers. Wiesel starts to put his own life at risk by giving his ration of bread to his father in the camp. He is no longer the spoiled kid back in Sighet, he is now almost a full grown young adult who has learned how to put others before himself especially in the Holocaust. 

 

The picture above shows a few Jewish prisoners eating their ration of food inside the concentration camp. I put this image because it represents how much Elie cared about his father in which he was able to avoid the advice given by the soldiers. It seems that towards the end of the book Elie did have faith that his father was going to live past the liberation of the camps. Wiesel has now grown up to face the adversities of life and to also teach others to never repeat the Holocaust. 

This week I will comment on Citalli, Nadrian, and Marisa's Blogs.

"Concert in the Old School Garrett" by: Anonymous Butterfly Project

 I commented on Athziry, Gustavo, Autumn, and Steven's Blogs.

Night Week of 3/23-3/27

 Pages: 43 out of 110
 Prompt: Describe the most important event. Give at least three reasons why you think it
is the most important event.


                                            The Event that Changed Young Elie's Life

     When reading the first few pages of the book I quickly realized that Elie lived a peaceful life in a calm community. He seems to be very religious by going everyday to the altar and praying. It is until one day when he goes to the altar and meets a man named Moshe the Beadle. On the first page of the novella he describes him as "being very poor and lived humbly...my fellow townspeople, though they helped the poor, were not particularly fond of him." When Elie starts to pray Moshe the Beadle starts to question his decisions by saying why does he pray. At first Elie starts to be a bit disturbed by this question, but it is until his time in Birkenau when he starts to lose faith in his religion. I feel like this encounter between Elie and Moshe the Beadle changed how he thought about the world. When he returns to Poland after escaping a concentration camp that is when life slowly starts to change for Elie. The ghetto didn't completely change Elie's life it was until on he boarded the train for Auschwitz when his role in society started to be revealed to Mr. Wiesel.



                                              Why was this event important?

    The encounter with Moshe the Beadle leads to future questioning about Elie's religion which has a major impact during his time in the concentration camp. The encounter in church is the last glimpse of his everyday life and he rapidly starts to lose his old life. The first things he loses is his cherished objects and I feel like this had a huge impact on young Elie. This is seen when he says "the cherished objects we had brought with us thus far were left behind in the train, and with them, at last, our illusions." It seems that the last items which represented his old life are gone and he has now started a new life at Auschwitz. The number one thing that is going on in Elie's life is his family and how he can quickly be separated from them during roll call. When can see that he is now becoming a more responsible young adult by putting others before himself especially during their arrival at the camp. He says "at all costs we must keep together." This shows that he no longer is the spoiled kid back at Sighet, he now cares for others during their time at the camp. We can now tell that the event made him more responsible.



                                             How has time at the camps affected Elie?

    We have so far learned in the book that he has been sent to three different places Birkenau, Auschwitz, and recently to Buna. In the book the reader can tell that the narrator and main character Elie Wiesel focuses more on his time in the famous concentration camp than his religious views from his previous conversation with Moshe the Beadle. We can tell that between chapters three and five Elie has changed when it comes to responsibility and religion. If we take for example when his father is hit in the face by a German officer. Elie says "I did not move. What had happened to me? Yesterday, I should have sunk my nails into the criminal's...Had I changed so much then?" He even realizes himself changing and Elie seems to be a bit surprised by this recent discovery. I think at this point in our lives we start to change and become more worthy of taking on responsibility. It seems that this is happening to young Elie he is going through the first stages of becoming a young-adult. I think that is why this event is so important to the main character.

This image above shows responsibility and how people can work together to make a positive impact on the world. In this part of the book we are starting to see Elie growing up and becoming a young-adult. He is leaving behind his old life in Sighet and learning more about the world around him during this time period. He at first thought that there wasn't any thing bad about the German people in his little community. It was when Ellie arrived at the camps that he started understanding how Moshe the Beadle felt in the world. 

This week I will comment on Jesus, Gustavo, and Jenna's Blogs.

AoW Impressions for 3/23

    The major news topic of this week was the Holocaust and how it still continues to impact people around the world. I wasn't able to see everyone's articles, but I did look at approximately 15 articles out of the 25. I noticed that most of them have to do with Holocaust survivors and most of them were from the Auschwitz concentration camp. The second most popular topic was medical experiments performed by the Nazis on Jewish prisoners. When the gallery walk ended I felt that gained more knowledge about the Holocaust and how much these people had to leave behind during World War II. I found Autumn's article really interesting because I knew never that the descendants of Holocaust survivors developed altered stress hormones. This topic hasn't been discussed recently in history classes and it was a surprise that even the descendents of Jewish people are still suffering from numerous diseases. The other major fact I found surprising was that these relatives also have anxiety which leaves us thinking whether the survivors also have this characteristic currently in the world. The other article topics included women in concentration camps, Curious George, museums, etc.


   I also forgot to mention that the other article topic was Holocaust Remembrance Day in which a lot of survivors are celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation. When I saw Marisa's article which was about Germany performing experiments on women during their time in numerous concentration camps. The surprising fact about this article is that they still suffered even after the liberation. The camps were liberated by Soviet troops, but they did something inappropriate to the women afterwards. In Ahziry's article I found out that the writers of Curious George were German Jews who escaped to America in order to avoid being sent to concentration camps. The buildings seen in the book are inspired by actual structures in Paris, France. I noticed that almost every article had to do with the life of a survivor during the war and after World War II. I did find another surprising fact which was that prisoners were only given a piece of bread per day. I found this out from Diego's article which talked about a Jewish boy who was sent to a labor camp. I think that overall I gained more knowledge about the Holocaust.

   

Berlin Memorial Reflection

     The activity we did today in class was very informational and I actually learned a lot during this time period. I did have a bit of background knowledge when it came to the restrictions that Germany put on the Jewish community. I've felt that over the last two days I have gained more knowledge on how the government functioned in Germany and the laws they passed. The Nuremberg Laws which was task four of the web quest did give me a bit of information on how the Jewish people lived prior to the construction of the concentration camps.  The major thing I learned is that there is over 400 Jewish decrees and how the Nazis hid their plans during the Olympic Games. I find it surprising that history doesn't go into detail when it came to the Berlin Winter Olympic Games. The detail and fact I learned over the course of this activity is that almost all European Jews were in concentration camps in 1944. When I first learned about World War II which was last year it seems as if I only knew how the Jewish people suffered in labor camps, concentration camps, etc. This activity helped me gain knowledge on how Jews in the city also suffered, in which the government restricted human rights.


    The monument in Berlin was built to show the world how much the Jewish community suffered even when they weren't in concentration camps. In the pictures that were shown in class I noticed that each one had a different image. If we look back at the images it shows a bread and one displays musical notes. The German government wants to show local residents and even tourists that we must feel gratitude for the amount of accessories we have at home. The laws with the pictures were possibly built to provide people with historical facts that can reveal even more horrors prior to the Holocaust. In my opinion I think that the majority of people in the world do know about the horrors of the camps, but I'm thinking only thirty to fifty percent know about the Jewish laws. This memorial is there to teach people more about the topic and how it impacted the world. The major thing I noticed about the laws is that at first the government was only taking away jobs, education, and public places from the Jews. Then after the Olympic Games the government started to take away basic things such as milk, pets, etc. The other thing that I noticed was that in 1944 no law was passed.

   
    When looking at the timeline from 1933 to 1945 it seems that the violence in Germany started in 1938 when Kristallnacht occurred which was the "Night of Broken Glass". It was also when Germany started to invade smaller countries in which it eventually led to the beginning of World War II. The violence continued for the next 7 years until May 1945 when the Allies won the war in Europe. The restrictions that I would have the most trouble dealing with is not being able to go to school and being banned from public places. In every country of the world you need education in order to get a job and if this is taken away from you the job options started to slowly change. The reason I enjoy going to school is because it gives a person the opportunity to meet new people. A student is exposed to numerous topics which can shape their interests and have an impact in their education. If I were banned from public places such as restaurants and movie theaters it would seem boring just stay at home everyday. We as humans need entertainment even if it comes from movies, books, or television.
I myself like reading and watching movies, so that is why I couldn't deal with these restrictions.

This photo represent post-World War I Germany in which every citizen was either unemployed or didn't have enough money. The picture shows that Germans and Jews suffered together during this time period and that they helped each other. The detail that I can't understand is why didn't the country think before they went into action. I don't comprehend why citizens didn't think back to the days in which they helped each other. 

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

 

3rd Quarter Reflection

     The time here at Heritage has gone by so fast, it's surprising to think that we are already at the end of 8th grade 3rd quarter. When I take a time to reflect from the beginning now to the end of the quarter, I feel like I have grown as a writer and as a reader. If we take for example what was my favorite books this quarter I would say Alabama Moon. The reason I enjoyed Alabama Moon so much is because it shows people how to survive on their own and take responsibility for themselves. This book filled with so much action, emotions, and it also shows how we must feel grateful for the life we have. It also overlaps when it comes to themes by including friendship, determination, and a To Kill a Mockingbird theme coming of age. The biggest improvement I've made so far in my english language arts class is that it seems I have been improving in my writing. In the beginning of the quarter I struggled a lot when it came to writing objective summaries, stating my thesis statement, and providing textual evidence in my writing. I was doing great in my AoW's, but the thing that always brought down my grade was the objective summary. In these couple of weeks I have improved by writing less details and less evidence in the actual summary. When it comes to writing essays I've noticed that I haven't been verbose in my writing and that I have less grammar errors. The only major thing I have to prove on is taking myself out of thematic and argumentative essays.


   When looking back at blog posts from last year and my narrative writing I noticed that I was extremely bad when it came to narratives. The thing that I have accomplished since the beginning of this new year is that my narrative writing has improved so much, especially during the third section of PARCC ELA test. The major thing I'm proud of that I have accomplished is that I finally got an A on an essay, this has never been done before. I'm currently in my 24th book in the 40 book challenge, I fee like that my reading is going faster than last year. I clearly remember that last year in May I was barely in my 32nd book, so I have also improved in my 40 book challenge. The most challenging part of the 3rd quarter was the amount of writing we have done over the past couple of months. I do enjoy writing, but when it comes to argumentative essays for me it is a bit difficult. I find easier writing thematic, biography, or informative essays. It seems that argumentative writing I put myself by using words such as I or me. That was the difficult part of the third quarter.


    The last couple of questions took some time to think, but when looking back at my blogs from the beginning of August they were not too good. I noticed that I was extremely verbose when describing the specific prompt of my book and details such as the plot or setting. The mini-lessons we have had in class did make a difference in my blog writing. The lessons of textual evidence and embedding quotes truly helped explain my book in a more advanced tone. The narrative story we wrote for "the Cask of Amontillado" showed that all the lessons we had about imagery, dialogue, and characters helped my story become fantastic. I mentioned before that the strategies that helped were the mini-lessons and the comments of my peers. The AoW gallery walks we've had over the past couple of weeks has helped me learn more about the world around me. I've learned more about the terrorist group ISIS, ebola can be cured, lost WWII battleship, and the big one of course was immigration in other foreign countries. The research skills I gained in this class have not only helped me in here, but also in other classes such as social studies. My research skills have improved because I now gather numerous sources to support my claim, not just one. I also know the benefits of MLA citation and how it can be sophisticated that just copying and pasting web links. That is how I have improved during this quarter.

Bio-Poem for Chris McCandless

Chris McCandless

Adventure-seeker, stubborn, generous, and a survivor of nature

A main character in Jon Krakauer's story

Lover of the wild, Alaska, his shiny '69 Datsun, and enjoying the wonders of life

Who notices the wrong-doings of his father, the cold yet wonderful Alaskan landscapes, and regular boring lives of the American people
Who feels people should be free, that college is a waste of money, and that Alaskan state troopers are not clever enough
Who learns how to survive with only a bag of rice and a book for over a month , and find hidden message within famous novels
Who says "if you want something life, reach out and grab it"
Who used to think that the Mexican river was completely save, but now knows you need a bigger boat to sail
Major Character in Into the Wild 
A book that shows passion, dreams, kindness, and determination
A book that made Westerberg cry. 

AoW Impressions for 3/2-3/6

    I was actually surprised in our most recent AoW gallery walk, the topics of these articles were all very different. The topic I choose was completely different than my last two articles which were about immigration, but this time I choose to do ISIS. This is the most-talked about thing in the world currently because this terrorist group has had a huge negative impact on almost every nation. The only difficult detail about this gallery walk was the wide selection of articles. It was almost like a food tasting a little bit of everything. The only theme I did notice is that most of the articles took place in the United States, and in some places in the Middle East.  The number one topic is again ISIS, but the difference is that only about four articles were about this terrorist group compared to the twenty articles from last week. The thing I found great about this week's gallery walk was that I could easily connect to about 50% of my peer's articles. The speech made by Prime Minister Netanyahu against the nuclear Iranian program, previous to the gallery walk I learned a lot about this topic in my social studies class. This first few articles were interesting to learn about.



    The other most talked about news topic was Ebola and I was bit surprised since it hasn’t been that huge in the news lately. I think about two people from my class choose to do their article on this disease, and I’m happy to say that I’m not that scared anymore. My peers Diego and Nadrian mentioned that more patients have been saved from Ebola and they are currently testing out a vaccine that will hopefully work in the future. I’m actually they brought up this topic because now it can show the world that we should not worry anymore, for a cure has been found. After reviewing my gallery walk sheet I noticed that disease was the second most talked about topic. The articles talked about of course Ebola, deadly bacteria, and cystic fibrosis. The deadly bacteria article that Autumn choose was very interesting because another deadly disease which was Ebola was recently cured. Is it possible that this deadly bacteria will have an impact on the world, such as Ebola? The other topics discussed were North Korea, social media suicides, first lagoon power plant, and a sunken Japanese WWII was found. I found all these articles quite surprising such as the suicide article by Athziry, which explains how social media has led to many suicides committed by teens. The North Korea article by Gustavo was a bit shocking since a US ambassador was knifed in this country. The sunken WWII ship was very interesting since it was the biggest warship in the world during the time and it just seems amazing that the co-founder of Microsoft discovered it. The last article by Gabe which was about the first lagoon power plant, I found interesting because it shows how we are coming closer to ending pollution. This week I did enjoy the gallery walk filled with numerous interesting news topics.

This week I will comment on Stanley, Carlos, and Autumn's Blogs.  

Dorothy Must Die Week of 2/23-2/27

Pages: 300 out of 452
Prompt: Describe a character that you would like to meet (which doesn’t mean that you
think you would like the character, but that you think the character would be
interesting). List 4 questions that you would ask.

Who Would I Want to Meet in Oz?

    When I got to the middle part of my book, I started to have similar feelings as Amy Gumm the main character of the book. It seems that Oz isn't what we expected it to be due to the reason that instead of being a beautiful little world, it has now become a place of violence and a bit magic less. When I was starting to read this book I sort of wanted to meet Dorothy or possibly even the Tin Woodman not that I liked either of them, it would just seem interesting to interact with them. Then I go to the middle part of the novel and my thoughts completely changed after a statement that one of the supporting characters mentioned. Indigo the character mentions that the Wicked Witch of the East was crushed by Dorothy's house, the Wicked Witch of the West is melted away by Dorothy, which only leaves Glinda the Good Witch of the South. That left with the idea that I wanted meet Glinda and find out why she went from a good witch to a wicked witch. There was a statement that Amy made which made me thinking. She said "what about the Witch of the North", but Indigo simply said "you ask too many questions." It was until later when I found out the true identity of the witch.


                                                    What Would I Ask Glinda?

     In the part where I am in the book, I found out that Glinda is the only witch standing from the original four directions north, south, east, and west. At the start of the book Indigo describes what changed Glinda and why is she the person she is right now. Indigo mentions that after Dorothy came back to Oz, she became a princess which made her sort of like the owner or leader of Oz. The power she received went to her head and she became this power hungry person. Glinda of course feared for her life, after Dorothy killed two witches which left Glinda thinking that she must became a loyal servant.  The four questions I would ask this former good witch. Why would you change into a servant of Dorothy, don't you care about the people of Oz? Why would you put yourself before others, if you were such a kind leader back then? Why did you let go of your twin sister Glamora? Has Dorothy given you the task of finding Glamora or finding Amy Gumm? I feel like these questions would have a big impact on Glinda and her role in Oz.


                                                   What is so interesting about Glinda?

    In order to be hones Glinda has never been my favorite character from the Wizard of Oz in fact it had always been either the Wizard or the Tin Woodman. At first I was going to choose the Wizard, but he was barely introduced in the storyline. Well, the Tin Woodman is completely different, now he actually hunts down people who don't obey Dorothy's law. The thing that makes Glinda interesting is the fact that she became servant instead of actually becoming the voice of her people. I would never imagine that someone so dedicated to her people, decided to just become one of Dorothy's numerous servants of Emerald City. The interesting part is that I feel like she still has that bit of goodness inside and a sort of warrior is building inside of her. I would recommend she join the rebellion which is made up of Amy, a young boy named Nox, Mombi, Gert, and Glamore her twin sister.  I feel like the most interesting part about Glinda is that she is quickly influenced by the things around her, in which she could become a warrior of peace.

The reason I put a picture of the Emerald City was because it seems to be a recognizable symbol of the Oz series. In every book you read about which has to do with Oz, this bright green city will always be mentioned regardless of the author. This also seems to be one of the major settings of the novel, in which Amy has to disguise herself as a maid in order to get closer to Dorothy. 

This week I will comment on Krystalynn, Bernice, and Zoe's Blogs.

              

AoW Impressions for 2/20

     This week the majority of the articles picked by my peers overlapped in some way and the topic was the terrorist group ISIS. My article did talk about ISIS but for only like a sentence or two. The topics that they choose truly did interest such as the demographics article and the one that had to do with the global epidemic. I also enjoyed the article that had to do with the negative effects of technology because I completely agree with this topic. This topic has always been debatable due to the reason that some people think technology is the most important thing in the world, but to be honest viewing the wonders of this world is 100 times better than facing a screen. The detail that I always like about the AoW gallery walk is that sure most people pick the same topic, but there are always other news topic that truly leaves the viewer thinking. If we take for example the education gaps in Texas article and the lack of gender equality in Turkey left me thinking whether we need to establish more justice in the world. Then it showed me that Turkey still hasn't left the medieval ways of thinking about women. It made me think that countries in Central America are facing problems.


    The most talked about topic was of course ISIS, but I was glad that my classmates talked about different things involving ISIS. The numerous topics is that more than 63 countries are fighting against ISIS, the terrorist attacks through social media, Libya/Egypt are launching airstrikes against the group for revenge. I was actually surprised that my peers didn't pick a lot of articles that focused on the 21 beheadings of Egyptian Christians. I at first was going to choose this topic, but I wanted to focus on my past topic which is immigration. The second most talked about news topic was Russia and I found it interesting that this nation is still struggling with gay/lesbian people. The even more shocking part was that a father would go so far, by imprisoning his son just because he's gay.  I was surprised that ISIS captured yet another victim over this past week and in fact this time it was an American. This American sort of represents bravery and love.

A Dog's Life of 2/17-2/20

Pages: 150 out of 182
Prompt: List at least three problems the characters faced? Which was the most life
changing? Explain

                               Opinions on the Novel/The Life-Changing Problem of Squirrel 

    Well, this week I started to read A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray and to be honest this book is marvelous. I usually don't read too many dog books, I eventually read 1 every year and I'm actually glad I picked up this book. The novel is told in the perspective of a dog called Squirrel who lives in this barn with his mother and his older brother Bone. One day for a mysterious reason Mother goes out of the barn to hunt for food, but she never comes back. I mean Squirrel and Bone are used to her taking a long time, but she does show up the next day or the next day. This just shows Squirrel and Bone that they need to grow from being a simple puppy to a more responsible adult dog. The dogs only get along with one of the kids that live in the ranch, his name is Matthias a boy treats these dogs with a plate of chicken every day. In the last couple of weeks Bone becomes frustrated and he decides to leave the ranch and start his own life journey. Squirrel is afraid just imagining living on his own, so he follows his older brother. During the adventure they taken by a couple, but later thrown out of the car. A young lady takes Bone, but leaves Squirrel in which he is all alone in this big world. The reason this is life-changing is due to the reason that this poor dog needs to live out on his own without the help of anyone. He loses the two most important people in his life Mother and Bone. He not only loses his home, his companions, but also his way of life is completely changed.


                                           The Second Most Impacting Problem

      In the mist of all the events that have happened since the departure of Mother, Squirrel has had to face dozens of problems that not only change him, but also makes him more responsible/grown up. Bone was taken away by some stranger and Squirrel is again left on his own. He luckily meets a companion called Moon, in which they basically have numerous adventures which brings them more together. During a typical day in the forest they finally have a piece of luck, they finally food after days and days of starvation. It was a highway resting place with picnic tables, garbage cans, people, and of course cars. When no one watches they dig in, but knocking over the garbage cans. They happily eat a delicious sandwich that has already been bitten and a piece of white bread. Squirrel's luck slowly turns around when a pack of dogs come out of the forest and charge at Squirrel and Moon. The part that is impactful is due to the reason that Squirrel learns the power of courage and bravery. He saves his friend from the clutches of the stray dogs, but the condition of Moon leaves him with a life lesson. Squirrel learns how to be more responsible and care more about the people around him.

                                                The Last Impactful Problem 

      After the fight, Squirrel once again loses a companion and a family decides to adopt Squirrel. They first take him to the vet, in which the friendly doctor mentions that Squirrel has a broken leg and it will require surgery in order for the leg to stay at its place. The part I found sad and bit rude was that the family didn't even want to pay the bill for the surgery, even after what they did to Squirrel. The lucky part was that the doctor was generous enough to pay the surgery bill and in her supervision she took care of Squirrel every minute of the day. These were the glory days for Squirrel, until one bright summer day the family arrives at the animal hospital. They have decided to finally adopt Squirrel and take her home as soon as possible. This of course would be great news for any stray dog, but Squirrel does seem to enthusiastic about this news. In the beginning every thing works out, they play with Squirrel and give him food. One day Squirrel notices that the family is packing their stuff in this huge truck and one of the children mentions she can't wait until her next summer dog. Squirrel is once again left alone and the impactful part is that now he believes he can't ever trust any human again. He decides to always stick alone, because one way or another always loses his companions. 

I put a friendship quote because it sort of shows Squirrel's feelings toward his trusted companion Moon. They would help each other anything, one would hunt, the other one would look for water. It was great reading adventure Squirrel and Moon had together. The favorite of this adventure was when they arrived in a busy old town, in which these two dogs were exposed to numerous American holidays. 

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

               

Passion Project Update

     I feel like I've done a good job when it comes to my passion project, especially with my new/updated blog I created. I mentioned before that I left the website idea and decided to start a blog instead which could carry out the information more smoothly. The good thing is that I've gotten a significant amount of page views about 80 from around the world especially countries such as the United States, Singapore, and France. I haven't officially posted any information yet because I currently still working on it, but I decided that I will try to have a total of only 80 posts. This idea came from the title which is called Around the World in 80 Tags and I hoping to publish my first informational post. I don't remember if I mentioned before, but I did post and introduction post which basically shows the audience what this new fantastic post will teach them. When I went back, I fixed any grammar errors such as run-on sentences and of course any sentences that had commas that were unnecessary. My major goal is to put about two or three countries in each post which won't make it like about 197 posts. That would be a bit overwhelming to create 197 posts, but I try to put a travel mood in every post.


   The same idea will be used in my currency posts because I decided to create separate post for each currency. My organization idea is to have the currencies for each continent and in order to keep the number low I'll put two continents per post. I recently just finished the currencies for North and South America, it was surprisingly easy when it came to researching the currencies of South America. I noticed that there was a small amount of currencies in this continent and some aren't even used in certain countries. If we take for example the Panamanian Balboa in that country they don't even used that currency, instead they decide to use the US Dollar. I'm trying to finish at least all my currency posts and put in more information in my country presentation. Then it would be easier to transfer all that information in that presentation to my blog post. In the end of this year I will try to finish most country posts and during the summer finish all countries.

Book Talk for The Only Thing to Fear

Written Transcript

The Only Thing to Fear by: Caroline Tung Richmond

Genre: Science-Fiction

  The book takes place in the year 2025 in a town called Greenfield in some part of the Midwest of the United States. The novel is basically answering the question that most people in the world has asked themselves which is what if Hitler had won World War II? The main character Zara reveals what happened to the world after the Allies had lost the war eighty years ago. I'm more than halfway through the book and I have feeling that the setting will reach places such as Russia instead of just being in the United States. The current leader is Dieter Hitler the great-grandson of Adolf Hitler who basically wants to eliminate dozens of innocent people based on their race or background. I have learned so far that Greenfield is a devastated town where cross-race people must fight everyday to support their families. If we take Zara as an example she is cross race due to the reason that she is half-German and half-Japanese. She is discriminated throughout the book and for being cross-race her family is forced to work in hard labor such as farming instead of having the privilege to go to school. I would sort of compare Greenfield to cites in Texas or possibly Oklahoma based on details. 

   I do not know if you have guessed it, but the main character is Zara Red a 15-year old teenager who wants to take a stand against the Nazi Empire. I would describe her as being fierce, brave, adventurous, and basically fearless due to the reason that she wants to eliminate every Nazi officer in the world. During the execution of one of her closest friends, she yells out insults to the Nazis which can lead to hard labor camps or possibly even death in some situations. This shows that she is extremely brave. The major conflict in this book is taken down the Nazi Empire and eliminating all the "robot Nazi officers" which are basically soldiers who act like humans but have unique abilities. That is the main reason why the Allies lost World War II and I found out there is something unique about Zara. The mood of this novel is dark or gruesome because even after World War II, Nazis are continuing to kill people for numerous reasons. Zara mentions that almost Jews were killed and those who remain alive live in secret places. The way they describe the methods of torture makes it even more scary to read. The theme of this novel I believe is achieving your goal regardless of the obstacles or freedom/liberty/justice. I feel like the author is trying to teach us to appreciate the life we have around us since we have the opportunity to go to school and have freedom in the streets. We have the privilege of freedom, liberty, and justice. 

   The reason I choose to read this book was because I had always asked myself what if Hitler had won World War II? I like this book because the author did a great job establishing every little detail needed for creating an alternative universe. The detail that made me want to read this book was the amount of creativity in this book and the description of every historical event so the reader won't get lost. The thing that I remember most about this book is when Zara explain what happened during the World War II. I understood that every event from 1939 to 1943 actually happened, but in 1944 everything completely changed. In 1944 the liberation of France never happened, instead Hitler went to the United States to execute President Roosevelt, days later Winston Churchill surrendered. I would recommend this book to people that like history and enjoy science fiction. This book would be great for people who enjoy learning about World War II because most of this book focuses on that historical event. The reason why people should go and get this book is because it answers the question that many people around the world have asked themselves. It shows people how they must appreciate what they have and the amount of freedom they have access to in their home country. It will teach people more about the theme of freedom, liberty, and justice for all. 

 

This week I will comment on Natalie W, Kyler T, Cami T's Blogs.

   

Gallery Walk Impressions

     I was pretty impressed with the articles I saw during the gallery walk because each one discussed a different problem that the world is being faced with. I would say that the topic that came up a lot throughout the articles was global warming/greenhouse gases. In the gallery walk I only visited about 9 articles and 5 out of those 9 were about global warming. When I realized this I was actually glad because we need to have more knowledge on this topic due to the reason that America produces the most greenhouse gases. I found that I could easily relate to this news topic because that was the first thing we learned last quarter in science which was the greenhouse effect/global warming. In every global warming article I learned that oceans/plants are observing the Co2 and the thickness of the earth's atmosphere has increased by 42%. A topic that I haven't learned about which relates to global warming was coral bleaching and know I realize how coral bleaching can truly effect the ecosystem. I learned that the colors of a coral plant were rapidly fading which can lead to a bigger problem towards fish species. I enjoyed the topic of Co2 because it shows us that we must take action.


   The second most popular news topic that I saw was the Japanese hostage that ISIS currently has with plans of execution. In my opinion I felt like this topic was extremely important mostly because it involves ISIS and two other countries, Japan and Jordon. The question that keeps popping into my head is who is the mysterious prisoner that Jordon has, in which ISIS also wants. In which I feel like Jordon should do a prisoner swap or simply like in recent news they mention that Jordon threatens to kill the prisoners, if the Jordon pilot prisoner appears dead. This topic is of course important because its basically a life and death situation. I was fairly impressed that my classmates choose to talk about this topic because it seems to be the second or first most talked about news topic in the world. The other article topics I witnessed were world peace, gender does exist in the spectrum, and the anti-immigration group in Germany. I feel like I was very impressed with the world peace article because behind all this darkness in the world, we must come together and find light to survive. It was pretty interesting to learn about the gender topic because it sort of connects to what we are learning in science. Overall I was greatly impressed with the gallery walk.

Things Not Seen Week of 1/26-1/30

Pages: 251 out of 251 (finished)
Prompt: Pretend you are the friend of one of the characters. Write him or her a letter.

Dear Bobby Philips,

    I was glad to hear your magnificent story in your opinion this was a horrifying experience. Luckily I haven't become invisible, but I have been faced with problems that made me feel empty almost invisible I would say. I did see you walk around lab school a lot before you had the power of invisibility, but I want to offer you an apology Bobby for not noticing or not even saying simply hello. I do remember that we were close friends before high school and we would always help each other with any sort of problem if it was emotional or physical. When you didn't show up to school for approximately three weeks I started to worry, but then I started to think maybe you went on vacation. I stopped worrying, but one day when I was passed the principal's office I noticed that your mom was having a serious discussion with the administration. Then I started to worry a lot because this absence might have to do with your disappearance or possibly a state issue. The pressure of homework, jazz band, and my job kept me off track to find the truth behind your mysterious disappearance. One day after band practice I took the longer way to my house in order to past by your home and possibly stop by a visit. The guilt was growing inside my stomach and the fear overcame me which caused me to leave immediately. Sorry.


    I do regret not knocking on your door to offer you an apology. It wasn't just the guilt, but a police car was parked in front of your house which scared me even more. Before, I ran I noticed that there was this lady having a strong argument with Mrs. Philips which led me to believe that you were possibly involved in a tragic accident. I left there running as fast as I could, but something worried happened to me I bumped into a blind girl named Alicia. I offered an apology, but a sense of fear was in her eyes and it seemed like she was in a hurry. When I arrived at my house, the stress/guilt was killing me so I decided to take a nap in that electric blanket you gave me for Christmas a long time ago. The next day my fear was gone so, I decided to attempt to pay you a visit with a heartwarming gift. It was Monday and I went around like 5 o'clock in the afternoon in which all the lights in the living room were on. It led me to think that you had company, especially important company because I saw Dr. Van Dorn the famous scientist of Chicago. I tried calling you, but you never answered which means you're still angry with me.

    In school I heard from the nurse that you were on vacation in Florida with your great-aunt Ethel and that might be the reason why you didn't answer the phone. I just want to say you are so lucky, chilling out in the beach, instead of being here in this outrageous cold. The other day I was in the library in the regular place where we meet after jazz band practice. It was obvious that you weren't there, but something caught my eye. I saw an older man which I recognize as Dr. Van Dorn spying on the blind girl I saw the other day. I went over there to have a peek and the weird thing was that she was talking to no one. There was no one sitting in front of her which made me think that she might be going crazy. Well, that was a weird way to end my week, but finally the weekend was starting and I hoped it will last forever. I decided to go to the famous Woodfield Mall, to buy you the new version of the electric blanket from Sears. I decided to go leave it at your house, for when you come back from vacation. I was about to knock on the door when I heard your mom having a strong argument with two officers and the lady called Miss Pagett. The major shock I received was on Monday when you finally came back and believe me I promise that I will try to reestablish our friendship.

     Sincerely,
     Mark

I learned this quote the other day in history class since we are learning about World War II and President Roosevelt. This quote reminded me of our friendship, since we haven't been talking to each other that much. I started to think that you truly left a footprint in my life, because you are a true friend.

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

Things Not Seen Week of 1/19-1/23

Pages:121 out of 252
Prompt: Make a timeline of the events that have occurred in your book so far…(3 major events in order).

                                  The Mysterious Disappearance of Bobby Philips

     When I mean disappearance I'm actually referring to the power of being invisible. In the very beginning of the book Bobby wakes up to discover that he can't see himself in the mirror. This is of course is the first major event that occurs in the book because this is essentially the main conflict in the novel. Bobby immediately goes into panic mood, thoughts travel within his minds that connect to his career/future life. The horror that he discovers is that he might never be able to date someone or have a career in life. At first his parents don't believe, but it takes the magical power of Bobby to make them realize that he is not seen in plain air. The detail I remember about this arc of the book is that he touches his father while he is making scrambled eggs which causes Mr. Philips to suddenly put himself in panic. The only fortunate thing about this arc is that Bobby's father is a highly intelligent physicist who has a large amount of knowledge when it comes to the color spectrum and electromagnetic light. A traditional timeline has numerous stories, but it seems that in this book the events come in chunks instead of little pieces. The three events truly have a large impact on Bobby.


                                           Intro to Alicia/Tragic Event

   After Bobby shows his parents that he is invisible, there is a plot twist introduced during the end of this conversation. Mr. and Mrs. Philips tell Bobby that he must never go out of the house and to never tell anyone besides them that he is invisible. The first major conflict was that Bobby had to find a way in order to get rid of his invisibility and to reestablish his life. This new problem has a bigger impact in Bobby's life because now he can't go out to the outside world and accomplish goals. The other downside about this is that he will never be able to see his friends or go to the locations that he frequently used to go everyday. He feels that his parents don't care about him anymore due to the reason that they go on with their lives without Bobby. He sneaks out by wearing a bunch of clothes in order to hide his invisibility and he goes to the library. Bobby gets past the security guard and just stands there in the library looking at it with a different perspective. When he rushes out of the library he accidentally bumps into a girl. Bobby is surprised to noticed that the girl doesn't notice his invisibility in which he quickly learns that she is blind. When he arrives home, shockingly his father is waiting for him in the front door. They have this huge argument over the importance of Bobby in the family. His parents go out and buy dinner. While Bobby is watching the news, they mention that there has been a horrible car wreck. The name of the two victims: Mr. and Mrs. Philips.

                                    Tragic Event Continued....Alicia Knows

   Bobby is in a state of shock because he can't do anything due to the reason that he will be stopped if he enters the hospital alone. A new problem has been added to the set which is complete loneliness, now he doesn't even have his parents to keep him company. The doctor calls him and tells him that his parents are fine, but the only one in critical condition is Mr. Philips. Bobby is able to manage things on his own and he is able to visit his parents frequently. Luckily, after numerous weeks of recovery, his parents come home in which Bobby seems to haven't learn the lesson yet. It seems that he is still blind when the lesson of appreciating people around you comes up. Bobby sneaks out to the library again, but this time without clothes. In the library he starts to establish a good friendship with Alicia. Bobby offers to walk her home, a kid with a scooter passes by and almost knocks down Alicia. She grabs on to Bobby in which she feels that he doesn't have a shirt on. Alicia mistakes Bobby as a weirdo and she never wants to talk him again. A man passes by telling Alicia that there is no one next to her, in which she starts to believe that Bobby is actually invisible.

This quote sort of sums up the theme so far in the novel due to the reason of how Bobby behaves around his loved ones. In the novel Mr. and Mrs. Philips give their time to Bobby in order to show their son that they will always be there for him. It takes a tragic event in order for Bobby to finally learn how to appreciate people who dedicate their time to him. This event seems to be the most impactful so far in the novel. 

 This week I will comment on Zoe R. , Abby S. , and Stella B's Blogs.