The Bean Trees

In the story The Bean Trees, Taylor is certain she never wanted a baby. But since she ended up with one, I predict she will become attached. Taylor even named the baby girl. Not a real name, but a nick name-Turtle "on account of her grip". Little things like this prove that she will soon love the baby to death. I also predict that they will live on the road and travel just like the ants. After a cigarette butt fell on the ground a swarm of ants tried picking at it. "Some truck had carried that tobacco all the way from Kentucky maybe, from some Hardbine's or Richey's or Biddle's farm, and now a bunch of ants were going to break it into little pieces to take back to there queen. You just never knew were something was going to end up". Taylor is like the cigarette, you never knew were she and Turtle were going to end up.

Abstract

Authors Note: My abstract is sort of a crazy idea but that's okay because the author who wrote this was crazy so who knows??????

In a strange world where Irene and her brother live together, their house is being taken over. But by what, you might ask? I believe that the sibling's house is really a tree house. This is because they never leave therefore they must be trapped in somehow. The 'entities' that are taking over section by section of their house must be birds then. (In my theory at least) Since Irene loved to knit, she always kept yarn in her bedroom. But one day that section of their house was taken over therefore she had nothing to do. I bet the birds used her yarn to build their nest. Eventually the entire house will be taken over and by that time, the siblings will probably have passed away. 

One-Shot Finch

Authors Note: This is from the scene where the rabid dog is coming down the street. I wrote it in Atticus' point of view and it's supposed to make you understand that he doesn't like using his gun. It's not fun for him or cool like Scout thought. It's just a tool

"Atticus! Atticus! There's a dog or sumthin comin! He's limpin' and looks crazed!"

I thought this time might have to come. Scout'll be asking me to teach her how to shoot her shotgun instead of Uncle Jack. I was lucky enough to be born with a valuable tool, I just don't want 'em to think I'm going to start paradin' around with my gun.

"I reckon you'll need your shotgun, " Calpurnia informed me. The time has come.

"Tell the neighbors; wouldn't want 'em seein' a sight like this." I say. It's been a long time since I've used my gun. I reckon that's a good thing; never needed it until now. I don't find pleasure in killing things.

"Atticus he's comin up the street! I can see 'em!" Jem screamed. One shot, that's all I need, that's all I want. Then I hear Scout whispering  something to Jem.

"See! I told you he can't do nuthin'. He's getting old Jem."

Now I have to do it. I may be gettin' old, but I will always be 'One-shot Finch'.

"Bang!" There's not as much satisfaction as I thought there'd be.  The dog is dead, doesn't have rabies but something just as bad. I feel bad for what I've done, but I had to protect the neighborhood. Better to kill that dog before it kills one of the neighbors. I go inside without a word, the kids have seen enough. I know they'll be asking me a bunch of questions but there's nothing to answer right now.

"See me after dinner young lady,"

When Scout begins swearing, Uncle Jack is not fond of it. Although Atticus has told her that it's not lady like, she doesn't listen to anyone until him. This particular scene is important to me because it reminded me of my Uncle. Just like Uncle Jack, my Uncle is sort of the cool relative. I can see how Scout would only listen to him. I also liked  how their conversation started with Scout not being able to swear, and lead to Scout asking Uncle Jack what a 'whore lady' was. Being a single man with no kids, he didn't know what to say so he made up a whole story which I thought was kind of funny. Later on that night, he said "I'll never marry, Atticus".

No Future

 Authors Note: This is my response to the assignment we had. (Pick a scene from the book and explain it, look for symbolism, etc.)  I might need to  change this a little bit because I don't like the ending but...

\In a particular scene from Melinda's past, the group of girls are done trick or treating for the night. With all of the lights off, they light a candle and look into a mirror. You're supposed to see your future in the mirror but "[Melinda] couldn't see anything".  This scene was used to show that even though Melinda had friends, she still didn't fit in or care about her future. That's why I don't think that her life would have changed if she hadn't have called the cops. Melinda would still be confused and even depressed when entering high school. Her friends still would have separated into their own cliques because they were so different from each other. This is why this particular scene was used in the story.

Surviving in a Decietful World

"Here for instance, the man says 'What do you think of this whole idea Helen?' And he looks at me sitting on center stage , see? And I say, I say-'I think that's fine!' And then they go on with the play until he says, 'Do you agree with that Helen?'  and I say, 'I sure do!'. Isn't that fun Guy?"

No. I don't think that's fun. But in Guy Montag's twisted world this is considered entertainment.  Similar to this situation is The Hunger Games. Imagine yourself lost in a world full of uncontrollable surprises. You have no way of knowing what comes next but you try to survive anyway. It's your only chance to live and you know you're not going to win but you try anyway. This is how Katniss and the other contestants in the Hunger Games feel.  Entertaining to watch right? Unfortunately each character in their own stories had to live in a world full of deceiving entertainment. And just like Katniss, both characters try to survive in their own worlds, no matter how different they may be.

Through each character's journey, each had to obey the government. Katniss entered into the Hunger Games in place of her sister, and Montag was a firefighter. By obeying the government, each got to know their enemies better. In Montag's case, his enemy not only was the government, but the banned books. During his job he had made a small collection of banned books that he rescued before burning down the houses.  On the other hand, Katniss played in the Hunger Games in place of her sister. By doing this, she was able to speak out and make a statement. One scenario was when her friend inside the ring, Rue, died. Katniss placed flowers around her before her body was taken away which offended the Capitol a little bit and aroused the other districts.

Although their governments seem to act the same they couldn't be more different. In Fahrenheit 451, their government is a democracy. Earlier in the story Mildred and her friends were talking about past elections so you know that people sort of have a say in who gets to run their country. On the other hand, the Hunger Games is run by a dictatorship because of President Snow. He has run their country for years and know one has been re-elected. Although, everyone else who is not a part of the Capitol believes they could have a better life which makes them want to rebel. (And they do)

No matter how different their governments are politically, they are still very similar. Clearly it was their countries forms of entertainment that is the most deceiving about each. No, it's not fun. There's nothing fun about sitting behind a screen and talking through a scripted conversation. There's nothing fun about fighting for your life, much less watching someone do it.  And there's definitely nothing fun about being trapped by a deceitful government.

Fahrenheit 451 Quote

During any story, authors like to throw in many idioms to make the readers think about what they're reading. This is what Ray Bradbury did in the book Fahrenheit 451. The idioms in his story are what make it worth reading which is what my example did.

I chose an idiom where Montag is talking to Faber about their secret plan to save the books and hopefully the future.  Montag says to Faber "But aren't you interested?" and Faber replies "Not if you start talking the sort of talk that might get me burnt for my trouble."  This is sort of an ironic idiom because literally it means that Faber will actually get burnt for the trouble he made which usually would seem insane, but then again that's what their world has come to! You could actually get burnt for the trouble he made! Another way to look at this quote would be that Faber is going to be in a lot of trouble if someone were to find out. This would be the way you take the quote. For example, when someone says "Break a leg!" they don't actually want you to break a leg, it's a figure of speech. Really they're saying "Good luck!".  The same goes for my example.

Unlike  most idioms, Ray Bradbury likes to change it up a little. Just like my example, the idiom was ironic which made you think even more about what he was trying to say. In the end you realize that Faber is just saying that they'll get in a lot of trouble if someone finds out…or was he?

Hot Lunch

Authors Note: This is my fictional piece I wrote while the sub was here. My prompt that I used was " David froze, checking his pockets. Where was the money?" I was trying to score high in either voice or dialog.

Today was the day. The day that David was finally getting hot lunch. He was tired of his old paper bag and ready for a change in taste from his original PB & J.  The school was serving pizza today, his favorite and David's mom even gave him extra money for a double milk! Just as he sat down on the bus, David froze, checking his pockets. Where was the money? David started panicking. What was he going to eat today?! He can't skip out on lunch-he has a math quiz afterwards and needs his energy! The 1st Graders around him could tell he was worried by the way he was frantically searching his backpack and every other pocket he was wearing.  Nothing! Not even a penny! Benny sitting beside him noticed the way he was acting,

"Hey David, what's wrong?"

"Well my mom gave me money for hot lunch and I lost it all! I don't know what I'm going to eat!"

"Don't worry! I gotcha covered!"
"What do you mean?"

"Is this your first day getting hot lunch?"

"Is it that easy to tell?"

"Yeah, kinda. Anyways, didn't you know? You can give the lunch ladies a whole bunch of money so you can eat lunch everyday for a while until it runs out!"

"But I don't have any money!"

"Yeah, but I do! I'll just pay for your lunch today!"

"Oh, would you?!"

"Sure! By the way, I'm Benny!"

"I know, you're the kid that ate glue right?"

"Yeah, about that…"

A Christmas Carol

 In the book A Christmas Carol  Scrooge mentions that "…If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the population." about a boy in the book. This was in the beginning though. As a reader, my first thought is that Scrooge is just an awful person who says things like this all of the time. But as Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future one of the ghosts mimic's his words when Scrooge sees a dear relative about to die. Scrooge no longer agrees with his words which is one reason the quote was used-to teach a lesson. Later on, in Christmas future he figures out that soon he will die too.  I figured that since Scrooge used to believe that if someone was not benefiting the world they should die, he should die as well. Although he is rich he doesn't use his wealth in a positive way so "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the population."

Point of View

 

In the story Number the Stars, the narrator is telling its point of view. During one scene, when Peter brings the coffin of 'Aunt Bertie' to Henriks house, the narrator describes it as a sad, yet happy moment. Ellen is reunited with her parents but supposedly Mrs. Johansen's aunt died. If this particular scene would have been told by 5-year old Kirsti it would have been far different. Henrik once said "It is so much easier to be brave if you do not know everything." Kirsti is a brave child, completely un-fazed by the German Soldiers. Like Henrik said, this is why she is probably so brave. When the others were worried and confused, she was most likely sound asleep and dreaming about fairy-tales. As a reader, I would have been a little confused by this scene if it would have been told by her perspective.  Instead of a confusing and awkaward scene, it might have been peaceful. We would have thought there wasn't a care in the world for the Johansen family and Ellen.This is how the story could have changed if it were told b the point of view of Kirsti.

Dynamic and Static (Point of View)

 

The main character in the book  Number the Stars is Annemarie. Her personality is definitely static in this story as she tries to be brave. Although "[It] is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything…" Uncle Henrik said. Annemarie follows this quote in the turning point of the story.

Could you imagine traveling at dusk through a creepy woods to deliver a package that could  save the life of your friend? That is what bravery is, and that is what Annemarie had to do. Not to mention the German soldiers who stopped her in between. But not knowing what was in the package made it easier to be brave, just like Uncle Henrik said. These actions saved the Rosen's and the rest of the Jew's that Henrik was trying to rescue because Annemarie delivered the special package to them.

Another character who is extremely brave is Katniss from The Hunger Games. If she would have given up in the arena, she would have died and (unlike what happened in the end of the series) the capitol would still be in total control of the districts.

As you can see, being brave is not only the theme of the story in Number the Stars, but also the personality of Annemarie. It takes more than just guts to be brave. You must always stand for what you believe in and have good courage. Annemarie and Katniss show a static personality can be helpful in each of their stories.

Life of Pi Response

Authors Note: This is my response to the book Life of Pi. I needed to combine all of my goals in one paper and this is what I've come up with. Will you make a comment if you can think of a title for it?

Stranded in the pacific for 277 days. Hungry, thirsty, weak. This is how Pi Patel felt in his voyage after the sinking of the Tsimtsum. It has been said that no man has ever survived that long on a life boat and lived to tell the tale, "and none in the accompany of an adult Bengal tiger." (a.k.a. Richard Parker) But was Pi truly accompanied by an adult Bengal Tiger? I do not believe so.

Although it seems Pi is not by himself on the boat he is-physically at least. There are characters in the story such as Richard Parker and the blind man... but are they really there? I believe that  each of them are really Pi's conscience. In the story when Pi encounters the blind man it seems as though they are friends. That is until the blind man "landed upon [him] heavily. [They]fell half onto the tarpaulin, half onto the middle bench. His hands reached for [Pi's] throat." At first this seems like an honest mistake; he is blind after all! But then,  after Pi says "my heart is with you…" the blind man exclaims "You're damn right your heart is with me! And your liver and your flesh!" Instantly after, Richard Parker comes out from under the tarpaulin and attacks the blind man. I think that means the bind man is the same person as Pi because his heart and liver and flesh is 'with' him. If my theory is true that would mean one of Pi's conscience is fighting with the other.  The one, the blind man, seems to be the suicidal thoughts that the real Pi was having moments before encountering 'the blind man'. The other, Richard Parker, is Pi's animalistic side, the part of him that wants to kill and is a cannibal. If it weren't for 'Richard Parker' Pi would have killed himself in a sense.

In the end of the book, a reporter who interviewed Pi did not believe that Pi's story was true but in the end his report stated that no man has ever survived that long on a life boat "and none in the accompany of an adult Bengal tiger". Again, if my theory is correct, (that Richard Parker and the blind man are Pi's consciences) that means the reporter really said no one has ever survived that long by themselves on a life boat which I think would be even harder. He had to learn how to cope with his many thoughts, suicidal ones too, and had to learn how to feed and take care of himself.

Above all hardships, the biggest one Pi had to overcome was taming Richard Parker who I believe is himself; the animalistic part of Pi.  Pi had to learn how to control this part of himself because he refused to become a cannibal mainly because of his religion. But the animalistic part of Pi wants to kill. Earlier in the book Pi's father showed his family how dangerous the animals in the zoo really are. The Most frightening one, the Bengal tiger ferociously attacked the goat after not being fed for days. I believe that this was just a clue in the book. His father was truly showing him what you are capable of and how much damage you can do.

Throughout  Pi's journey he had to overcome all of the different parts of himself while trying to follow his religion.  He was not accompanied by an adult Bengal tiger, but all alone trying to survive by himself and trying to tame his animalistic side.  It is hard to believe how any human could survive for 277 days in the pacific; but Pi Patel found a way to go on and on, just like the number pi; it never stops.

Predictions

In the story Number the Stars there are three children (girls) who are living in the holocaust. When they visit Anamarie's uncles house I predict that the German soldiers will find and capture them. Her family is trying to hide a good friend of Anamarie, Ellen, because she is Jewish. From there, I don't know what will happen next.

However, having heard about the book Milkweed, the girls could run away. The cabin is far away from any civilization. There is room to "…run across the high-grassed meadow…" and hide. This is my other prediction for the story Number the Stars.

Life of Pi

Authors Note: This is my homework response for Martel's statement. 

I think that Martel means that the lifeboat forces everyone to work together which shows who we really are. We think we're better than everyone else but when put to the test we see who really is and who isn't.  In the end know matter what religion you are, we are all still animals.

Short Story Conclusion

Authors Note: This is my conclusion I wrote about a short story. We were given a piece of a fairytale (mine was cinderella) exept the scene was changed. Mine said that just as Cinderela arrived at the ball a chandelier fell and crushed the prince.

Cinderella cannot believe her eyes. Everyone is staring blankly at the crushed prince-but he's not dead. Cinderella leaps forward to the  Prince's side trying to comfort him. The prince opens his eyes to see Cinderella and he smiles. Eventually a group of strong men huddle  together and lift the chandelier off of him.  Suddenly, a crowd of royal people surround him blocking the view from everyone.  Cinderella is separated from the prince as he's taken away to a hospital. When midnight comes, Cinderella leaves (with both of her  slippers) disappointed. She will never see the prince again.

Writing a Good Hook

Authors Note: This is my hookk that I wrote. You had to include an 80 year old man named Leroy wearing a speedo with the setting of the kitchen sink. The conflict had to be someone falling out of a wagon.
 

"Hahahaha, Grandpa Leroy! Grandpa Leroy! Watch me in my wagon!"

"Hold on sonny I'm givin' myself a bath in the kitchen sink! I'm comin'!" I swear that little kid is growin' faster than a bean sprout! I'm so glad I bought 'em that little red wagon; he's been playin' in it since the minute I gave it to him. 

"Ahhhh! Owch!"

"What is it sonny?"I see  little sonny sittin' on the ground crying his eyes out. Must've fallen and gotten a boo boo.

"Ima' comin'!" Little sonny is still balling his eyes out-he must've really hurt himself. So I start to run faster than a Nascar Racecar in the Daytona Five Hundred! Suddenly, I hear the neighbor kids pointin' and laughing at little sonny. When I get to his side  I see that the neighbors are laughin' at me 'cuz I'm wearin' my speedo!

Authors Note: This is my short story about a girl who see's a strange man looking at her. All you need to know is that the setting is in a mall food court.

Secret Identity

A strange elderly man approaches me. I’ve never seen him before, but he looks at me like we’ve met. He smells of gas station coffee and grins with his missing front two teeth as I wince because of the awful smell. Since I’m surrounded by people in the food court, I don’t expect what happens next. The man takes his hands out of his pockets and pulls out a gun.

Instantly I start running. I don’t understand what’s going on but there must be some misunderstanding! Soon enough I’m half way across the food court-headed towards the ‘bathroom center’. It’s partially closed off from the rest of the food court with bubblers and two separate bathrooms-girls and boys. Hopefully I’ll be able to hide in there and call the cops or something. When I turn around, I see that the old man has hidden the gun in his jacket. Obviously he doesn’t want to make a big scene; but wouldn’t seeing a girl being chased by an old man seem alarming to you?!  Apparently not because no one has tried to stop him! Just as I’m about to enter the bathroom I see something out of the corner of my eye-no it’s someone. She looks a lot like me, a little too much like me.  Almost as if she could be my twin…

I stop for a second, not believing what has just happened in the last sixty seconds. I turn to the girl and she looks at me and puts her finger up to her lips telling me to stay quiet. She’s hiding beside the bubblers trying not to be seen. Luckily I’m ten times faster than the old man which has allowed me enough time to examine the girl a little bit. Every single feature I have, she has. Her hair color, eyes, everything about her reminds me of myself. Is it possible to have a secret twin I’ve never known about? I’ve taken too much time thinking though, because gramps is only 20 feet away from me. And he’s not stopping.

What do I do? I can’t just hide in the bathroom with the door locked! He’ll find the girl hiding behind the bubbler ad she told me to stay quiet. And I can’t just stand here, a man wants to kill me and he’s going to if I don’t do something quick!

Finally the man slows down to a walk and starts laughing in an evil way. A janitor-or at least someone who looks like one pulls his cart into the entrance of the ‘bathroom center’ blocking the view from the outside world. He must be working with the old guy because he turns around to face us and crosses his arms. It’s almost like he’s his body guard. Thankfully, the girl makes the next step for me and jumps out in front of the bubblers.

 “Oh, there’s two of you ‘a? He he he, I guess I’ll have to kill you both!” the man concludes. He has some sort of Russian accent it sounds like. The man pulls out the gun and directs it towards us both. I look at the girl and she looks completely focused. Unlike me, I about to pee my pants! What is happening?! He loads the gun with one bullet and rotates the revolver.

“You want to play?” the man looks at me, then the girl, then the body guard, “Maybe later.” It’s very clear that this man has issues. He sounds like some Russian warrior coming out of a scary movie. “Not so fast!” a man coming out of the boy’s bathroom says while exploding out with a gun in his hand. He shoots his gun which has a silencer on it and hits the body guard just before the girl takes out the old man with her ‘spy moves’. I just stand and watch in complete shock. In a matter of minutes I have been chased, found out that I have a twin (at least I think I do), and watched two people get attacked right before my very eyes.

“Nice job sis,” The girl says.

“You mean agent double-seven?” the man from the boy’s bathroom questions. Now that I’ve got a closer look at him, I see that he is a very fit man. He’s twice the size and half the age of the old man. 

“Are you talking to me? And are you…are you my…twin?”

“Yes and yes. I know this is all very confusing for you but you have to understand. We were separated at birth. Our real parents were spies but they were killed. You were adopted but I went to a military camp and trained to become a secret agent. And thanks to you, you brought our next target right towards us so we could kill him. So nice job sis.”

“It’s not safe for you to be with your old family so you have to come with us. We’ll train you to become an agent which shouldn’t be too hard seeing how your sister and your parents are great spies. It must be in the genes.”

My head starts spinning and everything around me slowly disappears. The last thing I here is “Emma, Emma!” before I hit the ground and black out. All of this is just too much for me to handle.

When I wake up I’m I a bedroom with another cot next to me. There’s someone sitting on it and I think it’s my twin. Suddenly I realize I don’t even know my sisters name. She see’s that I’m awake and walks over to me.

“By the way I’m Taylor,” she says.

“Emma,” I say and we both shake each other’s hands.

“We start training and the crack of noon. Don’t be late.”

 I wonder if my life will ever be the same.  

Response to Tangled

Authors Note: This is sort of a rough draft. I'm not sure if I want to use it as my response to the movie.  If you have any ideas please let me know. My 'thesis' is to keep dreaming. I hope that's understood in this poem.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!

Little does she know that that's not fair.

She takes her power,

Then locks her in a tower.

But this does not stop her,

For she will still dream.

She'll dream, and dream,

'Til she bursts at the seam,

To one day be,

Sitting on a boat,

Deep  in the sea,

Watching what lies before thee.

Lanterns in Tangled

During the movie Tangled, there was one major symbol. They were the lanterns. I believed they symbolized Rapunzel wanting to leave her castle. The lanterns were free, and flew wherever they wanted to. This is exactly what Rapunzel wanted to do.

Creative Writing Piece

Authors Note- These are the words I had to include in my story: Anteaters, Bulge, Cookies, Delightful, Fezor, and Helicopter.

Your are driving across a bridge, toward a country you have never visited before. On the other side of the bridge, you can barely make out what seems to be a series of holes that look to be abandoned, for there is no one in sight. There is a train station with a steaming locomotive parked on the track.

 You see a middle aged woman sitting on the locomotive. She is carrying a crate filled with something you can't make out, until your car starts to approach her. Just as your eye sight is able to see what the woman is holding, the train starts to take off at a racing speed. You decide to take your car off road to follow the woman. Then you begin to hear some heard of animals stampeding.  You look to your left and find anteaters at every angle of the locomotive, and now your car, for some reason. Your head starts to spin as you take in the crazy scene that lays before you. What is going on? You ask yourself constantly.

 You can't seem to take your foot off the gas pedal. Soon your car starts to smoke. As you take a look at the speedometer you realize your going way over your cars capacity. An anteater to your right starts harassing your car, and soon there is a slight bulge on the passengers' seat door.  What do I do, what do I do?! Then, you dream up a master plan to get you out of this situation . First, grab your lunch filled with a sandwich and cookies just incase you get hungry. Second, take your foot off of the gas pedal. Third, jump out of the car door and roll on the ground to insure for a safe landing. Now there's only one thing left to do-actually do it. You gang up the courage and begin your master plan step by step. You've got your lunch in hand, and your foot off the pedal, ready to make a delightful leap into the heard of anteaters.  Your hand grips the door handle, and you take a look out the window. Everything around you is moving, except you of course. Then, you quickly clench the handle, leap out of the car and start to roll.

 Luckily the heard of anteaters are way ahead of you, continuing to follow the locomotive. You begin to feel like the only normal thing in this unknown country. But then, a lonely anteater left behind by his group begins to approach you. It's elephant like trunk drudging along. It looks a little sad. As you begin to move closer to it, you notice a nametag around it's collar. It reads 'FEZOR'. What kind of name is that? What language is it? Where am I? You need to take a break from all of this thinking, so  begin eating your  lunch; every now and then giving a crumb to Fezor. He gives a look that seems as though he's saying  'What is this garbage?'  He starts to have a fit, spinning his trunk around like a helicopters propeller until the food lands on the ground. You take a glance at your car, still smoking, then start to walk away with Fezor towards the train station hoping to catch a ride home.