2nd Quarter Reflection

            We're already half way through 8th grade, second quarter is over!  It's hard to believe that the year is going by so fast.  I definitely believe that it's been a productive and successful quarter.  I've come pretty far from where I was at the beginning of the quarter.  However, I also believe that there's a long way to go and a lot of work to be done in a lot of categories.

            I made progress in a lot of areas within ELA, but I think I've improved my vocabulary the most over the other categories.  I was able to grow and do this through in school activities such as Vocab quizzes, or exercises outside of school in order to prepare for high school entrance exams.  I now know words that I'd never heard of at the beginning of the year, and if I come across a word I don't know, I can often dissect it and recognize roots or prefixes that we've studied.  I've begun to realize that the key to not only seeming intelligent, but actually acquiring intelligence and learning new things, is a strong vocabulary.

            I recently took the high school entrance exam at Nazareth Academy, and I'm proud of myself because I think I did well after all the work it took to prepare.  The very first time that I glanced at all the pre-tests and practice questions, I was so overwhelmed and nervously.  However, after several weeks of work and studying, I introduced myself to all kinds of new skills, concepts, and methods.  There were many different topics or areas that I obviously needed improvement on in order to prepare for the exam, whether it be the actual work, focusing for the length of the test, or managing time and using strategies that ensured my completion of the test.

            A significantly big obstacle that I've been faced with and am currently facing, is making sure I put forth 100% effort and making sure that my work is at its best quality and that I'm working at my full potential, as well as pushing forward to extend my limits and capabilities.  I've had a tendency to do the bear minimum, and completing only what was asked of me, in order to just get past with the least amount of work as possible.  Going into the third quarter, and then past that, I plan on overcoming this barrier, and getting to the point where my work is reflecting and showing everything that I can do.  I believe that the first step in solving this problem is managing my time better and becoming more organized.  If I have everything I need set out in front of me, and I have enough time to think about what I need to do, and what I can do to go further, I will be able to exceed standards and shine.

To Kill a Mockingbird Film Book Comparison

            I think that the biggest and most important difference between the film and the book was the knothole in the tree in front of the Radley house. The difference between the amount of times that the tree and its gifts were mentioned was pretty large.  The book really went into depth on the tree, what it held, how Scout and Jem reacted to it, and its symbolism.  Whereas the movie did show it, however not to the extent that the book did.  I feel that the tree and its presents symbolized and introduced the fact that Boo Radley was actually a good person.  It sort of flowed with the whole idea of Boo being misunderstood, and fit into and backed up the plot.  The tree also connected with Jem's growing maturity, and you can see this when the book describes Jem's devastated reaction when Mr. Radley filled up the hole, and this wasn't shown in the film.

            There are differences and similarities between the movie and book, and although I feel differently about certain differences and things that are the same, I think that it's important that two versions of the story are created.  Every person's imagination is different, and the way they might process, interpret, relate, or connect to a story could be very different than someone else's. 

     I believe that it's necessary to create both a book and film on a story in order to ensure that every reader receives the points and messages in the story.  For example, some people might be able to visualize events or setting in their head in the way they like it and can get the most out of books, but then some people might need to see and hear everything that's happening for them to understand. 

To Kill a Mockingbird (Why or how did the book affect/speak to you) 1-6-16

There are so many readers who loved this book, and some who didn't.  Several readers have almost identical, or at least very similar basic reactions or thoughts about the story.  However, all readers experience these reactions for unique and different reasons, depending on how they connected with characters, setting, conflicts, or anything else.  Therefore, I'm not going to be talking about the fact that I really enjoyed the book, but why I feel this way.

There really isn't one singular aspect that makes me react the way I do to this book, instead, there's a few different contributing factors that influence my thoughts and opinions on the story and its content.  For example, there were times where did really be able to connect with Scout, Jem, and Dill, and relate to their thoughts or actions.  A good example of character connection that I experienced while reading, was while the Finch's gathered together for Christmas.  It was really cool how I could match up practically every member of their family with one of my own family members. 

Secondly, I personally thought the author did a really good job with influencing and stirring up readers' opinions on specific topics, such as segregation and racism.  Readers could have different levels of passion when it comes to certain topics.  I was able to form my own opinions on all subjects of the book, and share them with other readers and peers, all because of the author's power to reach out to different people in different ways through his words.