Olivia's Blog

TKAM Ch. 26-29 Journal #7: Scout

2009-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

My assessment of the past few months is hard to explain. It’s been a hard and exciting time, yet scary too. School started again. School is very boring and I feel like I could learn more being out in the real world than stuck in a classroom all day. One time my teacher my talking about the Jews over in Germany and how they’re being persecuted by Hitler. She said that’s the difference between us and Germany and that alledgedly we don’t persecute anyone. I don’t understand how this can be true though because I overheard her talking at the courthouse and she was talking bad about the colored people. That’s persecuting isn’t it? I tried to ask Jem about it but when I mentioned the courthouse he got real mad at me, so I didn’t bring it up again.
Bob Ewell got fired at his job at the WPA. Atticus said it was from laziness, but Bob blamed it on Atticus. I thought this was somewhat true, but it was Bob Ewell’s fault. He ended up threatening Atticus and it made Jem and I real scared for him. Another thing that added to our fears was that Judge Taylor’s house was almost broken into, but he was home the robber left.
I over heard Atticus talking and I found out that Mr. Ewell was giving Helen a hard time when she walked to Link Deas’ place to work. He told Bob to stop and he did. I thought it was very nice of Mr. Deas to offer Helen a job, seeing as her husband died and she has kids to feed.
Halloween came up and this year there was a pageant. I was to play the part of a ham. The costume was an inconvienced but I consented to wear it. I thought that Atticus and Aunt Alexandra would go watch the play, but they were both too tired so I acted out my part in front of them and Calpurnia. They said I was a very nice ham.
When the pagean night came Jem walked me to the auditorium. On the way there Cecil scared us, it was a good joke. When the play started I sat down on the ground to await my turn to go on stage. I think I fell asleep but I woke up to the band playing and I thought that maybe I could go and catch up with all the rest of them without being noticed. I came out when Mrs. Merriweather was carrying the state flag. Everybody laughed really hard and Mrs. Merriweather made me feel really bad about “ruining her play”.
On the way back from the play something really scary happened. I was wearing my ham costume and Jem and I were walking home in the pitch black dark. Jem heard something and we stopped, then I heard something finally, and we were attacked! Everything was all a blur because I couldn’t see, I kept tripping and I heard Jem yell out. Someone came to help us though and he carried Jem back to our house. Jem had a broken arm; I was alright but bruised up.
I had to explain to Atticus and Sheriff what happened. Sheriff said that Jem didn’t stab Mr. Ewell, but Atticus said he did. I understood what Atticus was saying, but Sheriff finally convinced Atticus that he didn’t.
Then I pointed to the man who had helped us, who was standing in the corner. It was then that I realized it was Boo Radley.
“Hey, Boo,” I said.

TKAM Ch. 16-19 Journal #6: Atticus

2009-05-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the day of the case. I don’t know if we’ll win, but I’m hoping that the jury will actually listen to what we have to say. They won’t be PREJUDICE with Tom even though he’s black. Everyone from all over came to Maycomb to see the case. They did not come with SUBTLETY either. They packed picnics and sat outside the courthouse. I asked the kids not to come downtown.
I was trying to be calm about the case. Heck Tate came to the stand first. He told what he said was what happened and I asked him some questions. I find it interesting that no one called a doctor for poor Mayella. Tate described her injuries and then Mr. Ewell was called up to the stand. There home and their family life is not a good one. The possibility that it was actually Bob Ewell who raped Mayella is a big one. When he said his story, it was hard for me to pay attention. I already know that Tom is innocent. As much as I hate to say it Bob Ewell is trash. I’m sure that he’s lying and he’s just putting the blame on Tom.
I learned in his questioning that he was left handed and Mayella was hit in the left eye. I know that it’s possible for someone’s right hand to hit someone’s left eye, but that is IRRELEVENT because she had bruise marks made by a left hand.
Then Mayella was called to the stand. She told her side of the story. Some things matched up, but the timing and people’s roles were wrong. She started crying and she was crying about me. I felt so sorry for her because I knew her father was probably the one who had done this FRAUD. I was somewhat surprised that she got mad at me for calling her ma’am and things like that. I know that she probably has never been treated with respect and when I called her that she thought I was making fun of her, which I wasn’t. I left Judge Taylor to deal with that PREDICAMENT. She was having a hard time describing the events that happened. I suppose it was hard to lie when it was your father who had done something like that to you.
I confronted her outright and asked if it were her father who had raped her, but she stated very clearly that he had done nothing to hurt her. I felt so bad for making her hate me, I wish I didn’t have to speak the truth.
Tom Robinson was called up next, as he was my only witness. He told his story, which to me made the most sense. He didn’t fumble at all while he was talking, except to say that something wasn’t fit for the children and women to hear. He’s a nice man and very respectable, Mr. Link Deas even stood up in court to say so. He was sent out then, but I thought it was very nice of him to say something like that.
When Mr. Gilmer questioned him, I got rather mad. He treated Tom like he was nothing, like he wasn’t important. Tom answered COMPLACENTLY though, he didn’t give any trouble. I saw movement up on the balcony and I wondered who had left. So far the case wasn’t going bad, but I’m not sure if the jury is in our favor. It’s hard to educate people in a courtroom.

TKAM Ch. 13-15 Journal #5: Dill

2009-05-17T14:35:00.001-07:00

I had to run away. I couldn’t stay with my family anymore. I know they don’t hate me, but they don’t need me. I was tired of being told to go somewhere else and to be basically told that I wasn’t wanted. So I ran away to Scout. Maycomb is my real home since it’s where I’m most happy. I had taken 13 dollars from my mom’s purse and got on the 9 o’clock train to Maycomb. I walked a long away to Jem and Scout’s house. When I got here I had to hide under the bed for about 2 hours. It was all stuffy and cramped under here, and when I heard them eating it drove me crazy! I was so hungry.
Finally Jem and Scout went to bed. I had just stuck my arm out to get out from under the bed when Scout stepped on it! I pulled it back fast and I heard her call out to Jem. They thought I was a snake! I waited until Jem poked me with a broom until I stuck my head out. Apparently I scared him real bad because he tried to hit me but he missed. When I saw Scouts face she looked surprised but I think she looked happy. She asked how I got here and I told her this long, exciting story. Then Jem asked how I got here and I told them the less exciting version.
Jem said I should let my mother know where I am. It was when he said this that I realized how much he changed. He was acting like a grown up. Then he did something an adult would do; he went and called Atticus. I wasn’t that scared of Atticus himself, I was scared that he was going to send me back. He was nice enough though; he told Scout to give me something to eat and then I said should take a bath. I was scared when I heard Aunt Rachel’s voice in the hall. She talked a lot and I tried to be on my best behavior through out the whole thing. At the end she said I could stay for a night and I smiled because I knew I would probably get to stay longer.
I went to sleep in Jem’s room. It was kind of hard to sleep with a traitor but I knew he meant well so I didn’t get mad at him that much. Early in the morning I crept into Scout’s room. She looked real peaceful lying there asleep. There wasn’t any room for me so I punched her to get her to scoot over. She asked why I had run away and I tried to explain to her. Scout’s got Jem to be with when Atticus is away. When Jem leaves Scout she always has Calpurnia. I don’t’ have anyone when my parents send me away. I think they love me but they have a funny way of showing it.
I started getting really sleepy and I just said whatever came to my mouth. Then Scout asked why Boo Radley never ran away, I told her what I thought was true, that he had no where to run to.
I was allowed to stay in Maycomb after a lot of pleading and convincing. It was a nice week with Scout and Jem. I missed being with those two. There was something different however about his stay, their Aunt Alexandra was there. She was an interesting woman. We were all sitting in the living room one evening when there was a knock on the door. Atticus went out to go meet with whoever it was. We looked out the window and saw it was a big group of people. They were talking about the Robinson guy, and they all seemed kind of nervous. They left eventually though.
A couple days later Scout and Jem appeared at my window. I followed them out to the sidewalk where I asked them what’s going on. Scout said that Jem’s got the look-arounds and then he said he’s just got this feeling. We walked down town and wound up at the jail. Some cars pulled up and men got out and surrounded Atticus. They started talking and the Scout ran over to Atticus. Jem and I followed; it looked kind of dangerous over there. The men started saying that Atticus had to get us out of there. Then Scout started talking to one of them like she knew him. It was Mr. Cunningham. She started talking about Walter Cunningham and entailments. He didn’t acknowledge her at first, but then he nodded. She just kept talking, oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at her. When she finally realized this she asked, “What’s the matter?” Then Mr. Cunningham put his hands on her shoulders and said, “I’ll tell him you say hey, little lady.” Then everyone got in their car and left. Atticus talked to Mr. Underwood, and then we all went home. Scout and I walked together, watching Atticus and Jem up ahead.

TKAM Ch. 10-11 Jounral #4: Scout

2009-05-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Did you know Atticus was called One-Shot Finch? Well I didn’t, and I don’t know why people don’t tell me these things. Here Jem and I were thinking that Atticus was just old and couldn’t do anything, when really I think he’s the bravest man I know. He shot that crazy dog in one shot! Right in the head! Jem and I were walking down the street when we saw Tim Johnson was walking all funny toward us. He was a long way off but Jem wanted to go run and tell Cal. He did, and Cal called Atticus. When everyone was inside and the gun was brought out it was scary. Everything was silent as Tim Johnson slowly came into view. Atticus had to take the gun and it me scared half to death! He was too old to shoot a mad dog, wasn’t he? He aimed the gun, and his body seemed to relax. He was perfectly still and right when Tim Johnson leapt to come toward us, Atticus shot him! It was a perfect shot; anyone or anything that’s being aimed at by Atticus is in peril. I wanted to tell everyone at school about Atticus, but Jem said that I shouldn’t. If Atticus had wanted everyone to know about it he would’ve, instead of remaining inconspicuous.
I guess Jem wanted a change of scenery, or maybe he felt more grown up or something, because we went further to meet Atticus after work. To do this we had to go past Ms. Dubose’s house. I would rather not do this, but Jem said I had to grow up. She was the meanest old lady that ever lived. She always talked bad about Atticus and made me feel real embarrassed because he was taking that Tom person’s case. Jem always got the maddest though. When I say mad I mean crazy. He had just bought me my baton and we were walking back from town. When we came to Ms. Dubose’s house she wasn’t on the porch. Then Jem ran into her yard with my baton and cut all the flowers off her plants. Then took my baton and snapped it in a half! I started screaming and he told me to shut up, but I didn’t and he kicked me and I fell. He didn’t seem at all sorry for being cantankerous, but he seemed sorry about making me fall. We went home to wait for Atticus.
When he came through the door, his voice called out to Jem. It didn’t sound like a happy voice. Atticus had my baton in his hand as he walked in the room, and he asked Jem if he were responsible, but he asked it in a way that seemed like he already knew. Jem said yes, I don’t think he even thought to contridict Atticus. Atticus told Jem to go talk to Ms. Dubose, I was going to go with him in case she shot him with her CSA pistol, but Atticus called me back.
When Jem came back he said that she had told him he had to read to her for 2 hours for a month! It was a horrible punishment but I went with him every time. It was awful; I tried not to look at her. She had a lot of spit that always came out of her mouth. Her mouth always moved as if it were saying inaudible things but it was moving by itself I think. She would always pick on Jem and correct him at every word he said wrong or couldn’t say at all. As soon as the alarm clock went off we got out of there fast. One time Atticus came by, and I found out that she had been setting it later and later each time. Finally it was over for good though and me and Jem were free!
One evening we were all together and Atticus got a call from Ms. Dubose and he went over her house. When he came back he told us she had died. I didn’t know what I felt. I think it would be wrong to feel happy that someone died, so I settled on relief. Atticus said she was a morphine addict and that she was trying to get herself off of it. She died with a clean system, which Jem told me was a good thing. Atticus said that there was more to bravery than shooting something and that Ms. Dubose was a great lady. I’m not sure I believe that because she sure was mean to us, but when I left the room Jen was playing with the petals on the flower Ms. Dubose had given to him. I thought that was a nice thing to do even for a sick, mean lady.

TKAM Ch 8-9 journal #3: Atticus

2009-05-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

I’m having a hard time with Jem and Scout. Don’t get me wrong, I love them both and I think they are the greatest things in my life. It’s just hard raising them without a mother, and I wonder if I’m doing the right things. Their Aunt sure doesn’t think so; it was so hard to take all the woman’s complaining. I felt bad for Scout the most; she was always getting picked on. I suppose that she could be more girly, but with an older brother as her idol, I don’t think she knows any better. In time I think she will be become acquainted with the feminine side of life, even if right now she’s perplexed on why some one would want to wear a dress.
The children seem to be fanatical with Boo Radley. It gets worse when Dill comes and I’m debating whether or not I should have a serious talk with them. When poor Mrs. Radley died the children asked if I had seen Boo, which I hadn’t. More excitement came when snow appeared the next morning. It was the coldest winter is God knows how long. I was in the middle of shaving when Scout started screaming, of course I ran to her, only to find that she had discovered snow. She and Jem were so excited; it made me happy just to see them happy.
When I cam home from dinner, I found that Jem had done good work while I was away. He and Scout had created a likeness of Mr. Avery and even though I thought it was very funny, I couldn’t let them keep it the front yard. They disguised it a little, which satisfied me. I made sure to compliment Jem, he deserved it.
I awoke in the middle of the night to the smell of burning smoke. My first thought was the children; I needed to get them out. I saw that it was Ms. Maudie’s house, the one adjacent to ours. Once we all got outside I made sure they were well away from the flames. After everything was done, we all went back inside the house. I noticed a blanket around Scout’s shoulders, and they informed that they didn’t know where or who it had come from. I came to the conclusion that it was Boo Radley himself, since he would’ve been the only one able to do that.
I’m not really making any progress with my case. Everyone is giving me a hard time about it, but I can handle it. It’s when people give my children a hard time about it is when it really makes me angry. I told Scout not to fight with anyone that called me that stupid name; I told here that it would make me angry. She’s too young to understand why I would defend Tom Robinson. The world is changing; we can’t have separate people in a place where we are supposed to be united. I’m proving something to myself by taking on this case, even if I know I won’t win it.
The relatives are always a hard time to overcome. Scout’s Aunt Alexandra isn’t the easiest person to get a long, but I put on a brave face for Jem and Scout. It doesn’t when Scout has taken on the liking of cussing. Alexandra gives me a hard time about raising her. I do the best I can and Calpurnia helps a lot, but it seems like Alexandra doesn’t approve. We left Finch Landing early, Scout got in some trouble with Francis. Jack took care of it, not the way I would’ve done, but he’s learning. I gave him some advice when we got back home and we had a conversation about the Robinson case. It was nice talking to an adult that understands.

TKAM Ch. 4-7 Journal 2: Dill

2009-05-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

I always have a good time when I come to Maycomb. It’s definitely because of Scout and Jem, without them the summer would be long and boring. The best part is when we do stuff with Boo Radley. This summer we acted out whole scenes of Boo’s life. Jem always got to fake stab me in the leg with the scissors. Sometime we quibbled about which part we would play but we mostly got fair turns. One time though we were so caught up in the play that none of us noticed Atticus standing there watching us. We stopped real quick though when we saw him. He would get mad at us for acting out the things we did and he would say that we were tormenting Boo.

It all started the first day I came back. I had told Jem and Scout about the Hot Steam’s and Jem got mad at Scout for disagreeing with him. Scout wanted to be pushed in the tire and when Jem pushed her he pushed her right into Boo Radley’s yard! Scout got real scared and was frozen for a little and then ran back to us. Jem then got the idea to act out Boo Radley, which we did all summer long.

I started hanging out with Jem a lot more. Me and Scout’s relationship teetered on the edge most of the time though. I wasn’t sure if she was mad at me for proposing to her then leaving her out almost always. She started hanging out Miss Maudie, who I think is a nice lady. She makes us cakes and lets us explore her backyard. I felt bad because of me and Jem’s evasion of Scout, but Jem seemed intent on not hanging out with a “girl”, as he says.

One day I started thinking that Boo might like some company. If he had survived the tyranny of his father he might want some friends to talk to. Jem and I decided to give him a note by sticking it through the shutter. We were right in the middle of doing it when Atticus comes walking by! I started ringing the alarm bell even though I knew it would do no good. Atticus got really mad but I think that we could agree unanimously that he was trying hard to keep a straight face. He had tricked Jem with some fancy words and probably found it funny.

On the last night before I left Maycomb we went for a walk. Jem and I had already planned on peeking in Boo Radley’s window. We hadn’t planned on Scout coming along, but she did, which I didn’t mind. We went around the back fence and crept real quietly up to the back porch. I looked in the window and didn’t see anything except a little bit of light. Jem wanted to go on the porch, I figured he’d be ok because he’d already touched the house before and he hadn’t gotten killed. When he stood on the step it squeaked really loud, Jem was scared and then hopped up to the top. Then he crawled to the window, it was easy to see him because the moon was really bright that night. I looked over at Scout to see if she was ok, and when I did I don’t think I had ever seen someone so scared in my entire life. I looked in the direction of where she was looking at and saw the most terrifying thing ever. It was a shadow and it was going to kill Jem! We ran out of there as fast as we could. Everything was a blur, there was a gunshot, then we went under a fence, then Jem lost his pants, there was screaming, and then back to the street.

We ran to the crowd that was around the Radley place where I had to come up with a lie to explain Jem’s lost pants. In the end it was all ok, and I had to say goodbye to Jem and Scout for the summer. I was about to leave, but decided to kiss Scout because we were engaged after all. I can’t wait till I come back next summer, that’s the best time out of the whole year.

TOKM Ch.1-3 Journal #1: Jem

2009-05-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

This summer had been a great one, probably, well maybe, the most the exciting one yet. We got Dill this summer from Meridian. He came for the summer to stay with his aunt, but he left when school started. He was always thinking of crazy things to do, he dared me to touch the Radley Place! Dill was fascinated by the house, he would stare it at and wonder what was going on inside. I told him the absolute truth about Boo. Miss Crawford told me everything about what happened. But that didn’t stop Dill, no way. He wanted to make Boo come out of the house! I already knew that he came out at night and walked around town. Dill didn’t care that Boo was one malevolent person. One day Dill made a bet that I couldn’t go past the front gate. I was real scared at first; wouldn’t you be intimidated if you had to go up to where Boo Radley lived? I had never said no to any dare, but this one was a tough one. I could die! Finally Dill irked me enough by saying that I was too scared and that people from Meridian were braver than people in Maycomb. So I walked to the corner and stood there staring at the house. I was trying to think of a way to not put my life in danger when Dill made a compromise, he said that all I had to do what just touch the house, and he wouldn’t consider the dare declined. So I said yes, and ran as fast as I could, touched the house, and ran back faster than I’d ever run away from that cursed house.
When Dill had to leave it was a sad day. I had been nice having some one to run around with me and Scout. In the summer Scout is the best, she’ll go a long with all of my pronouncements no matter if they’re true or not. I just speak my mind and Scout believes it. I told her that when school starts it’ll be different. I can’t have my little sister following me everywhere. Even if we do have a lot of fun re-enacting scenes from books and having adventures, school is my place to be older.
I had to walk her to school the first day. (Atticus persuaded me.) It wasn’t that bad, not too many people saw me so I wasn’t upset or anything. My morning was uneventful, but when I asked Scout how hers was, it was a different story. The new teacher, Miss Caroline, had gotten irritated that Scout could read. I didn’t see the problem but Miss Caroline was using a new teaching method and I figured she knew best, she was beautiful after all. Scout just had to persevere through the day, it was her first and she needed to get used to it.
At lunch time I walk out and I see Scout messing up a Cunningham. It saw that it was Walter as I walked closer. I told her to stop; it was unfair that she was bigger than he was. She then explained how Miss Caroline had gotten her in trouble. I don’t think it was Miss Caroline’s fault any more than it was Scout’s. Miss Caroline is new to the town; she wouldn’t know everybody’s business like everyone else does. I felt bad for Walter though and invited him to lunch.
Calpurnia cooked a real good meal, but I guess Walter felt the need to add molasses to everything. I understood though, he probably never gets to have the stuff. Scout did not get this at all though and she asked very rudely what he was doing. Walter got all ashamed and Calpurnia asked Scout to come in the kitchen. I could hear some of what Calpurnia said to her and I felt bad. Scout was so young, but how else was she supposed to learn about the ways of people?
There was more trouble after lunch, with Burris. Scout told me everything that Saturday in between trips of taking supplies up to me in the tree house. He was very mean to Miss Caroline and he shouldn’t have said those things. I think she’ll get used the ways of Maycomb though; it’ll just take some time.
- Jem

Immigration Reflection

2009-03-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Immigration Project Reflection

Olivia Pardo

I enjoyed reading my lit circles book a lot. Hello, America was more of story than a history book. I was definitely happy with my choice because this book kept me interested in the life of a young Jewish immigrant. It taught me a lot about what immigrants had to go through back then to start a life. I learned that they usually went through services that helped them find jobs and get in contact with people that would help them settle in. I didn't know this and I thought it was nice that people would go through a lot of trouble to help new immigrants. My book wasn't a really long book but I think some people needed more time to read the required amount of pages each lit circle meeting. The only thing I would add to the LC process is more time to complete the reading part of the assignment. I like blogging for the assignments but I like meeting in person better. I like it better in person because when everybody reads, we have better discussions about what's going on in the book. On the blogs it's hard to talk about things because we aren't talking in person. The only other problem with blogging was that my Internet wasn't working for a lot of the time and it would have been easier if I was filling out a DJ instead of having to get on the Internet. I like the format better of the the blog posts than the DJ though, it was so much better than filling out everything in the DJ.

My novel didn't really focus on the concentration camps that Elli and her mother had to go through. I wanted to make this the main idea in my painting to bring attention to it. I wanted to show them escaping the Czech Republic to come to America for a better life. I've never had to go through something as horrible as they went through, but I've moved around a lot all my life. Each move was made to get my family to someplace better, a bigger house, a better job, whatever was needed. Elli's family is like mine in this way because we both moved to someplace better. I feel like my painting turned out good because to me it tells my thoughts very well. I think that if I had put more detail into painting the barbed wire fence it would have looked better as if I had spent more time on it. I liked reflecting in this way more because it allowed me to be more creative in displaying my thoughts. I liked coming up with a way to show what I was thinking in a way besides writing. I learned to visualize my thoughts and I learned how to make them clearer and easier to understand.

Another part that I liked about this project was the in person interview. I think I liked this part because I knew the person I interviewed so it felt a lot more comfortable talking to her instead of a stranger. It was easy talking about her life and asking her questions. The in person interview was the only one that I actually enjoyed because all the others were somewhat boring. I think that we could have combined the interviews at least into just two because the questions could be put together and still make sense. The things I learned from doing an interview over the phone was that because the person can't see your face, your voice has to express your feelings to show that your excited, curious, or surprised. While doing an interview in person you have to use your voice and your body language to show that you're interested in the person's story. I never did an email interview but I guess you might want to comment on some of their answers instead of just saying thanks or not answering at all.

Talking to someone who had been through the immigration process helped me understand how an immigrant felt coming here and what things effected them. My person didn't really talk about the immigration process but more about adjusting to America. She also immigrated more recently so there wasn't a lot of problems and issues with legal things. Since I know my person very well, I want to put a lot of effort into my gift for her. I think also because we are close she will appreciate my gift more because she knows me. I'm happy I get to give her something in return for taking a long amount of time with me helping me with this project.

Hello, America #6

2009-03-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Quote #1: Elli: "Are you interested in the presidential campaign?"

Significance: It shows how Elli is adjusting to her life in America. By now she's been here a while, and she's becoming very familiar with America. She is involved in the presidential campaign, showing that she is part of the U.S now and she wants to see who will lead her country. She cares about America and wants to be a part of it.

Personal connection: I can connect because I feel like Elli does. When I am new too something, or I don't know much about it, I don't really care for it. Once I get used to it I start to become more involved, like Elli. I care about what is going to happen next, and how I can influence it.

Question #1: Are the presidential candidates in the book actual real ones from the past?

Quote #2: Elli: I want you to be proud of me, Papa!

Significance: This shows how Elli's life was back home. She obviously loved her dad a lot and wanted to come to America because it was her father's dream country. Every thing that she did in America was to help her family and try to make her dad proud. Even though her father's dead, Elli still wants to have the life in America that her father would've wanted her and her mother to have.

Character judgement, Elli's father: Elli's father must have been a very good person for Elli to try as hard she does to make him proud. He seems like he influenced Elli to dream big and work hard. From what Elli and her family have said about her father, she has a lot of his personality in her and it makes her a better person.

Question #2: Did the book ever say her father's name?

Hello, America #5

2009-03-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Quote #1 Elli: "Camp?" I ask, astonished.

Significance: This reminds Elli of how her life was back in her home country. When she was asked to be a counselor at summer camp she thought it meant a concentration camp. It shows how much the concentration camps effected her and her life. Elli doesn't know everything about America, which is why she thought America would actually even have concentration camps.

Personal connection: I can connect because Elli talked about how she felt like an outsider when she went to the summer camp and I felt that way when I first went to summer camp because a lot of other people had been there the summer before and they were all friends.

Question #1: Elli doesn't talk much about what happened in the concentration camps, do you think her experience was bad, or horrifying?

Quote #2, Elli's class: "Open it! Open it!"

Significance: This shows how people treat Elli in America. Her class of 1st graders all love her and gave her a gift at the end of the year. It shows that Elli is well liked by all and she is being welcomed in America. She is adjusting well to her new life.

Personal connection: At the end of 5th grade my class gave our teacher a gift too to show that we'd miss her when we left the school to go on to middle school. We didn't give her bowl
like Elli's class did but we still gave her a gift.
Question: Will Elli see her class again and will they remember her or forget about her?

Hello, America #4

2009-03-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Quote #1 Elli: "I... I didn't know. Where I come from... Czechoslovakia... in Czechoslovakia we hitch rides on the highway all the time."

Significance: This shows what Elli's life was like back in her home country. She learned a lesson in America to not take rides from strangers, something she thought she could do. Back in her home country she could get a ride from anyone without worrying about being in danger. She has to learn that in America you just can't do that.

Personal connection: I can connect to this because everybody has learned something new when they travel to different places. You always find out about things that you can do in your own home that you can't do in other places.

Question: Is Elli going to be as trusting now?

Quote #2: Roberto: "Are you a newcomer in this country?"

Significance: Roberto shows how people have treated Elli. Almost everybody has treated her with kindness and teaches her new things. Roberto seems to be interested a lot in Elli, it showed when he taught her how to play tennis and asked her out on a date. Everybody seems to be interested in Elli and it shows that she's having a good time making her life and getting more comfortable with America.

Character judgement: Roberto seems to be a nice guy. I think he's actually a little scared of Elli when he heard her make that speech because he didn't think she was actually smart. But then he asked her out for another date to talk and he seemed like he was saying goodbye which confused me because he seemed like he was a really interested in Elli,

Question: What happened to Roberto? He seemed really sad when he dropped Elli off...

Hello, America #3

2009-02-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Quote #1, Elli: I can’t believe it. No business license?

Significance: This shows the challenges that Elli faces in America. She doesn’t know a lot of things that would benefit her and help rise in the world. She could miss opportunities that would make her life better because she doesn’t know all she could do or have.

Personal connection: My personal connection is that I have been in this situation before. When I don’t know something that would help me I end up having to go through a lot more than I had to. I don’t know all of my options and I don’t benefit from it.

Question: Have you been in this situation before? What was it?

Quote #2, Elli: Sally and Evelyn have become my close friends.

Significance: This shows that Elli is being treated well by people n America. Her, Sally, and Evelyn grow close and they show her what tuna and a milkshake are. They know that she’s not from America and they enjoy showing her new things.

Personal connection: This has happened to me in my old school where I was the only new kid in the 5th grade class. Even though I was new everyone was nice and I made really good friends on my first day. They showed me around and ate lunch with me and welcomed me into their group.

Question: Does Elli really love Alex?

Hello, America #2

2009-02-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Quote #1 Elli, narration: Our first Passover Seder in America- it is a happy event after all.

Significance: The significance is that Elli and her family are bringing their own religion to America. Elli was worried that things wouldn't be the same in America but the Passover Seder turns out alright in the end. In the beginning she was wondering if it was a good thing that they started their journey on the sabbath and ended on it and now she knows that it was "a good omen", as she puts it.

Personal connection: I connect to this because I would feel exactly the same as Elli does. I would be happy that I could do the same thing I did back in my own country in a new one. It would make me feel like my old life hadn't been forgotten even though I'd traveled somewhere totally different.

Question: Do you think religion is very important to Elli personally or is it more of a family tradition that makes her feel at home?

Quote #2 Uncle Martin: "Being a newcomer is a learning experience."

Significance: This answers "the hardships they had to endure" question. Elli and her mother didn't know you couldn't just leave your grocery cart full of bought items outside a store or else someone will steal it. Elli says that to her it was as if her trust was broken in America. She had thought that in America everything would be perfect and that there wouldn't be thieves and bad things. She and her mother have to learn a lot about the new life they will start.

Personal connection: I feel like how she does sometimes. When I trust that people are good enough to not do something bad, but then they do. Like Elli I'm disappointed that people can't be good enough inside to realize that it's wrong. An example would be like something similar to what happened with Elli, when my phone got stolen at school I thought that someone would be good enough to turn it in, but they didn't and I was disappointed.

Question: What other kinds of mistakes will Elli make?

Hello, America #1

2009-02-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

Quote #1 pg. 22, Elli: My God. In America, time has stood still. Staggering amounts of food, consumed with apparent unconcerns. Such a glut of food and drink... taken for granted!

The signifigance is how their life was like in their home country. Elli's saying that over there there wasn't enough food to go around, but over in America there's so much food and life is so different. To Elli it seems like no one is going hungry and there is no trouble to cause pain. Elli realizes that alot of people in America have never experienced war and she knows they take a lot of things for granted.

I can connect to the story because whenever I go somewhere completely new everything always seems weird to me. Everything is different and I'm not used to the way life is like Elli feels.

Question: Is America still like this compared to other countries?3

Quote #2 pg. 28, Bubi: "We are here, safe and sound, and Shabbes is not even over yet."

The signifigance is how Elli and her family keep their culture in America. Elli and her brother, Bubi, had to walk around the city because their religion didn't allow them to drive and do alot of other things on their Sabbath. Just like how Elli had to ask the captain of their ship for them to board early because they couldn't board a ship on their Sabbath. Her family isn't going to stop practicing their religion in America, they're going to remember their old culture and keep doing it.

Character judgement, Elli: Elli seems very hardworking and cares alot about her family. It showed when she went to go talk to the captain of the ship by herself so that her and her mother could board early. I thought this was very brave and caring of her to do.

Question: What is Shabbes?

Museum Reflection

2009-02-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Haven to Home

The purpose of this exhibit was showing the life of Jews and how they came to America to start a new life. They came here to escape the discrimination and poverty they faced in Europe. Most of them settled in New York's lower East Side and Boston's North End. Over time they all spread out because of different jobs and what lifestyle they wanted to have. Some went to the country while others stayed in the city. In the 1820's the Synagogues is America started adpating. This was because new people were coming over from europe, a younger generation was changing the old ways.

As they came over to America, the problems in Europe got worse. Adolf Hitler had begun the Holocaust, and the Jews in America wanted to help the Jews that were being slaughtered in Europe. In 1924 America had set an immigration limit, and during the time of the Holocaust only around 100,000 Jews escaped Europe to come to America. I thought this was really sad but I know that America couldn't house every Jew in the world.

I learned some interesting things from the exhibit and from all the pictures. I learned that when the Jews first came Congress didn't want them to participate in law. To stop this they made it so that they had to swear on the Bible, so Jews couldn't participate because they worship the Torah. Eventually the Jewish people were accepted. They were encouraged to learn English, apply for citizenships, and participate in elections.

Some Jews didn't let go of their pasts and they continued to celebrate all the holidays. They often lived in communities and celebrating brought them all together. They celebrated their new life in America. I saw a picture of a Menorah that had the Staue of Liberty for each of the candle holders. I thought this showed how much the Jews appreciated America and the life they had. Women became more active and the Jewish women participated alot in the civil rights movement.

Even though Jews had settled in America some people were still against them. Henry Ford was thought to be a part of the KKK. There was a picture of him on one of the walls with a KKK member's arm around Ford's shoulder. People were still against Jews, but I think more people didn't have a problem with them than people who were against.

Children of Immigrants

The photo I picked is titled "The Furio's Family Restauraunt." The picture shows four people standing in front of a restauraunt. There is an older couple with their arms around eachother. On either side there are two men half turned to the couple. The woman is wearing a dress and the man standing with her is wearing a plain shirt. Both men on either side are wearing white undershirts and denim pants or shorts. Behind them is a sign that says "Furio's Family Restauraunt, PIZZA." Then it has a number to call. The photograph is dated 1998.

I chose it because my favorite food is pizza, and all the Italian immigrants that immigrated to America have effected my life. They brought part of their culture here to share and I'm happy they did. I like how it has the family together because it shows that they are all trying to have a better life and they are all working together.

My quote that I chose is this: "The greatest thing I hoped for in my life is to become a succesful person and to have a family and friends to support me, not to be looked at by the color of my skin but also who I am inside." -Samira Durakovic, Yugoslavia. I chose it because alot of people say they don't want to be judged by the color of their skin, but Durakovic also says what she wants to happen instead. She says that she wants friends and family to support her and for people to see whats underneath her skin. This seems to be what alot of non-white people have to say and I think that if they're all saying it then it must be important.

Immigration Reflection

2009-02-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

An immigrant is someone who goes to another country from an entirely different one. An immigrant would come to another country because there life in their old one wasn't good. Usually because they and/or their family live in poverty and they weren't happy with their life. Sometimes only one member of the family will go to work and live in another country and send money back to family members. Another reason would be that their old country didn't treat its people well. Countries with communism or slavery would make people want to come to the U.S where it's better.
Our country is a lot better than other countries. Our country gives us freedom. People would come here to have the freedom of religion to practice their beliefs and to speak their mind. Our country offers more opportunities for money and job than most of the other countries.
The U.S has been affected in a lot of ways. There are so many people here from other countries who have come to visit or live here. There are a lot of different languages all around the U.S, especially ner the border of Mexico and Cailifornia.
We have a lot of variety food here too. chinese, mexican, italian and many others. My life has been changed because my grandparents are immigrants, if they hadn't come over from Bolivia my life would have been a very different story, I might not even have been born.

Book Review: The Great Gatsby

2009-01-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

The Great Gatsby Book Review

The Great Gatsby is a tragic story about life in the 1920's in New York's Long Island.. The main character, Nick moves to a new place and eventually meets his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. This book is filled with love affairs, death, and parties all at the same time. Once you get past the slow beginning, the book makes you want to turn the pages and find out what happens next in the attention grabbing book by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The book opens on Nick, the narrator of the story. He is a quiet person and sees the world as it is. He does his own thing and doesn't like how Americas seems to be one big party all the time. He likes honesty and hard work, but enjoys the good things in life also. Like Gatsby, he also finds a love interest and as the story goes on it's interesting to see how their love grows and ends. When he meets Gatsby, his life is filled with more adventure and it makes the story interesting.

The entire book is Nick's memory of Gatsby and the troubles he went through.
Gatsby is the exciting character in the book. He has a taste for luxury and wealth. He gives parties that everyone comes to, even if they're not invited. He's popular but doesn't have any close friends. The only person Gatsby is close to is Nick. Nick once said to Gatsby, (talking about Daisy and Tom) “They're a rotten lot, you're better than all of them put together.” Even though Nick is close to Gatsby, he doesn't no everything about him. Gatsby has a mysterious past that no one seems to know about. One person says, “He killed a man,” another says, “He went to Oxford and he's respectable.” Either way you look at it, Gatsby has secrets that left me wondering what he was hiding.

Gatsby's love interest comes in the form of the wealthy and married Daisy Buchanan. Daisy had loved Gatsby before he went off to War World I many years ago. When Gatsby was accidentally sent somewhere else instead of returning home to Daisy, Daisy gave up after waiting for so long and married Tom. When Gatsby suddenly comes back in Daisy's life, she gets really confused about who she should love. His love for Daisy creates a dramatic tragedy that surprised me a lot. Daisy's conflict between choosing Gatsby or her husband who's cheating on her is very interesting to read about. However interesting she is, I don't like Daisy because in the end of the book she is really cruel and doesn't deserve to have someone love her.

The writing style of this book is kind of hard to read and there's a lot of symbolism in it. The story line is very good and there's many twists and turns that surprised me. I would recommend reading it because of how much I enjoyed it. I would also suggest reading it slowly so that you can catch all the details and get the most from the book.

Overall I liked this book a lot. There was so many twists and would definitely recommend it if you like surprises and tragic endings. This book was one of my favorites out of the books I've read in literature circles at High Tech Middle. The Great Gatsby leaves you wanting more from Nick and Gatsby's world and wondering if your own life would ever be as interesting or sad as their lives are.

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451

2008-12-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

A World Without Knowledge

Olivia Pardo

Have you ever wondered what the future would be like? Could you imagine a future where books are illegal? The author of this book, Ray Bradbury, writes this story by revealing many twists and turns about the future he’s created. Fahrenheit 451 will surprise you from cover to cover.

This story follows a fireman named Guy Montag, who enjoys his job burning illegal books and occasionally the houses that hide them and the people who protect them. He’s never read a book before but is curious about the secrets inside. He begins stealing books and hiding them in his house. He occasionally refers to a park where he once met a mysterious man who doesn’t follow the rules of this futuristic society. This man winds up playing a big role in Montag’s life.

Guy never really opened his eyes to the world until he meets 16 year old Clarisse, a person who goes against the rules in almost every way possible. She opens a door for Guy; a way he has never seen before. She makes him wonder about things, makes him think. Montag realizes he has had enough of being “in the dark”. He decides to open the books he’s stolen and get in touch with the man he met in the park. While reading, he deals with sadness, confusion, and chance of freedom. Books for Montag become his savior, and Montag realizes that knowledge is power, and the government has taken their power away by taking their knowledge.

The main part of this book takes place in a massive urban city where Montag lives. The author is very descriptive and often writes large paragraphs to describe different places, objects, and feelings that Montag encounters. This is the only downside to this book, it was hard to follow Montag’s thoughts and understand the long paragraphs written about them.

Overall I liked this entire book. I would rate it a 9/10 and if it wasn't for the long paragraphs it would be a 10/10. It was exciting, surprising and built suspense as the story continued on through Montag’s troubles. This story makes me think about what the future could be like, and what the government is hiding from us right now in the present. It makes me wonder about how the world is going to turn out and if we still would have power to gain knowledge, or if it would be taken away from us slowly. Would we notice ourselves falling down the cracks into the dark, like the world was in Fahrenheit 451?

Ch. 13 Weightlessness

2008-10-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Ralph walked off the ship. He looked at civilization as if he'd never seen it before. The dock was full of people, tourists and vendors, regular people and regular animals. He wanted to hug them all, to tell them that they were the best thing in the world. He marveled at cars, he stared at concrete; he gazed lovingly at non-faded clothes. He wanted to run around and touch everything! Or just stare at the city all day. The city called Sydney. It is a beautiful name he thought. Sydney, Sydney, Sydney, he chanted like a spell. He turned around and looked at the ship he had just left. His legs wobbled as he did so. But, it was a wonderful feeling, your legs wobbling on actual concrete. Man-made. Where civilization was. He felt like he didn’t weigh anything, he was floating where he stood.
He looked at the line of kids standing behind him. They all seemed to be as hypnotized as he was by the city. He looked at the little ones, whose mouths hung open. He looked at Sam and Eric, who stood together as if they were one person. He looked at the others, who stood like they were all alone in the whole entire world. They were probably right to look like this. Their parents might have been killed in the war; the very thing they had been fleeing from when their plane had been shot down. Ralph thought how ironic it was, fleeing a monster but running towards a beastie. He almost laughed, but then remembered Simon. And Piggy. The mulberry boy. He was suddenly overwhelmed with joy, and sadness, all at the same time. He was so happy to be back, but he wished he Piggy and Simon were here. He wished they had returned. He started shaking, his shoulders heaved and he lowered his head to the pavement. He felt the hands of the captain on his back as he was led into a building toward a bed and the darkness of sleep.
“Come on Ralph, you can rest now.”
He awoke to a strange feeling. He couldn't place it. It was right at the edge of his mind, he tried to grab it but it slipped away. But, he didn't care, the bed was so soft, the blanket so warm, he smiled contentedly as he slipped back into sleep.
The second time he awoke, he knew the feeling exactly. It was comfort. He hadn't felt it in so long. On the island it was always worry, coldness, darkness, shame, fear and tiredness. Here he felt perfectly safe. He felt warm and rested. It was a very nice feeling; this happiness. He smiled his cheeks hurting from not doing it in so long. Then he remembered leaving the island. With the bright sun glaring at him, the smoke in huge clouds rolling into the sky. He remembered Jack running out onto the sand, coming to a stand still as he saw the officer. Saw his eyes grow wide as he took in the ship and the group of crying boys. He remembered Jack's hair blowing across his face, the savageness about his eyes, the anger burning about him like a fire. Then he remembered Jack turning and running away. Running right back into the forest, spear in hand and disappearing into the trees. The color of the trees had been so blurry, Ralph's eyes had been filled with tears, the greens and blues and browns all blended together and swirling...
Ralph snapped back into reality. It was not good to dwell on the past. It had been Jack's decision to stay. It had been Roger's decision to follow him. It had been both of their decisions to stay on the island. Why had they hid? No one could find them. They had disappeared completely. Ralph was sad. Even if Jack had tried to kill him, even if he was a murderer, he was still partly human. He didn’t want Jack to stay on that island, he could still have a chance to become normal again.
He looked around the room he was in. He was laying on a small bed, a window to his left. The room didn't have much else in it, a sink and a door which probably led to a bathroom. Another door was straight across from the bed, and it suddenly opened. It was Sam and Eric.
“Hey,” they said in unison.
“It's good to be back isn't it,” Ralph said. He stood up and walked over to them.
“Yeah, it is-”
“It's great-”
“The captain wants you-”
“He's in the kitchen downstairs.”
“Where are we?” Ralph questioned.
“We're in his mother's house-
“She's real nice-
“She made us cookies!”
“Where is everyone else?”
“The little ones went to the police-”
“Everyone else got in touch with their families-
“They've all gone home-
“Except for us.” They both looked down at the floor, sadness etched on their faces.
“Your family is dead aren't they?” Ralph said bluntly. They nodded together, then shuffled out the door. Ralph followed them, walked down a set of stairs, and emerged into a hallway. He located the kitchen and walked slowly inside.
“You're up!” The captain said. “We've been waiting since yesterday.”
“I'm sorry I was just so ti-”
“No, no it's fine,” He smiled, then it fell, and his face grew serious. “Ralph, I have some bad news. Your father and moth-“
“Are dead,” Ralph stated. The captain’s face was shocked
. “Well, yes, Ralph, You see your father died at war. His plane was shot down. You’re mother was trying to flee your home. She was killed while doing so. I’m terribly sorry Ralph. If there’s anything I can do I hope you know that I’ll try my hardest to do it.”
Ralph was silent. He didn’t know what he wanted. He supposed he had expected something was going to be wrong when he got back. Unfortunate people usually had unfortunate lives, he thought. This was just another unfortunate event in his life, but he figured why should he live it with an empty stomach?
“Captain,” Ralph said slowly, “I’d like some breakfast.”

Back on the island

Jack walked to the edge of the cliff. He sighed. He gazed at the horizon where the sun had begun to sink, his hand shielding his eyes from the glare. It had not been a good idea to stay with just Roger. Who was Jack going to rule over? Roger had not been enough, and now that he was dead, there was nobody to dominate. Stupid Roger, Jack thought. He laughed to himself. How could Roger think he could beat him in a fight? It had served him right that he had ended up dead. Jack turned around and faced the forest. Roger was now an offering to the beast. Jack shuddered, a believer now in his own lies. His own fear had betrayed him. Jack laughed again. He was more animal than human now. More claw than hand. More fur than hair. His eyes were wild. They darted about, searching the forest for the beast. Every sound he heard was the sound of a hunting monster. Every movement was the beast creeping forward. Jack’s breath turned to a pant. His hands were clenched, his teeth gritted together. Suddenly there was a crashing sound in the forest. It seemed to come from all sides, Jack had no where to go. Could he face the beast alone he wondered? With only a spear, could he conquer it? Jack decided no, he could not. The crashing sound was louder, he could see tree’s moving in the canopy. No, he would not let the beast eat him. He would not let the beast win. He turned and faced the ocean. He walked to the very edge where he could see rocks underneath the cliff where he now stood. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There was weightlessness, then nothing.
The wild boar ran out into the open. He sniffed the air, his huge head swinging side to side. He was huge in size, the biggest on the island. He pawed his hoof on the ground. “The monster” that all the other pigs had run from was gone. He snorted, head held high, and turned and ran into the forest.

LOTF Ch. 2 Fire on the Mountain viewpoint: Ralph

2008-10-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

We set the forest on fire

It was a great plan, this signal fire thing. But the problem was, there never really was a plan. It was just an idea. No beginning or end. I had come up with it at the meeting. I had also come up with another idea. The conch is now used so that whoever has it, is the only person who can speak. Apparently this rule applies to all but Piggy because whenever he had, everyone would cut in being very errant. He would complain that no one was listening to him and was clearly martyred that no one was. A little one with a mark on his face came up to tell about some beastie thing. I had to induce him to hold the conch because they were so frightened. He seemed to think the beastie was real, but it was just a nightmare! And then. And.. then. I had to open my mouth and say the word fire. Everyone went crazy, ebullience radiating off them in great waves. Everyone scattered. Some to go get firewood and others to the top of the mountain where the fire was going to go. The fire ended up being pretty big but we couldn't keep it going for long. Everyone again scrambled to get it back to the roaring monster it had been, but in the confusion a patch of trees caught fire! Piggy, who was completely freaking out, pinched my exasperation and replaced it with horror. He said that he couldn't find the boy with mark on his face. That he had went to play where the fire now was spreading and was not back. I watched as the flames ate everything in their path. Heat wove through the air in thick clumps, suffocating me. Or maybe it was the shame that blocked my throat. How could I be a good chief when I let someone die so soon?

LOTF Ch. 12 Cry of the Hunters viewpoint: Simon

2008-10-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm dead, I have eyes, ears and nose that all work.

An eerie ululation sounded in the air on the island. I glided over to where it came from, Jack's tribe. My heart was distended from the pain I felt when I saw what was happening. Jacks tribe had cornered Ralph into a thicket. A cordon faced him. Ralph had hid there from last night probably. I had seen him tearing through the jungle, blood flying everywhere. After Jack had killed Piggy and captured Sam and Eric. I had seen them come apart of the tribe in order to stay alive. I knew that if they came face to face with Jack they wouldn't kill him. They were not total savages like everyone else. I had seen proof of that last night. Ralph had snuck up on Sam and Eric while they were guarding Castle Rock against him. They had told him to leave, that it wasn't safe for him there. He looked so sad and broken. I wanted to tell him that it was alright. That everything would work out. Felt better when Sam and Eric gave him a piece of meat. Ralph looked at it like it was the best thing in the world. Then he had hidden in the bushes and I had left, satisfied that he was safe for the night. But I was diddled into thinking this. Roger had been listening all along and he had brought Jack right to Ralph's hiding place in the morning. Which was where I was at now. My fists we're clenched, my blood boiling at the anger I felt for Jack and his tribe. It was all a power struggle. Jack just couldn't do the right thing and be normal. Be human. But no, he was a savage. A killer and a murderer. Ralph started to run. He flew through the forest. Only a blur I had to fly to catch up with. I smelled the blood on him from the wound on his side. He kept running. I smelled smoke and I turned around realizing they had set the forest on fire to get him out after throwing boulders in hi general area. Ralph stopped after a while. He looked confused. On his face I read, what am I going to do? Run? Hide? He needed to hide and wait till they got past. Hide!, I wanted to scream. He hid! In my special spot. He was invisible as the smoke came over the forest like a blanket. Ralph closed his eyes. Hunters came. One went to Ralph's hiding spot. Stay, I thought. Stay! He can't see you! Ralph did not stay. He sprang out of his hiding place. Jumping forward scaring the hunter so bad he fell backwards. Ralph ran again, all the way to the beach. Running, running running. He frantic footsteps keeping time with the beat of his heart which was pounding in his chest. What it would feel like to have a beating heart! But I turned my thoughts away from myself as Ralph reached the beach. He stopped dead, so did I. A ship! A ship. And a commander! Epaulettes and everything! An adult. One who could take charge. Ralph and the man were face to face.
"No adults huh? Fun and games then."
The reply was silence.
"Are you having a war? We saw the smoke."
"Yes, we are. A war" His voice was a croak.
Little ones emerged from the forest. Hunters began to appear. Ralph and people behind him started crying. I would've too if I had tears to cry. If I was alive. But I wasn't. That was that. At least Ralph was safe, safe and going home, Home. I smiled as I began to fade. My last memory was of Ralph being saved from death, war, and the demoniac Lord of the Flies.

LOTF Ch. 11 Castle Rock viewpoint: Jack

2008-10-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

I won!

Ralph is all alone. I have taken everyone from him. There will be a cessation of challenges. I have killed Simon and Piggy. Samneric are tied up in my camp. Ralph is all alone! I'm almost delirious happiness. You know what Ralph did? He brought blind Piggy and Samneric over to my camp, asking for Piggy's glasses back. Like they thought they would get them returned! Ralph had brought the conch, acting as if it was a talisman. But it didn't have any power in my tribe. My tribe started attacking them, and I battled face to face with Ralph. It was a truculent battle. But, when Piggy fell off the cliff, brains spilled all over, Ralph seemed to break. We drove him back. Samneric were calling for help, but Ralph couldn't give it. He ran into the forest, dodging our spears by zigzagging around. He ran! He was scared. Now everyone sees how much more powerful I am than him. I'm more of a chief then he could ever be. I'm strong and brave. I am a hunter. I've shown that I can kill without hesitation. I've won the power struggle between me and Ralph!

LOTF Ch. 10 The Shell and the Glasses. Viewpoint: Ralph

2008-10-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

What have we done?

There is only Me, Piggy, and Samneric left. Simon would be here, if he wasn't dead. We killed him. It was murder! In that awful dance, a murder was committed. What have we done? How could we have killed Simon. It's horrible that we have lost our minds. I want to be purged of the fact that I took part in killing him. We are all going barmy here. When Simon came out of the forest, he kept saying something about a dead man and a parachute. Had he been telling us what the beast was? and then there was that thing that flew over us, a parachutist. My illumination that that was the beast might be right. But how could I know for sure? The beast had moved on he mountain, it was alive. Maybe Jack and his tribe would hunt it down and kill it. They would have the tools for starting a fire to burn it anyways. They came to our camp tonight. They stole Piggy's glasses! I have no idea how we're going to start the fire anymore. They beat us all up. It was dark, I might have been hitting my own teammates. I think I was. Piggy wasn't even fighting. He was so scared that he got his asthma. I'm not angry at him, not irritated, just exasperated. My spirit is broken, a theological punishment for killing Simon. I don't know what to do. I don't feel like a good chief to Samneric or Piggy. Or to the little ones. I don't even know why they're still here with me. I'm happy but I'm surprised. I want to go home so bad. It's gnawing away at my mind. I have to get home. I have to. I will do anything no matter what it takes.

LOTF Ch. 9 A View to a Death viewpoint: Piggy

2008-10-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

Simon was right.

Simon is dead. I'll say it flat out to you. And we killed him. Ralph and I weren't strong enough to stop them, or ourselves. I feal like it's my fault. No one would listen to him at all. He was like a phosphorescence, always looking towards the lighter, happier side of things. He didn't believe that there was an actual beastie,he believed it was us, and that maybe we could change it. It turned out he was right. I had convinced Ralph to go to the feast with Jack. There was meat after all. Besides, we could keep an eye o things. When we got there the corpulent pig was roasting over a fire. Jack and everybody else were almost done gorging themselves on pork. There was drinks in coconut shells. Ralph and I sat farther away from everyone else. But the someone burnt me with the pig, and everyone laughed which seemed to ease the tension. Jack had himself on a throne. He acted like he was a king. With his power he could be, but with his actual self, no way. He was too harsh. After we had finished eating he commanded everyone to sit. Me and Ralph stood on the edge of the obedient slaves, and Jack seemed to ignore us. He asked who would join he tribe and Ralph protested. I wasn't surprised when everyone began saying the "I will's" and "Me's." Rain started to pour and Jack demands to do their tribal dance. Ralph and I stayed behind watching the crazy beasties dance around and chant "Kill the pig, cut his throat..." But then we slowly joined them. I don't know what it was. It felt like it was pulling us into the circle. One of them pretended to be the pig and everyone attacked him, chanted, and lost their minds. By this time its pouring and there is hardly any light to see by. Suddenly something comes out of the forest on four legs! It's screamed something, moaned. I Lost sight of the creature as it was swallowed into the circle of chanting boys. They attack it, Hit it, punch it. cut it, hurt it. After a while, they all back away. Only to reveal that it was Simon. Dead. At almost the exact same moment a parachutist flies over the group and out to sea. It was dead, a decaying body floating in the water. I was paralyzed. Simon dead? What had happened up on the mountain? Was the parachutest the beastie they all claimed to have seen? the only important thing was that Simon was dead. Simon, the peace maker. Dead. The very thing he was trying to tell us about killed him. We did. Those hunters who turn crazy and us. What are we going to do?

LOTF Ch. 8 Gift for the Darkness viewpoint: Simon

2008-09-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Am I crazy?

I think I am going crazy. This island is driving all of us crazy. What has it done to me? What has it done to all of us? The group has split up. Jack apparently has had enough of Ralph. It was either him as leader or he's gone. He's gone, but with alot of other big ones too. They followed him after the meeting, tracing his path into the forest. I could tell Ralph didn't take notice. He was too busy getting the fire ready. Piggy had this great idea to have the fire down here, and not on the mountain where the supposedly "beastie" was. I had had enough of this. The beastie isn't an actual animal or demon or whatever everyone else thinks it is. It's ourselves! We're going crazy on this island! I remember the prefects at my school, trying to keep everyone in line. I feel like Ralph is trying to step up to this job. Not in a bossy way, but in a survival leadership way. He's so set on keeping the signal fire going. To Jack it's like taboo. All he cares about is hunting. Hunting hunting hunting. Speaking of Jack, and hunting... I escaped from the beach where Ralph and everyone who had stayed were. I had to prove that the beastie wasn't real. I walked around for a while, went to my special place, then I heard the hunters coming. I hid, scared to think about what they might do to me if they found me. They had caught a pig! I watched disgusted as they reenacted the hunt as Jack paunched the poor pig. Jack started to speak. He said to everyone that they would leave something for the beastie. He said maybe it would leave them alone if they did this. I thought it was like some kind of offering or sacrifice. The beastie isn't even real! It's just us, coming up with fears in our head and then turning violent. I froze though when I saw what Jack had done. A demure pile of rocks had been turned into some kind of offering stone. Jack had piled all the pigs guts on the rock. And stuck in a crack, on long piece of wood, was the pigs head. It seemed to smile demonically down at the group and at me. The hunters had gone silent and uneasy. Jack whispered something I couldn't hear and then they left. I didn't care though. I was transfixed on the pigs head. Flies swirled around it, servants to the Lord of the Flies. I crept out of my hiding place. I stared at the pigs severed head, blood dripping down the wood. It seemed to talk to me to me. I don't know if I was having a seizure. It's all a blur. It told me to leave. To go back. I didn't listen. The voice was like a drug. I had to keep listening or else I couldn't live. It told me that everyone would kill me. That I was going crazy. Was I? Am I? Is there a beastie? I don't know anymore. I'm so confused. The Lord of the Flies has commanded me to his side, and I stayed at the clearing didn't I? Am I giving in to the violence? Am I one Jack's hunters now? I feel dizzy, lightheaded... and the world is going black...

LOTF CH. 7 Shadows and Tall Trees viewpoint: Jack

2008-09-28T15:31:00.001-07:00

BEASTIE

There is a beastie! I knew there was all a long! I thought sagely to think that there was one. It's a great ape thing with wings! It was up on the mountain. I saw it! I knew Ralph didn't believe that there was one. When we went to other side of the island to the moors, he thought there wasn't a beastie. It was getting dark so we had to make one person go back and tell piggy that we were ok and that we were staying out over night. Simon volunteered and he took off into the jungle. Serves him right if he dies out there in the forest. Ralph made us all go to the mountain, claiming that the beastie was up there. He was impervious when everyone didn't want to go. I think he just wanted to go to the signal fire. He had saw a ship when we were on the rocky part. How could he think of the stupid fire when there's a beastie on the island? And at the rock part, there was a perfect place to make a fort there, and Ralph didn't pay any attention to it. So we climbed up the mountain. Al the hunters and me and Ralph. When we got the mountain, no one else wanted to go so I went up by myself. When I got there, my heart stopped. The beastie was there! I could see its wings, an lifted its head up and down. It was horrible! I ran back down to Ralph and Roger, I told them what I saw. I was so scared! I'm pretty sure my face was pale and my whole body trembling. When I told them there was a beastie, I don't' think they believed me. Of course Ralph didn't, he thinks I only care about hunting. We all went quietly back to where I saw the beastie. We got down on our hands and knees. When Ralph saw the beastie, it looked like he wanted to throw up! I momentarily forgot about the beastie, Ralph was scared! Finally he had lost his cover up bravado that he makes people think he has. But then the beastie lifted its head and it seemed like it was staring at us! We took off running down the mountain, we were running for our lives! When we get back to piggy and the little ones, it's going to be a very dun time on the island.

LOTF Ch. 6 Beast from Air viewpoint: Ralph

2008-09-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

The beastie?

Is there is beastie? Is there a terrifying animal living on our island? And if there is a beastie, it would probably be his island, not ours. We went on a hunt today after Samneric claimed they saw the beastie. They were up on watch at the fire. They said they had let the fire go out! After that entire speech I gave they fall asleep and let the fire go out! That is the main thing here, to keep the smoke coming. Without the smoke we might not be found. This interminable problem keeps coming at me mutinously. No one seems to listen to me that the fire is the absolute most important thing. I get waxy just thinking about it. So I was sleeping, dreaming a wonderful dream about home, when I wake to Samneric grabbing me and flailing me around. They start describing a beastie. With claws and wings. I call a meeting, keeping everyone together and quiet. Samneric describe the beastie again. They seem absolutely terrified. It chased them all the way back, and blood was smeared on Sam's face. Could the beastie have done this? We call on a hunt, Me, Simon, Jack and the hunters. Piggy stays behind to watch over everybody of course. So we go on hunt to place where No one has been yet, figuring that the beastie must be here if we haven't seen it anywhere else. We get the place and I lead with Jack following. There is no beastie. Only guano covering the rocks. Once everyone realizes it's alright, they start fooling around pushing rocks in the water. I notice that there is no fire. The fire was out. I could have exploded. I make everyone leave to go up the mountain to the fire saying that the beastie might be there, on the other side. I hope there is and they eat everyone for letting the fire go out. That would teach them.

LOTF Ch. 5 Beast from Water viewpoint: Piggy

2008-09-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

The island is in ChAoS!

I'm scared! Everyone is going crazy on this island. It's ludicrous how everybody is losing their mind. Well, everybody except me, Ralph and Simon. When Ralph called the meeting, everyone was serious, at first. When I look back at it now, I look back it jeeringly, everything seemed perfect then compared to now. He explained how we needed to enforce the rules we had made earlier. Like going to the bathroom in the rocks, putting the water in coconut shells, and keeping the signal fire going and only cooking up there. Everyone was pretty irritated at all the rules he was reminding them of. But it was definitely necessary. Then another subject was brought up, the beastie. The terrifying shadow of evil that haunts the little ones in their sleep, that make all us older ones feel uncomfortable, and that creates chaos on our island. All sorts of solutions to this problem were brought up. Well I wouldn't exactly say solutions, more like explanations. It was a tiger, a squid, it was us, it wasn't anything, it was just our imaginations. And, once again, no one listened to me. Ralph defended me though, saying that I had the conch so I had the right to speak. Then that was when everything just.. well... broke. Any decorum that we had left vanished. Jack exploded tempestuously at Ralph and at me. I'm so scared of him! I know if Ralph wasn't here that I would be long gone. At this point the sun was long gone. The gathering of people was in total darkness. I've noticed that people's minds change in darkness. That when they can't see, they have to imagine whats beyond there vision range. It's scary, the way everyone goes crazy. And that's exactly what happened. Jack lead a sort of tribal dance, everyone followed him, minds gone and everything. They sang a chant and dance around. It was scary, we couldn't see only hear. The sounds made me shiver. And then when I realized it was only Ralph, Simon and me left, we heard an eerie screech from the tall grass. It was Percival, who had fainted when talking about the beastie. He was crying and yelling and the sound of it made us all move together. His mind was completely gone! It was like it had just snapped. I told Ralph to blow the conch and get everyone back together but he wouldn't. He was afraid if he did, no one would come and his leadership would really mean nothing. As we all stood there, shivering with terror, and exhausted, I realized that I had never missed home more than now and I lamented quietly.

LOTF Ch. 4 Painted faces and long hair viewpoint: Simon

2008-09-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

We missed our ship, but at least there is pepperoni!

I feel awful today. A ship came, and we missed it. It hurts to think that we actually had a chance to be rescued, to get off this island. I don't think it was any one person's fault. The little ones don't understand, and they take comfort in each other anyway. We were all on the beach. Jack had gone off hunting, again. Suddenly Ralph saw something on the horizon. It was a ship! I was full of excitement, we were going to be rescued! But as I looked at the smoke coming from the ship, then to Ralph, then up at our fire, I noticed there wasn't any smoke. Was it out? Ralph took off running up the mountain to the signal fire. He tore through the undergrowth malevolently. But then I realized, if the fire was out, how would we start it? I yelled after him, telling him we would need Piggy's glasses. We looked for Piggy, barely visible on the beach far behind us. Ralph looked like he was in pain. The swarthiness of his face looked pale. I understood his problem, should he run back to Piggy, and get his glasses, but what if the ship disappeared? Or should he run to the fire, quicker, but chancing that it was out? He finally broke his stillness and blatantly charged forward. When we got to the fire, we could immediately see that it was dead. No one was insight, and the ship disappeared.
As we stood in silence, Ralph fumed with anger. He spotted the watchers. They came in a line, chanting and carrying something, Jack leading. They had killed a pig! It was a bloody mess, with gouts of blood dropping on the ground, but Jacks belligerence had paid off. Jack had no idea what had happened. He was full of excitement and proud of himself. As he spoke, Ralph was a stone. He didn't move. Ralph finally pointed at the horizon, and yelled "There was a ship!" He exploded at Jack. He yelled about keeping the fire going, his obsession with killing a pig. Then Piggy started whining. Jack had had enough, and he punched him. He looked embarrassed. Piggy's glasses flew off, and I ran and got them. I felt bad for him. No one stood up for Piggy. The Jack apologized. Which was surprising, coming from Jack. Ralph did not want to accept it, which I agree with him. He ordered then to build the fire. When the pile was built, Ralph got Piggy's glasses and lit the fire. We ended up roasting the pig in pieces. Jack didn't give Piggy any on purpose. Claiming that Piggy didn't hunt. But neither did I, or Ralph. So I gave mine to Piggy. I felt bad for him. Then Jack threw meat at me, shouting for me to eat it. He yelled and shouted, then began telling the story of how he caught the pig. Then Ralph said he was calling a meeting even if it went on into the night. I knew this would scare the little ones, with them having nightmares about the beastie. I knew it would be a long night.

LOTF Ch. 3 Fire on the Mountain viewpoint: Jack

2008-09-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Pigs are my Enemy

I hate pigs. They are the most annoying creatures on the face of this planet. I keep telling myself I have to catch one. That I can catch one. I have a compulsion to kill one. It seems impossible though. Today another one got away again. I was so close! The hunting trip was full of vicissitudes. First my hunting party got tired, so I sent them back. But who needs tiny kids anyway? So I was alone and tracking a pig. When I finally caught up to it in the opaque jungle forest, I threw my spear, but it missed. I was so frustrated. I still am. I'm not leaving this stupid island till I catch and kill a pig. I don't care if a rescue ship comes right now, I'll tell them to pick me up later. When I got back to everybody, Ralph and Simon were building shelters. Ralph didn't seem in the least bit contrite about my unsuccessful trip. They were completely rapt with the shelters that they didn't even notice when I came up to them. They started talking about how the little ones thought the beastie was real. Ralph said they had nightmares. Then he got mad at me when I came up with this great idea on where those pigs stayed when it was hot. We were really mad at each other for a while. But what can you do when you're on a deserted island with no one else but yourselves? So we made up and we're ok now. But the beastie... I sometimes feel like I'm being watched when I hunt. Like I'm the one being hunted... creepy.

LOTF Ch. 1 The Sound of the Shell viewpoint: Ralph

2008-09-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Stuck on an Island, and I'm in charge?

Today I was elected leader of the group. I think it might be a challenge to take care of the boys but I feel like I can do it. It all started when I was exploring. As I was walking along by myself when a boy crashes out of a bush. He was wearing glasses and he was definitely very fat. This was explained later when he said his aunt worked in a candy shop and he could get unlimited amounts of candy. He was very clingy. He didn't seem like he had many friends. He seemed sensitive, his mother and father had died. He told me he was called Piggy before, which I found extremely funny. It seemed to suit him, well at least his appearance. We found a conch shell in the lagoon. I used it to call all the other boys that were on the island. We all gathered at the lagoon. A choir group lead by a boy named Jack also came. He seemed controlling, but I think we'll get along. The gathering had a vote to see who should be leader. I got the most votes while Jack and his group was elected to be hunters. Me, Jack and Simon explored the island while Piggy stayed to watch all the little ones. He didn't seem very happy to be left behind. We found the island to be completely surround by water with no land in sight. There were also no grownups, we had all the freedom we wanted. On the way back we came across a pig that was caught in the creepers. Jack took out his knife to kill it but he hesitated and the pig got away. We all agreed he was just waiting to decide where he should kill it, but I think it was because he didn't really want to kill the animal. I didn't exactly want him to either.