Tuesdays With Morrie (Which Tuesday impacted you the most?")

Personally, I think that the Fourth Tuesday, when the topic of conversation between Mitch and Morrie was death, was the Tuesday that impacted me the most.  The other five Tuesdays that we've read through have touched me in important and different ways as well, however I believe that this one affected me the most.  Throughout life so far, I've spent a lot of time thinking about death, what it's like, and what happens after it.  The mysteries and everything we don't know about death can be scary to think about, and that's why this Tuesday affected me the most.  

Morrie's courage and understanding and acceptance of reality really inspired me, especially under the extreme circumstances that he was going through.  This is shown on page 81 when the book states, "So we kid ourselves about death, I said.  'Yes.  But there's a better approach.  To know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time.'"  This tells me that people are subconsciously afraid of death, and they choose to avoid thinking about it or pondering if they are ready or unregretful when it comes to their final death. 

In the book, Morrie also said, "When you realize you are going to die, you see everything much differently."  He sighed.  "Learn how to die, and you learn how to live." (Aphorism).  This also really inspired me and I admire the knowledge, morals, and life lessons that Morrie has discovered and helped create as he grows nearer to death.  Also, in learning from Morrie, I've begun to develop an interest in educating others on experiences I've gone through and providing people with advice as Morrie has chosen to and dedicated himself to throughout his experience.

Tuesdays With Morrie (Bucket List)

GSo far our class has read a good portion of the book Tuesdays with Morrie.  One thing about this book that particularily caught my interest, was the fact that the author shows the books events and everything that happened within the story at the beginning of the book.  Therefore, unlike several other books, there isn't too much suspense, plot twists, or surprises within this novel.  The author goes into detail on several aspects and certain events along the road of Morrie's death as we journey further into the book, and describes some of Morrie's morals, and life lessons for readers.

As a class, we've already talked about how there are countless aphorisms, and phrases to go by in life that readers should take advantage of and use Morrie's wisdom to guide them throughout, and at the end of life.  Readers can apply these lessons to events and occurrences in their own life and experiences in order to relate to some of the things that Morrie is saying too.  My emotions thus far into the book are mostly sadness and lots of admiration.  To be able to approach death in such a way that Morrie did, is extremely brave, and to make his own death as selfless as possible was incredible to me.

One of the themes that have impacted me the most throughout this story is to not take life for granted. Due to this theme, I've thought more about some things that I really want to do before I die, and I've organized a bucket list here below.

*Meet Michael Jordan in person

*Go scuba diving in the ocean

*Publish a book

*Get a dog

*Coach a sports team

*White water rafting

*Surf

*Ski in Colorado

*Visit every continent

3rd Quarter Reflection

One more quarter until high school, it blows my mind.  Third quarter has held many experiences, activities, and memories that have changed my viewpoints on certain things, and motivated me to change my actions for the better as well.  Unique projects and activities specifically in my ELA class, such as the Butterfly Project, have provided me with a plethora of information and new perspectives on many subjects.

I believe that the biggest area or improvement for me in ELA would be my vocabulary.  My diction, comprehension of words and their connotations, and the range of words in which I'm able to utilize is constantly growing and expanding.  There are several reasons why I think this is so, and the main ones are our weekly Vocab tests, AOWs, and the blogs that we write.  I believe that having a strong vocabulary is a major key to success in life because explanations, directions, and instructions can be much easier to provide for others, as well as receive yourself.

One of the most interesting projects that we had this quarter, was the Butterfly Project.  The thing that was so special about this project to me was the creativity and artistic effort that was required to successfully complete it.  However, art, coloring, and drawing are my weaknesses and therefore this assignment was especially difficult for me.  In the end though, I was proud of myself for completing it to the best of my ability, and for taking this project as an opportunity to expand my horizons.

The most difficult part of 3rd quarter for me was controlling my impulsitivity and resisting the urge to "check out" of eighth grade early.  I'm just so excited and ready for high school but I need to understand and respect the fact that there is still time left in middle school.  This will continue to be an obstacle for me especially as fourth quarter begins and the year comes to an end.  However, I plan on overcoming this obstacle and controlling myself until the end of the year, and keep my focus on my schoolwork.

Thinglink Butterfly Project

"The Trial" How has the author grabbed your attention, and kept you reading the book? 3-10-16

Just a few days ago, I began reading the book The Trial by Jen Bryant.  This book has already hooked me into its plot and convinced me to continue on with its story within only a chapter or two.  I've experienced books where I completely lose interest within the first few pages, and I just can not continue reading the book.  However, I've also had experiences where as soon as I pick up a book, I become engulfed and intrigued in the plot.  Therefore in this blog, I'm going to be analyzing what about the work of an author can produce this effect, specifically in this book.

As I further investigated the portion of the book that I've read, I came to the conclusion that the simplicity of the author's description and dialogue is one of the causes of my interest.  Now I do believe that this could have a completely different impact on other readers, and the results may vary.  However, I personally enjoy the basic nature of the author's writing.  Some readers may feel the need to have extremely descriptive word choice, but I think that the author has a phenomenal balance of painting a picture for readers, while still providing the capability to paint your own.  For example, on page five of the book the author says, "The streets are wide and clean, the shopkeepers are friendly, and all the children walk to school."  I prefer writing like this, opposed to an author who would instead say something like, "The extensive, vast pavement of the road is spotless.  Shopkeepers greet customers with bright eyed smiles, and children hurry to school in little groups."  Instead of laying out a cemented scene with absolutely nothing left implied, Jen Bryant grants readers the opportunity and choice to visualize the story unfolding in a way that makes the most sense to them.

Another reason for my pull to the book, is the actual plot itself.  The mystery, excitement, and wonderment of the story is a leading cause for my liking of the novel.  The story is about a young girl named Katie Leigh, who lives in a small town that goes by the name of Flemington.  What mainly interests me, is the upcoming trial in Flemington, for a case dealing with the kidnapping of an infant belonging to a famous and wealthy family (Katie is becoming obsessed with the case as well). This is described in the book on page 12, when the author writes, "Someone kidnapped Charles Lindbergh's firstborn son, leaving only some muddy footprints, a broken ladder, and a ransom note... no one saw who did it."  As the trial draws closer and closer, I become more and more curious with thoughts of potential outcomes, events, and/or endings to the story.  

Travel Team (What aspects or sections of the book affect your enthusiasm for reading it?)

One of the books that I've recently completed for my Battle of the Books team, was the book Travel Team.  This book is about a boy named Danny Walker who struggles to pursue his dreams and goals relating to basketball, and the follow in the footsteps of his dad Richie Walker despite his size disadvantage.  This novel gives great messages and provides readers with an amazing story of basketball, friendship, family relationships, and perseverance.

One of my very favorite pastimes and things to do, is play basketball.  I believe that the fact that this book practically revolved around this sport, really encouraged me and drove me to be more interested in reading it.  The fact that I could relate to many actions the characters were taking, and some of the feelings or emotions that they had truly drew me into the story.  For example, some of the interactions between Danny and his mother were similar to some between myself and my mom.  Throughout the story, Danny's mom would ask or comment on Danny's basketball playing, and mess up or alter the correct terminology for what she was referring to, whether it be intentional or not.  Many times I could see myself carrying out the same conversation with my mom, and connections like that are what made me enjoy this novel.

In addition to these connections that I made between the characters and I, the author did a really good job of developing powerful and/or emotional moments throughout the plot.  He did this through various methods including dialogue, and character interactions with one another.  Several times, I found myself agreeing with one character over another if they were in an argument, or I would feel emotions such as sympathy, anger, or inspiration, towards one of them.  I would wish that I could go into the book to talk to a character, to warn, congratulate, discuss with, or yell at them.  In order to not spoil the plot, I won't give away too much information, but there was one instance where a main character's parent was reprimanding or yelling at them for something I COMPLETLY didn't agree with, and I felt so much anger and feeling towards the parent.  If an author can really pull readers into the story and get them to start feeling for the developing plot and occurring events like this, readers will become more interested in their work.

"Life is Beautiful" Analysis

Throughout the film "Life is Beautiful", there were several instances where life was displayed as beautiful.  Most of these examples are shown through relationships, or bonds within a family.  Life is also shown as beautiful with emotions, gestures, and actions that were directed at certain individuals.  These people could be friends, acquaintances, family, or complete strangers.

One instance where life was shown as beautiful, was when Guido's wife decided to join him and their son on the Jewish train transport.  This showed me that life is beautiful because she knew that they were being taken to a bad place, but she sacrificed and put herself in great risk for the people she loved.  This action showed great compassion, sacrifice, and love for others, and it proved that there still were good things in the word during the horrible time period of the Holocaust.  Countless atrocities were carried out and directed at the Jews, but positive thoughts, optimism, love, and friendship were still present despite the circumstances.

Another example of life being beautiful within the movie, was the moment right before Guido's murder, when he made eye contact with his hidden son.  Throughout his entire experience at the concentration camp, Guido disguised the true horrors of the Nazi camp in order to protect the innocence of his son Joshua.  Specifically, right before Guido was shot, he looked at his son who was hiding, winked at him, and pretended that he wasn't scared even though he obviously was in that situation.  Guido sacrificed his safety many times in order to save his son, and I definitely think that shows how beautiful life is.