TKAM Blog 12/18/15

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Pages: 0 - 232 (End)

Prompts:

1. Did you like what you’re read? Why or why not?

2. Write about how one character feels. Write about a time you felt that way, too.

3. If you were the author, how would this end?

    I enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird for several reasons. One reason I really enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird is because there was many life lessons and life quotes in the book. For example in the book it says, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." This is one of the bigger life quotes in the book another one is, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." Another reason I really enjoyed the book is because Atticus as an older man is wiser. For example both of those quotes I cited were from Atticus. This shows how since Atticus is older he is more wise and knows how to deal with more things.

    At the end of the book Scout feels like Jem won't talk to her for a long time because she was able to see what "Boo Radley" looked like and Jem didn't. I've felt this way when I was little and my cousin and I were waiting for hours to talk to a famous hockey player and get his signature. Well, my cousin had to go to the bathroom while we were in line and he gave me his things. The only thing is when he came back I had already been done talking and getting the hockey player's signature. He was so upset he did not talk to me until the last day of Spring break.

    If I was Harper Lee, I wouldn't necessarily change the ending but add  bit more. I would add that "Boo Radley" is reported missing and can not be found and Maycomb makes the assumption that he killed Bob Ewell and that is why he escaped. The only people that know for sure are the people that were with him the previous night. Then I feel it should end right there. I would like this ending because it will leave the readers in suspense wanting to read more and us readers can try to infer what going to happen.

TKAM-Character Relationships Blog 12/3/15

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Pages: 0 - 164
Character pair: Miss Maudie and Calpurnia

Format:
a. Similarities to each other
b. Differences from each other
c. Relationship to Scout friend, maid
d. Effect on Scout feminiism

          Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are similar in a couple ways. The first way that I found them similar is that both Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are persevering though life. Miss Maudie had to persevere through the loss of her house and Calpurnia has to persevere through having to speak two "different languages," "negro" and common English. The second way that I found them similar is that they are both kind. Miss Maudie is kind because when Dill and Jem wouldn't pay attention to Scout she was there for Scout to talk to. Calpurnia is kind because when Atticus was gone she took them to her church called, "First Purchase African M.E. Church," which made the children interested in Calpurnia's ways.

          Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are different in a couple ways. The first way that I found them different is that Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are of different races. Calpurnia is African-American and Miss Maudie is white. The second way I found them different is that Calpurnia spends her time indoors, cooking. Miss Maudie spends most of her time outside, as a botanist.

           Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are related to Scout in different ways. Miss Maudie is related to Scout as a friendly neighbor. This makes it easier for Scout to talk to her knowing that she won't be seeing Miss Maudie all the time. Calpurnia is related to Scout by being her house keeper. This is important to the novel because Scout realizes that she does not know Calpurnia very well and decides to spend more time with her since Jem is maturing.

          The effect Miss Maudie and Calpurnia have on Scout is that they are her feminine influence. Scout is learning a lot about being a girl from Miss Maudie and Calpurnia. Even though Scout does not like the gender stereotype of being a girl, she is learning a lot of valuable lessons from these characters. Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are the main women role models, giving them a big part in Scout's life. At the end, Miss Maudie and Calpurnia play a huge part in Scouts life and without them Scout would be different.

Primary Source Analysis-Photograph

James F.

11/30/15

"Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives." School, Shop, Church and Community Building. Gee's Bend, Alabama. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8c10010/?co=fsa>.

Wolcott, Marion. School, Shop, Church and Community Building. Gee's Bend, Alabama. 1939. Library of Congress, Gee's Bend, Alabama.

          In the photograph, "School, shop, church, and community building."(above)  I saw that picture was very similar to the city, Maycomb, in the novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. I know this because in the book the city was described as small and as well as this city apppears in the picture. I also saw that in this community that there was not a lot of people because it shows about 20 to 30 people outside. Another observation I made was that there is no paved roads just dirt. This commmunity also seems a bit isolated because I do not see any other building around it.

          This photograph and the way Maycomb is described in the book resemble each other. I know this because in the book it says, "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." This shows how Maycomb was isolated and was small. This piece of the text can relate to the picture because in the picture there is not much to see because it is very small and isolated. At the end, I was able to make the realization that this photograph is very similar to the way Maycomb is described in the book.

Theme Blog 11/16/15

Book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Pages: 0-256

The theme I felt best fit this this book is, "Fighting racism." I say this because constantly through the text, Cassie and family are upset and are fighting against racism. An act Little Man does to show this theme is, "Little Man bit his lower lip, and I knew that he was not going to pick up the book. Rapidly, I turned to the inside cover of my own book and saw immediately what had made Little Man so furious." This quote shows how these two characters felt about getting poor conditioned books from the whites, only because of their race.

Another theme I felt best fit this book is, "Never give up on your opinion." I say this because throughout the text the Logan's are showing their hatred towards the way they are being treated because of their race. This relates to the last theme because the Logan's opinion is to fight racism. A way this theme is used in real life is like in court, because the lawyer is given a opinion and has to fight for that opinion. I also feel this theme is just the common thing to do because you should never give up on your opinion unless your opinion hurts others.

My third and final best fit theme for this book is, "Everyone should be treated equal, no matter what race they are." I say this because I feel the author correlates negativity and racism to show that racism is horrible. One of the best parts of this theme is that this theme is still relevant to today because some people are racist. Which being racist is extremely wrong. People also have this theme in their faith. For example, Christianity say all people shall be treated equally. And even the government expresses this theme!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

1st Quarter Reflection Blog

Reflection

10/28/15

          During the 1st quarter of school I learned alot. I learned about Syrian Refugees and a small portion of Edgar Allan Poe's writing. I learned that there are Syrians leaving there homeland because of war and more specifically I learned that Mawi graduated from Harvard after being a refugee. We read a part from, "Cask of the Amontillado," by Egdar Allan Poe. In his writing I learned how dark his writing was compared to others back then.

          My research skills have improved during this quarter. I know this because I started to use keywords instead of writing the entire sentence. For example:

What were some traditions in the Venice Carnival?

Key words > Venice Carnival Traditions.

These key words aren't only faster to type but they will give more accurate traditions. This example has to do with the reasearch done before reading Egdar Allan Poe.

          I have also learned new techniques and strategies for writing. I learned how to use the TIQA format for my Of Beetles and Angels blog. The way this format goes is:

Topic sentence

Introducing quote

Quote

Analyze quote

This technique helps me format other blogs that I do not know how to start. I also learned about passive and active writing. Passive writing isn't all that convicing or intresting, but active writing is all the opposite because it is intresting and makes you want to keep on reading. What I found most intresting about these types of writing that is that it all depends on your word choice.

                              

The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time

Book: The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Pages: 0 - 62
Prompts:  

1. Which character do you like best? Why?

2. Which character do you like least? Why?

3. Who is the most important character to you? Why?

          The character I like the best, so far, is Christopher Boone. The reason I like this character is because he likes to deal with numbers and is very logical. I know this because in the text, Christopher says, "Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking of them." This quote shows how Christopher feels "prime number are like life." I feel the reason I like Christopher is because I can relate to how he enjoys dealing with numbers.

          The character I like least is Mrs. Shears. The reason I dislike Mrs. Shears is because she cursed and yelled at a young child. I know this because in the text Christopher Boone says, "She was shouting, 'What in f**k's name have you done to my dog?'" This quote shows Mrs. Shears' anger and how she made an assumption of what happened. I feel the author chose to make Mrs. Shears rather grumpy because she was older, living on her own, and her dog just died. 

          I feel the most important character is the the victim which is the dog. I feel this because without the victim there wouldn't be a reason to go hunt for the killer, therefore no story. I know this because inthe first few pages of the book Christopher Boone says, "I pulled the fork out of the dog and lifted him into my arms and hugged him. He was leaking blood from the fork-holes." This begining to the book makes me wonder what happened to the dog and who's dog is it. At the end the most imprtant character in the book is the dog because the entire story revolves around the dog, so far.

Life Lines Poetry 10/9/15

"You are ready to change the world"

By: James

my parents

and my brother

taught me to see beauty

in everyone

a rich man donates a large sum

and a poor woman donates

her last two cents

her gift is worth infinitely more

turn and look at your friends,

know that they are your true family

for friends

even enemies become family

a butterfly flapping

its wings

in Japan can cause a hurricane

in Louisiana

today's small act

of kindness

can become tomorrow's whirlwind

of human progress

no matter how much strangers represented beetles,

they could be angels, 

given to us by God to test the deepest sentiments

of our hearts

you are ready to change the world

thank you! 

good luck! 

and congratulations!

OBAA Blog 9/24/15

Book:

Of Beetles and Angels

Author: Mawi Asgedom

Pages: 0-119

Article:

"Obama's decision to take in refugees faces criticism"

Author: CBS News

Prompts:

Connections made through individuals, ideas, or events. 'How does war affect individuals and societies?'

          In "Of Beetles and Angels," Mawi and his family are a group of refugees. I know this because at the beginnning of the book, it says, "Left Ethiopia and lost his home, his extended family, education, and friends." The quote shows how Mawi and his family are refugees because it shows how they lost their home and everything with it when they fled. In the article, "Obama's decision to take in refugees faces criticism," it also mentioned refugees. I know this because in the article it says, "Four million people have fled Syria already." This quote shows that four million documented people have fled Syria.

          In "Of Beetles and Angels," Mawi was very young when he left his home so seek safety. At the beginning of the book, Mawi says, "I remember our journey and the woman we met. Despite her fatigue, she walked and walked and walked, trying to limp her way to safety across miles of stones and rocks." This quote shows one of his past events that he still remebers. This quote also shows how Mawi had to go through some tough sights when he was kid. In the article there was a young child going through a really tough time as well. I know this because in the article it says, "...public outcry over the image of a 3-year-old Syrian refugee whose body recently washed up on Turkish shore." This quote shows how this young refugee has lost his life while seeking refuge, which isn't as bad as what happened to Mawi yet they both went through hard a hard time as young children. 

          Wherever war is it affects everyone and thing around it. I know this because in the past week of school I have been learning a lot about refugees. I also found out that a massive increase in refugees is due to the fact of war in the general area where all of the people are fleeing to seek refuge. War also affects society because by these people fleeing their country, they are coming into other countries and increasing there population. They also lose there way of life because they leave their culture and country to move to another country that does not have the same culture, so the refugees change their culture because of war. At the end, war has a massive impact on people around it. 

After AoW gallery walk:

          Whereever war is it affects everyone and thing around it. I know this because in my class' gallery walk, Sonny said, "59.5 million Syrians were forced to get out of their homes." This proves how war affects everyone around it because these large amounts of Syrians are forced out of their homeland to survive through war. I also know know that war affects society because in my class' gallery walk, Michael said, "10,000 refugees will come to the US." This quote shows how war affects society because these refugees are not only a high risk to America, according to Obama, they are also having to change their way of life to fit ours beccause of war.

The Miserable Mill 8/17/15 (Blog 4 of 4)

The Miserable Mill (Spoilers)
Book #4 in the, "Series of Unfortunate Events"
Author: Lemony Snicket
Pages: 115 - 194 (End)
Prompts:  

1. Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the

character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what

would you do differently?

2. If you were the author, how would this end?

3. How did the reading make you feel? Why? 
 

          In the book "The Miserable Mill," Klaus Baudelaire had been hypnotized. Klaus however snapped out of hypnotism and over heard the Count Olaf's plan to murder Charles. Since he heard this plan he rigged everything that was fatal to not even leave a scratch. The next day when he was hypnotized again Charles was put into a wood cutter machine, good thing that Klaus made the blade stop with a piece of metal allowing Charles to slide right through safely. I would've just taken out the blade instead of jamming it with a piece a metal because there was still a chance of Charles dieing.

          If I was the author I would've ended the story differently. Instead of Count Olaf breaking the window and running, I would've wrote that the window was bullet proof and
Count Olaf didn't even leave a dent. I would change this because I don't like how Count Olaf gets away because it leaves the Baudelaire scared, thinking that he might return. Another reason I would change this is because the whole book overall is pretty sad and this ending would make you want to read the next book. Overall, I don't think the ending to this book was very good.

          Reading this book made me feel bad for the Baudelaire orphans. I felt this way because during the entire book they always were doubtful and they never were happy not even for a second. For example the first sentence in the book was this, "The Baudelaire orphans looked out the grimy window of the train and gazed at the gloomy blackness of the Finite Forest, wondering if their lives would get any better." Just this sentence sets a very unhappy tone for the start of the book. At the end, This book made me feel bad for the Baudelaire orphans and their misfortune.

The Miserable Mill 8/16/15 (Blog 3 of 4)

The Miserable Mill
Book #4 in the, "Series of Unfortunate Events"
Author: Lemony Snicket
Pages: 0 - 114
Prompt:   
  
1. Describe the main characters.

          There are four main characters in "The Miserable Mill." The first main character is Violet Baudelaire. Violet is fourteen, making her the oldest of her siblings. Violet is very interested in inventing, she loves to take apart anything and make something new out of it. She also like to skip rocks whenever she got a chance to. Whenever Violet is deep into her thought of inventions she would put her hair up and tie it with a ribbon.

          The second main character is Klaus Baudelaire. Klaus is the middle child. Klaus' favorite thing to do was reading. At the age of twelve he knew more information than his entire family. Klaus always tells Violet the definition complicated words and he is younger than her by two years. Overall, Klaus just loves reading books and explaining things to others.

          The third main character is Sunny Baudelaire. Sunny is the youngest of the Baudelaire orphans. She has only four teeth, but they are very sharp. Her favorite thing to do is bit things, it doesn't matter what it is as long as she can bite it. Her siblings try to interpret her "baby language." For example, when she says "Gack" in the book her siblings interpreted "Look at that shiny object." Sunny is very small for her age, but her siblings say she makes up for it in the size of her teeth.

          The fourth and final main character is Count Olaf. Count Olaf is the antagonist of the book. He is unshaven and has one long eyebrow, rather than two. He has a tattoo of an eye on his ankle. He tried to marry Violet to get his hands on the Baudelaire's enormous fortune. He is very tall and has very shiny eyes. He also has a passion for deceiving people.

The Wide Window 8/15/15 (Blog 2 of 4)

The Wide Window
Book #3 in the, "Series of Unfortunate Events"
Author: Lemony Snicket
Pages: 127-214(End)
Prompts:  

1. After reading, I wonder…

2. Do you like what you’re reading? Why or why not?

3. If you were the author, what would you change? Why?
 
           After reading, I wonder what will happen next. I wonder if the Baudelaire will move to  better house this time and never have to see Count Olaf again. I am very curious what will happen in the next book. I predict that in the next book that Mr. Poe will take them to a very nice person to take care of the Baudelaire, hopefully this time the person won't be frightened by everything like their aunt was. At the end, I wonder what will the author write next for the Baudelaire's adventure.

          I enjoy what I read for several reasons. I like what I read because it didn't end with everything being fixed and everyone being happy. The book ended with the Baudelaire orphans happy to have one another but they were still scared because Count Olaf (Antagonist) is still out there and can still get them. This made me wonder if in the next book the author writes will Count Olaf come back again or will he give up and not come back again. All in all, enjoy what I read because it left me thinking what would happen in the next book.

          If I was the author I would change only one thing. I would change when Count Olaf's disguise was revealed to Mr. Poe. Instead of Mr. Poe finding out it was Count Olaf, Count Olaf should've fled as soon as he saw Mr. Poe have suspicions. I would change this because Count Olaf is known for running off and it didn't fit in with his character that he didn't just run away. Overall, the reason would change this is because it didn't make sense that he didn't just run because fleeing the scene is what he does. 

The Wide Window 8/15/15 (Blog 1 of 4)

The Wide Window (Spoilers)
Book #3 in the, "Series of Unfortunate Events"
Author: Lemony Snicket
Pages: 1-127
Prompts:  

1. List the physical characteristics of the main character (clothing, physical 

features, etc.)

2. Who is the most important character to you? Why?

3. Are the characters realistic (do they seem like they could be real people)? Why
or why not?
  
          The main character, Count Olaf, has many physical characteristics. "He is very tall and very thin." (page 22) He's also "...unshaven, and rather than two eyebrows, like most human beings have he has one long one." (page 23) Count Olaf also has very shiny eyes I know this because on page 48 it says, "...the same dreadful and shiny eyes as before..." Count Olaf wears many different disguises to trick people. All in all, his clothing changes a lot, but not his physical features.

          Count Olaf is the most important character to me so far. I say this because even though he is the antagonist the story doesn't go on without him. Count Olaf is very deceiving and fools everyone around him all the time. The only people who he can't and never will trick are the people that he is going after. Which in this case are the Baudelaire orphans.
  
          I feel that the characters in this book are very realistic. For example, the Baudelaire orphans' aunt committed suicide and left a note in her library to go with Captain Sham. Captain Sham was a man who gained the aunt's trust. What the aunt didn't know was that Captain sham was in disguise and he really was count Olaf, the antagonist. The Baudelaire's were very upset that they were stuck with Count Olaf and shocked that their aunt killed herself. (pages 68-69) Overall the characters are realistic because the characters have their own feelings, thoughts, and emotions just like real people.

These are the Baudelaire orphans. The Baby is called "Sunny."

 The older girl is called, "Violet." And the boy is called "Klaus"

Books I would like to read!

These are the top 5 books/series that I would like to read/look into in the near future:

1. Ungifted by Gordon Korman

2. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

3. Trash by Andy Mulligan

4.The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

5. The Chronicles of Narnia Series by C. S. Lewis

Paradox and Dream Blog

James F.

5/21/15

Paradox Reflections

Paradox Reflection One:

“We are complacent in our possessions, in our houses, in our education; but it is hard to find a man or woman who does not want something better for the next generation.”

This paradox shows what is happening with people in the United States. In the paradox, John Steinbeck is saying that we are happy with our lives and our belongings. He shows us this by saying; “We are complacent in our possessions, in our houses, in our education…” Then John Steinbeck is saying that even though most people are happy with their lives they want their child or a young person that they know to do better than them. He shows us this by saying; “…it is hard to find a man or woman who does not want something better for the next generation.” Overall, John Steinbeck is saying that even though that some people are happy that they want the future to be better.

The reason I picked this paradox was because I can connect to it through my personal experiences. I can relate to this paradox because of my family members. My parents relate to this paradox because they are completely happy with their lives, yet they encourage my sister and I to do better than they did. I feel that many parents do this is because even though they are doing great in life they want the best for their children. All in all, I choose this paradox was because I can connect to it through my personal experiences.

Paradox Reflection Two:

“Our lives as we live them would not function without electricity, but it is rare an or women who, when the power goes off, knows how to look for a burned-out fuse and replace it.”

            This paradox shows how electricity is an American way of life and how we would be without it. In the paradox, John Steinbeck is saying that we all live with electricity in our lives and that is all we do. He shows this by saying, “Our lives as we live them would not function without electricity…” Then he is saying that if the power went off nobody will know how to replace the burnt fuse. He shows this by saying, “...it is rare an or women who, when the power goes off, knows how to look for a burned-out fuse and replace it.” To conclude, this paradox is showing how we are dependent on electricity went when it breaks we can’t fix it.

            The reason I picked this paradox was because I can connect to it through one of my personal experiences. I can relate to this paradox because I kind have exampled this paradox. So, when I was playing on my Xbox, in the middle of the summer, the power went out. Then, since I did not know what to do and did not charge my phone I had nothing to do so I waited until my dad came home to fix the burnt fuse. At the end, the reason I picked this paradox was because it related to one of my personal experiences.

(The picture below is a picture of a burned fuse. A=fine B=burnt)

Final Reflection Blog 5/15/15

James F.
Reflection

Prompts:
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?

          I have only been in this class for the 4th quarter, but so far I have learned a few really important things. I learned about figurative language and how it really helps when writing poems. I also learned how to annotate an article, without just highlighting everything. I also learned how to write several different kinds of poetry, which was really interesting to do. One thing that we did this year and I won't forget is reading and viewing Of Mice and Men because it was interesting and fun to read together, as a class.

          This year Mrs. Larson's classroom was very positive. I say this because this year when I first came into the classroom a student that goes by Sonny S. offered to help me transition into this class and introduce me to the schedule and normal things that we do in this class. This quarter I taught one of my classmates how to take better notes. I showed that person how to take better notes during the viewing of Of Mice and Men (the movie). All in all, Mrs. Larson's classroom was very positive and my classmates and I learned a lot.

          Mrs. Larson's literature and language arts classes were very challenging, but I was also able to improve a lot in a specific area. The most challenging part of this year was my first article of the week. The reason that my first article of the week was so challenging was because I did not understand how to do them properly then I clarified how to do the with Mrs. Larson and now I do not have problems doing the article of the week. The specific area that I felt the most improvements was in poetry. I felt the most improvements in poetry because we worked on it a lot and as I made more poetry I felt that it became better and better.

          In these literature and language arts classes I have done a lot of reading and writing. My favorite book that I read this year was The Bad Beginning: Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket. I liked this book so much because it was the introduction book to the rest of the Series of Unfortunate Events. I also like this book because it was a great fiction story about how the Bauldaire orphans became orphans. I think that my best piece of writing was my "Dream Poem." I say that this is my best piece of writing because it was my latest piece of poetry and I felt that I put enough time and effort into it in order to make it a great piece of work. 

          For the future students of Mrs. Larson's literature and language arts classes I recommend many things. I recommend you have confidence in your work because if not then you probably didn't do your best and then bad consequences come with that. I also recommend that you respect Mrs. Larson because she will be nice if you are nice with her. Last but not least, always listen to the instructions she gives you because it will be extremely hard to do the work without them. Overall, just do positive things and avoid doing the more negative things.

I commented on the following Blogs: Justin R., Jared A., Diana A.

Symbolism Blog 5/15/15

James F.
 5/15/15

A soccer ball represents me is several different ways. A soccer ball represents me because if a soccer ball is pushed or blown by the wind it will move and if I am talked to I will talk back but if not then I will stay put in my place. Another way a soccer ball represents me is because a soccer ball can get dirty and spends most of its day outside and this relates to me because I like to go outside for most of my day when the weather is warmer outside. One last way a soccer ball represents me is because a soccer ball can get flat and then in a few seconds you can fill it with air again. This relates to me because if someone puts me down then says an apology then I will be fine again just like how you can choose to inflate a soccer ball. All in all, a soccer ball relates to me in several different ways.

I commented on the following blogs: Siari R., Devin R., Yareli H., Michael H., Mia C.

Of Mice and Men 5/12/15

James F.
"Of Mice of Men"
Author: John Steinbeck
Director: Gary Sinise

           In the book “the incident in Weed” was told to us differently than it was in the movie. In the book the incident was told to us by George when he was yelling at Lennie by the river. I know this because in the book on page 11, George yells, "Jus’ wanted to feel that girls’ dress - jus' wanted to pet it like it was a mouse - Well, how the hell did she know you jus' wanted to feel her dress?" This is different from the movie because in the movie it shows Lennie and George running away and hiding then catching a ride on the train passing by at night. Overall, the “the incident in Weed” was told to us differently than it was in the movie because in the movie they showed what happened and in the book it was shown in dialogue.

          The beginning the "stage" was set up differently book than in the movie. In the book the stage was set up by the pond then dialogue started. In the movie it started with George and Lennie sneaking on a train to get away from Weed. I think that the director chose to do this to give us a sense of why they ended up by the pond. The director is telling us that George’s life is mainly him getting Lennie out of messes and that his life is not that easy because he can't pay for transportation so he has to sneak on a train. Altogether, George does not have and easy way of living and the you can see that at the very start of the film.

          I think that the director’s choice of Sharilynn Fenn to play Curley’s wife was a fit person to do the the job. All that Sharilynn Fenn needed to be perfect to play Curley's wife was if she had rouged lips. I say this because on page 31, it says, “She has full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages." This quote shows that  all the director could have added was this feature to make her really look like how she was described in the book. Overall, if the director did not miss on this tiny detail his choice of Sharilynn Fenn to play as Curley’s wife was a good choice.
 

(I show a picture of Sharilynn Fenn to back up my reasoning below.)

          I have many thoughts, feelings, and reactions to Of Mice and Men. I actually really thought that at the end it was going to happily ever after but guess not because the ending was intense and sad. I would recommend this book to comic book readers. I would do this because most comic book readers like to read action and suspense, and Of Mice and Men is full of it. At the end, I feel that I would like to read John Steinbeck's other books because Of Mice and Men was such a great book, that I can predict that his other books can be just as good and maybe even better.  

I commented on the following blogs: Justin R., Jared A., Giovanna G.

AOW Impressions 5/5/15

          Today, I learned about many new things. One of the topics that interested me was "Doomsday at Mercury." This topic was presented by Michael H., and he really inspired me to learn more about this topic. I did some research on this topic and with my research and Micheal's research I learned that the NASA spacecraft set out to go to Mars was orbiting for four years then ran out of fuel This caused the spacecraft to plummet at about 8,750 miles per hour right into Mercury's surface making a huge impact crater. At the end, it was good that this spacecraft was ran by machines otherwise the men inside would not have been able to survive.

          Today I also learned more about child abuse and neglect, in general. This topic was presented by Mia C., and she really showed me how child abuse and neglect is horrible. She told me that in the year of 2012 about 1, 593 kids died from abuse and that 44% of them were under the age of one year. One of the ways they abused the children was by faith healing which is not taking your kids to the doctor, instead hoping they heal by themselves. All in all, child abuse is extremely bad and you should encourage others to never do it.

          The way that Michael H. and Mia C. presented their information made me want to look farther into the topic. One way Micheal H. presented his information was by relating the spacecraft plummeting to a rock falling onto the ground from a ten-story building at over 8,000 miles per hour. One way Mia C. presented her information was by showing me the pictures of what the kids look like after being horribly abused. Another way Mia C. presented her information was by showing me graphs and charts in her article to help me understand what the numbers were, like how in 2012 about 1, 593 kids died from abuse. Overall, the reason I chose to write about these topics was because the way the intrigued me by the way they presented their information.