Comments

https://sydneysenglishonework.blogspot.com/2016/12/writing-center-visit.html?showComment=1481420462941#c6740788252646503254 Sydney Summerville "Writing Center Reflection" https://wheatyl.blogspot.com/2016/12/writing-center.html?showComment=1481420565977#c2582956613615552207 Wyatt Laiche "Writing Center"

Writing Center Reflection

When I first arrived at the Writing Center I felt help on my literary analysis was much needed. My Writing Center appointment was on a Thursday at 1:00pm and my Writing Center helper was Alyssa Macaluso. I would like to comment that Alyssa was very kind, she also gave me plenty of feedback necessary for my literary analysis. She went the extra step to identify a very important connection to my literary analysis. We worked on making conclusion connected to philosophy in notes and adding context for Simon's symbolism as Christ.
     We also worked on simple grammatical errors that were easy to miss, but made my work lots more fluid. Alyssa helped me reword sentences that didn't make sense to the reader and gave suggestions on what to do.
My literary analysis felt stronger and I felt more confident with my rough draft.
Everyone at the writing center I encountered was very kind, open minded, organized, and quick to help. The Writing Center was a huge help.

Memorable Moment

By far the most memorable moment of my life is when I played a soccer match in Turkey for the first time. I finished the 6th grade and was looking forward to traveling overseas with my family. It was only four months ago when I gained an interest for soccer. I was not very confident in my ability of soccer, I was a reckless naïve player. When I arrived at the field there were only adults, so I was a little intimidated, but by their expressions I knew it was just for fun.
    The game finished with me scoring an unforgettable goal. I was elated to score a goal of that caliber, and the goal was a real confidence booster. This was very memorable for me as I reflect on the goal and the expressions of the other players in shock. That moment especially helps me before games when I feel nervous. That was my most memorable moment.

comments

https://nowisitinsilence.blogspot.com/2016/12/cinematagraphy.html?showComment=1481159573707#c7935278885936585029 "Cinematagraphy" -By Ellen Rhea https://wheatyl.blogspot.com/2016/12/free-post.html?showComment=1481159682163#c208993137847058341 "Free Post"- Wyatt

free post

Over Thanksgiving break I didn't do much. I enjoyed the company of some Turkish family stopping by to say hello and spend some quality time with the family. I missed my Family from Turkey and it was a pleasure to revisit with them. Having some down-time over Thanksgiving break was great, I loved the freedom to finally wake up whenever I'd like to, I have to admit waking up late was a downside and it did bother me.
The Thanksgiving meal was great, typical Thanksgiving meal with a Turkish twist. Always before the meal lots of the family would gather to play a match of soccer and the winning team gets to self serve first. After the meal it was nice to get comfy and enjoy a movie together. The couch would usually be piled with blankets and pillows just to make the scene more comfortable. This is my typical Thanksgiving holiday.

ltr

I think I'm working comfortably with my literary analysis. My literary analysis has a strong arguable thesis, my rough draft has good introduction sentences that opens up my writing and gives context to the thesis. I believe my outline for my literary analysis has 7 strong points and fit well with my thesis. I'm working on my conclusion and using my English notes I feel I have a strong introduction. My rough draft arguments are strong to support my thesis.
On the other hand I feel I'm struggling with my transitions for each argumentative point. My conclusion closes my argument but I question whether or not I repeated or summarized. I also stated many words from my thesis to my context so I question if that was a good idea. Overall I feel I have a strong paper, but lots of tiny tweaks and changes can alter my paper to stronger one.

Comments

https://20charlesl.blogspot.com/2016/11/symbolism.html?showComment=1480523718762#c917046630021552359 "Symbolism"- Charles Lee https://derzzzzzz.blogspot.com/2016/11/symbolism-post.html?showComment=1480523864935#c3743555670357808178 "Symbolism" - Anders Melton

Symbols

Jessica has no relatives whatsoever, usually she pends her holidays alone. Jessica is a very reserved person who likes to keep to herself, she fears that letting her true emotions radiate negative energy around her work place, especially during Thanksgiving. Jessica has a great friend named Caspar, Caspar is very close to his family and every year looks forward to Thanksgiving to socialize with his family. On the day before Thanksgiving, Caspar asks where her family lives to which she replied "I have no family, so I don't do anything on Thanksgiving." Caspar, shocked by what she says, suggests that she eats with him on Thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving Jessica arrives to the Thanksgiving host house and is greeted with open arms. A smile grows on her face as she socializes and seemingly forgets her problem. Caspar realizes how glad he was to have his family by his side, and was happy to see them gladly accept Jessica. Jessica symbolizes being thankful for being able to enjoy a meal with a family. On the other Hand Caspar, is grateful to have a loving family, who supports him.

how to make

      I am about to explain to you how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A PB&J is a simple tasty snack usually for when you're on the go. The standard peanut butter and jelly and sandwich usually has a strawberry jelly, but different people enjoy different flavors of jelly. Also, people enjoy different consistencies of peanut butter, some like their peanut butter chunky, others like is smooth. The bread varies as well, people enjoy whole grain and others enjoy white bread. I will teach you step by step on how to make a PB and J.
       Firstly, gather necessary item for the PB and J, your choice of peanut butter, jelly, bread, and a butter knife.
       Secondly, Spread the peanut butter on the two pieces of bread using your butter knife to which it thinly coats the surface of the bread.
       Thirdly, take your jelly and slather it on top of the bread coated with peanut butter.
       Fourthly, carefully put the coated surfaces of the two pieces of bread to craft the sandwich.
       Finally, enjoy your PB and J.
    

grateful

     Thanksgiving is a feast to celebrate thanks and show gratitude for privileges we all have. Although, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving religiously, we give thanks and celebrate a feast.
Thanksgiving is a unifying a holiday which bonds the family together. To finally take a moment and share thanks as a family seems to be a necessity in the eyes of my family. Thanksgiving is usually hosted at my home with the closest relatives.
     I am very grateful for many things, access to fresh water, choice of desired food, and mentors to help me in times of distress. If we do not recognized our privileges we grow selfish, we would lose our sense of care and judgement. I do understand people do not have the privileges we do in the U.S, it pains me to think someone is starving with no shelter. We have to understand that we are lucky to have everything, even the problems, I'm grateful the problems I run into in life will not compare to others.

Critical Scene

     In Lord of the Flies(LOTF), page 181 Chapter 11, Piggy's death occurs. The death scene is described as; "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." "Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig after it has been killed." In this horrific scene the reader knows the conch is completely gone and Piggy is now dead. This scene is very critical to the book for many reasons.
      Firstly, Piggy's death is not described as an emotional scene, in fact William Golding wrote the seem as if Piggy's death was uneventful. This scene is unemotional because it symbolizes that Jack's tribe only see Piggy's death as if it was another death, hence the name Piggy. Piggy's death is also described similar to a pig as well. As for the conch, the conch symbolizes order and structure, the conch and Piggy were the last bit of sanity left on the island. The crumbling of the conch symbolizes loss of order and now there are no limitations.

comments

https://jordoniam.blogspot.com/2016/11/exerpt-response.html?showComment=1478788837008#c7425669620095573811 Jordan's Blog " Excerpt Response" https://nowisitinsilence.blogspot.com/2016/11/ralphs-walk.html?showComment=1478788901949#c5334431031924417982 Ellen's Blog "Ralph's Walk"

Skyrim

Reflect on your most memorable week-end, what happened?


My most memorable week-end was when a beloved video game named Skyrim was released. I remember anxiously waiting with my hands glued to the controller, but my eyes glued to the online store. Waiting for the release, waiting for the unforgettable theme music and the vast virtual nature to be explored. I occasionally glanced at my watch, unfazed by the time, all my problems would seemingly disappear when the game released, or so I thought. Minutes that seemed like hours passed, the game was finally released.

Immersed in my game experience it was vivid, intense, emotional, and packed, but what was happening in reality was the opposite, quiet, lonely, and calm. Every peek of my watch was strange, minutes seemed like seconds. I was conflicted at the thought of how time works with experiences. I have had very memorable week-ends, but this one in particular was the best of many.

LOTF

The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.  Once there was this and that; and now--and the ship had gone. [... Jack refusing to give Piggy the floor when he has the conch...]
"The rules!" shouted Ralph.  "You're breaking the rules!"
"Who cares?"
Ralph summoned his wits.
"Because the rules are the only thing we've got!"
But Jack was shouting against him.
"Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!  If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down!  We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" (91)


This passage shows how out of order the boys way of life has gotten. The boys disregard the rules and there beginning way of life and strain to being beasts. There is only a small remaining group wants to maintain order and follow the rules. The other group has already adapted to the wildlife and do unnecessary things such as kill pigs for the pleasure. This shows that the boys become divided. The symbolic value shows to ways people react to being stranded.

comments

https://ianbsblogs.blogspot.com/2016/10/human-nature.html?showComment=1477501371735#c8079857158402728039 Ian Sabolik writing http://djsbloge1.blogspot.com/2016/10/lord-of-flies-response.html DJ's writing

LOTF

      LOTF is about lots of adolescent children stranded on an abandon island. The island is packed with resources, but the island is packed and the children are losing sanity. LOTF is very dark and intense, with many characters exchanging harsh words. The vivid detail in the book is amazing, for the first chapter it was no challenge to draw the illustrations. The book is a little hard to read because the book because I'm unfamiliar with some of the English vocabulary. The characters have developed lots since the beginning of the book.
    
        The book is very realistic in terms of how unorganized the ways of life are for them. Also the meetings are realistic as well because when thinking about a group of kids stranded o an island that's how imagined the meeting scenario. The only part that was unrealistic to me was the fact that coincidentally no adults survived the island plane crash. The book does a great job at capturing interactions of different characters, like Piggy and Ralph during the exposition. Lastly, William Golding also describes the setting nicely.

LOTF Human Nature

Humans are naturally want to fulfill their desires. Humans are naturally selfish and genuinely not good people. Naturally we want things for our own self interest and like to nitpick good things from the bad. If there were no profound teaching humans would steal and murder with the only basis as what makes you feel better. Humans must be taught right from wrong.
   
     Religion teaches us that stealing is wrong, religion tells us not kill or rape. Good manners are taught by parents, these fundamentals do not come to us naturally. The important people in our life guide us, they help control our natural desires to steal, or hurt someone who hurt you. These teachings in life are the reason humans developed in to what we are today, that life is not about what you want it's about what the human race needs and that's why are taught to share.

Comments

https://harambememelover.blogspot.com/2016/10/fall-break-post.html?showComment=1476976391707#c7965383918548201765 Makenzie- More on that Book https://maksbleach.blogspot.com/2016/10/more-on-that-book.html?showComment=1476976568107#c2625708295816667857

Free Post

My Fall Break was Interesting.

This Fall Break there was not a second of silence. I spent lots of my time spending time with friends.
I also spent time eating(lots), playing soccer, running, and watching movies. Fall Break was great and was a nice break to get some time off, although I feel Monday off would be nice. I'm sure everyone wants Monday off though.
The most memorable experience this Fall break was going to the movies with a friend. The movie was "What Now?" featuring Kevin Hart. The atmosphere in the movie was great, almost every seat was taken and laughing at a joke is best when everyone there is sharing a laugh. I also remember playing hours of soccer outside training a new kid to play soccer. Before I knew it Fall Break was over.

CHERUB reading review

Reading Response

This is my final response to Cherub, by Robert Muchamore. Now that I have finished the book I now see the roller coaster of emotions Cherub gave me. At some times the boom was a challenge from the use of vivid detail. I think the writing style for Cherub was more than enough for me to come back and read the next book. Vivid detail is why I will finish the series.
    At the beginning of Cherub I was very hesitant as to if I would even finish the book let lone the series. Cherub started out way too fast if pace, the pace in the book was so fast I thought Cherub was the second book in the series. As the book continued I adapted to the fast paced story of James enrolling in a secret spy agency. The book began to get very interesting and hooked me on, the disgusting vivid detail that made me cringe only increased my desire to keep reading. I can now happily say Cherub was few of many books to grasp my attention throughout the whole book.

Should We Abandon Louisiana? In Some Ways, We Already Have

 In Should We Abandon Louisiana? In Some Ways, We Already Have

Zach Kopplin, writer of the article, starts off by stating the horrific Louisiana floods did not get enough media attention. Zach says that the tragedy wasn't enough of a selling point-its the media conspiracy that gets people to care. I completely disagree with this, the Louisiana floods got plenty of attention, a trending tag on twitter brought attention to the devastating floods, many very popular online celebrities also donated money for families effected by the floods. Yes, major news channels didn't have broadcast over the floods, but compared to larger problems such as ISIS and North Korea. Were talking about a flood we can all recover from in one year or less, is this worthy to have national attention over bigger problems? The media may not always focus on the most important, but in times of despair not every problem wins the national spotlight. I believe the local news station brought plenty of attention to the floods.
     The flood in Louisiana and the natural disaster in Florida, I believe come from climate change. Well, what's responsible for all this, Zach states it's climate change. Personally I feel Louisiana will be forgotten very soon and will be abandon, people may take steps to prevent this, but Louisiana is a lost cause. Louisiana is not worth saving and should only be remembered for it's historical, remarkable past.

comments

https://derzzzzzz.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-squirrel-in-attic.html?showComment=1475721988727#c3279801587402931341 https://shamadaclan.blogspot.com/2016/09/short-story.html?showComment=1475722090844#c3971482896586423384

Turkey

Well, I'm going back to my roots. Turkey is my real home, I'm proud to be a Turk. Before I got to stare at the mountains and enjoy real Turkish delights, I had to travel 21 hours to get there. Flying was indefinitely the worst part, especially the security. Waiting for 3-4 hours for your flight, then sitting in an awkward position on a plane over seas.
     This isn't about how miserable my flight was, this is about my stay in Turkey. Staying with the Turkish family in the summer home on a mountain, walking one mile to the beautiful soccer field staring at the roofs of many other homes. The communication was easy, I fit in better in Turkey than I did in the States. I still dream of the unbelievable food, unforgettable. Last but not least, the people, everyone in Turkey was kind to everyone, things were so local, it felt like a community.

Responding to CHERUB

      Cherub, by Robert Muchamore, I'm towards the end of the first book in the series. I rate Cherub highly, Cherub is now one of few books that kept me fully engaged. The vivid detail was interesting, and was easy to picture in my mind. Some of the word choice was foreign to me because the book is from the UK. Also the character development of James was phenomenal, when James was in a rough area he started to develop into a rough kid, rather than have the original traits.
     Robert Muchamore, did a great job of adding the right amount of intensity. Example, James, must undergo intense training, he must go to Malaysia and risk his life just to be apart of a program. Intensity was not the only trait Robert Muchamore portrayed nicely. Robert Muchamore created the perfect ratio between vivid detail and leaving the reader to imagine. Robert Muchamore also made the characters make questionable decisions on purpose, this was genius because the decisions from the characters made me curious as to why, so I kept reading.

week 5 comments (blogger was broken)

https://griffsenglishblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/harrison-bergeron.html?showComment=1475503847050#c3105105942426969285 https://jordoniam.blogspot.com/2016/09/harrison-bergeron.html?showComment=1475503909174#c7642356948990386846

Giving Up Nameless

this is very dark, so heads up.


It's been two years ever since the disease went global. It's been years, and there's only three left. We were running short of food and our only only defense was one bullet in the chamber of my grandfather's pistol. I wasn't going to make to the age of twenty before I'd cough up dust and blood, or be torn apart by those. creatures. We walked 11 miles a day salvaging food, seeking refuge, looking for different colors besides the color gray. The calm, nice blue sky and tall green grass were only memories, the memories were ecstasy. Resting on the thin blanket in a cold, empty, abandon building, every night was torture, I was alone with my own thoughts.
     Little did I know there would soon be two of us left. I look at him to see the gun in his mouth with tears running down his cheeks, coward. All I could say was death is a luxury in times like these, he looked up at the lifeless sky and pulled the trigger. There was no time to show remorse, this world is too unforgiving. We walk only 2 minutes before we're graciously invited by someone who owns a refugee camp. At that very moment I learned time was more unforgiving than the world we live in.

Level 2 Question

Responding to Cherub, by Robert Muchamore. I'm responding to a level 2 question, how has James progressively changed throughout the Cherub training. James has changed lots throughout Cherub in a short amount of time. James has been in Cherub for 3 months and is beginning is basic training, a 100 day intense program. James has changed most in his 2 weeks so far, he's developed into a hardcore pain loving teen from a soft big boy. When James first attended Cherub, he had a large ego, yet he was soft. At his arrival James began to change as he was brutally beaten by a Cherub martial arts master. This is when James realized he had to toughen up if he wanted to stay in Cherub.

comments

https://wheatyl.blogspot.com/2016/09/dear-13-year-old-next-year-is-gonna-be.html?showComment=1474577087206#c6164930506459698523 https://jordoniam.blogspot.com/2016/09/cherub-mission-six.html?showComment=1474577135633#c5641013477446353670

Response

     I'm now far into the book Cherub, by Robert Muchamore. Yet again Robert Muchamore continues to impress me with his descriptive writing. The main character James undergoes training for the British intelligence. James is faced with a challenge and must take on an opponent. James is beaten badly and is left bloody. While reading this battle in class it was so vivid that I grew sick. The words ran so smooth I could imagine everything like it was on film. I stopped myself from reading on that scene for my own health.

I took a big positive out of this, I was very impressed.

11

     Dear 11 year olds, it's just a faze. Yes, we get it, you're committed to your style. Don't take selfies unless you want your face buried deep into your hands years later looking at the photo. Also, don't worry mistakes now will only help you in the future, so feel free to try things out. Lastly, be prepared to have a whole new set of friends in high school.

P.S,

Puberty rams you like a truck so start being self-confident you have no idea how far self confidence can take you in life.

9/11

On September 11, 2001, terrorists by the name of Khalid al-Mihdhar, Nawaf al-Hazmi,, Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah were avid extremists associated with Al-Quaeda .Osama Bin Laden, was responsible for the attack on the U.S. These men were responsible for the 4 planes causing mass destruction.
Two of the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center located in New York City.  One of the planes crashed into the Pentagon( headquarters for the U.S military). The 4th plane was of fought down by passengers which made the terrorists miss their target.
  Since the event people gather with open arms to honor people who unfortunately died during the 9/11 attack.

Cherub Linked

     Cherub, by Robert Muchamore is a very unique book in my opinion. In a way it was genius of Robert Muchamore to reel me in. It's so rare for me to be fully engaged into a book and this book has me linked. I've come up for the reason why.
     This book displays the protagonist as a bad person, but with good potential. The main character James is a bad kid but only because he has problems no kid should have. I've always loved character development and I'm getting a sense as to what is to come later in Cherub.

Running That Big Mile

     The night before I couldn't stop thinking about this very moment. This kept me up all night and it's happening right here, right now. Glancing at my opponents, judging them by their cover, never coming to the conclusion that you're over-analyzing everything. Stepping on the starting line. Thoughts are flying non-stop I can't focus. So much adrenaline that I could collapse and all of a sudden it all comes together right at the end of the first lap. I never recalled running the first 300 meters. I feel weightless running this fast, I think I can run so fast forever. Preventing myself from getting carried away, I'm being kind to my future self. Everything hits at the end of the second lap, no more people cheering on names that I've never heard, no more friends giving me support. It's just me and other runners feeling the same pain and thinking that one thought. "Why do I keep doing this to myself?" My legs burn so much, it feels and sounds like I'm on a different planet trying to salvage air. My brain says stop, but my body pushes through. I see the end. Time to put on the after burners. Almost done, I'm running so fast the pain cant catch up, my one focus is that finish line...Crossing the finish line and stopping after finishing feels like the rear ended by a truck, the pain just hit me. It felt like an eternity, but glancing at the time only 5 minutes. Strange to think microwaving food can take longer.

Cherub

Kaya Rende





     Currently I'm reading Cherub, by Robert Muchamore. The book is directed to young adults. I assume this due to the harsh vocabulary and the scene of the book. Although I'm familiar with the vocabulary of the book it is hard to understand to an extent because the author, Robert Muchamore is from England.
    James doesn't relate to a large amount of readers. A lot of things made James stand out as a character. He's not a good kid, usually the main protagonist is a teen who's a great kid. It was good to have a character twist though.

Kaya Rende



Some things I like to do.
     To start off I'm a huge fan of soccer and due to this love I've grown a big interest in world flags. The reason I like to play soccer is because it's so tactical and not only does it require physical ability, but mental as well. . Other the things I like to do is play PC/console games, I love playing video games ever since I was young, the first one I recall playing is  Lego Indiana Jones. Also, I like building various desktops.
Things that I don't like to do.
     This one's strange, but I really don't like to hold conversations for more than an hour. Another thing, I don't like waking up early for school. Studies prove that delaying school to start at 8:30 or 9:00 can improve standardized test points by 2 percentile points. Lastly, I don't like to run in the sun, I would much prefer to run in the rain.

One of thing I noticed while reading The Loners, by Lex Thomas, was that not really any of the characters in the book are good people. An example would be David's girlfriend Hilary, who cheated on him with a guy named Sam. I wonder why everyone was driven to insanity so quickly, obviously the matter of the whole situation was bad and traumatizing, but in a book that tries to get you immersed into actually being there. There were so many impractical decisions that ruined the experience. What I disliked most was the fact that everyone in the school ran off into their own groups the second everything went down. Example, The jocks would run off together, the nerds would, and the "whores" would as well. something that surprised me was the fact that the military cut off all food supplies to high school kids when they got desperate. I was disappointed to read about the military to be so irrational, of course kids would be desperate for food and would do anything to survive, so the military should've expected retaliation.
     What I find confusing is how quick to turn against each other they become. They start killing each other for food, which is very hard to make sense of considering how close to reality the author makes of the situation.