Maus

Maus is mainly to show the hardships that everybody faced during the holocaust. Artie, is a cartoonist and he is mainly going to focus on a holocaust story. He decides to go to his dad, Vladek, because he experienced it first hand, as a Jew as well! This would turn to be a good source to show people how the   living conditions  were just horrible.

The story also has specific characters who played important parts. The Jews where mice, Polish were pigs, and nazis were cats. I find the mice and cat connection as a good fit for the story. I know that during the holocaust how Jews were bullies, unnecessary killing, which they had no control over! It really did resemble the defenseless mice against an all might cat. The polish being pigs tho does confuse me, they don't symbolize anything special in the animal kingdom itself, maybe it's like that because cats and pigs don't have much history together.

Anyway, I did enjoy reading this book, it taught me a lot about the holocaust and how wrong it was. There were sides on the story that I couldn't imagine ever happening, especially she it came to family. And how people would betray one another for "safety", which most likely would result in a horrible death. I would recommend this book to anybody, and I feel it is a good example of how history, can be so cruel.   

 

Wolf Island, by Darren Shane

This is part of the Demonata series, and this shows the other side of the main situation problem from the book before it,   Death shadow. In death shadow you are Bec, one of the main characters in whole series so far, and you go to the Demonata world to try to expose the greatest threat ever. But in Wolf Island, you are Grubbs, another main character, who stays on earth to try to find who has been controlling the werewolfs and why they are after his family!

Grubbs has to go through the struggle of keeping focus on the main mission and not letting his emotions cloud his mind and control his actions. The reason that he is so emotionally attached to this mission is because, all of the werewolfs... Are his family members! He might not know all of them, but seeing what they have been being used for frustrates him and it seems he will need all the help he can get to try and keep him from doing something very gerastic.

Romeo and Juliet Literary Essay

Romeo and Juliet Literary Essay

Over a long period of time, my class has been reading Romeo and Juliet and have been discussing what the main theme is overall. We have had had many discussions with classmates and picked a variety of themes to choose from. The theme I feel that is most important in this famous love story is that strong love comes in different forms.

I feel that one of these main forms is sacrifice. Throughout the story Romeo and Juliet have suicidal actions and thoughts. In Act 3, scene 3, Romeo has been banished from Verona and his love Juliet. He goes to Friar Lawrence seeking aid, and later Romeo pulls out his dagger and by Friar Lawrence’s reaction it insists that Romeo was going to kill himself! “Hold thy desperate hand!”  (Act 3,scene 3, line 118) “Wilt thou slay thyself…”  (Act 3, scene 3, line 126). He later on convinces Romeo that he has more to live for. In Act 4, scene 1, when it has been decided that Juliet is marry Paris she too goes to Friar Lawrence and pulls out a knife on herself! She claims that she and Romeo are meant to be and also that he made it happen, “God joined my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands.” (Act 4, scene 1, line 56). She also claims that if it is made any other way she will kill herself.  Friar Lawerence comes up with a plan to stop her from killing her and tell her a plan. Later on in the story as many people know the plan fails and they both kill themselves to be with each other forever, creating the ultimate sacrifice in the whole story.

Another form of love in this story was violence. Throughout the entire story there is consistent violence in the name of love, but not just for the love of Romeo and Juliet, but also for the love of others. In act 3, scene 1, after Tybalt had killed Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, he became blind with rage and wanted to avenge his fallen loved one. He also says how someone will join Mercutio in his death. “for Mercutios soul is but a little way above our heads, staying for thine to keep him company to keep him company. Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him” (Act 3, scene 1, line 131-134). When they fight Romeo kills Tybalt and is now sorry that he had killed Juliets loved ones.  In Act 5, scene 3 Paris and Romeo meet in the chamber where Juliet’s tomb was put. Paris thinks that Romeo has come there to sabotage the tomb of his wife Juliet. Romeo and him fight and Romeo kills Paris, but to show that he really did love her he says “If thou be merciful, open the tomb; lay me with Juliet.” Showing that he really did end up loving her and this was a fight for who could have the beloved Juliet.

The last form of this love is fate. This love story mainly did happen through fate! Romeo had just been dumped by his “love of his life” because she was soon to become a nun. He went into a depressed state and no one could get him out of it, but then he met Juliet! How often do you go into a depressed state and then a few days later find the person of your dreams and not call that fate! Also throughout the whole story in bad situations but are still able to find each other, they even commit suicide together wanting to always be together! This is a way that fate is a form of love.

This love story has so many themes in terms of love.  I had decided to choose these themes because I felt they were most important connecting to the main idea of the story. This was a discussion between the class for a very long time, and I found a way to bundle it all up into one, major theme

8th grade bites

The name is Vladimir Tod, but you can call me Vlad. I'm a half vampire, dad is vampire, mom is human. They died and now I'm living with my aunt Nelly, and have to deal with the life of school.

 I got to deal with these bullies Tom and Bill. They try and embarrass me all the time. They try and beat me up and trip me in the hall way all the time. I'm sick of it and need for it to stop.

I have to be on a vampire diet. I can eat regular human food, but it not filling. I have to inject blood into candys and cupcakes and stuff so i could get the energy i need, i still have to remember I can't let any of my friends eat it.
Also, I kinda only have one friend, his name is Henry. We've been friends since forever! We've been so close that he even knows I'm a vampire. I know he is kinda grossed out about my eating habits, but he is used to it by now.

Sonnet

I tried to make a sonnet, it was hard

I tried many ideas but none caught my eye

It was like playing a game with bad cards

There was no escape, I guess i just die

Then it hit me, I knew what to do now

This struck me, just like a falling black cow

This idea was so simple to do 

Why not just hit me with a bright pink shoe

All I had to do was some simple rhymes

And try to collect them like falling dimes

Then I could be as good as Shel Silverstien

So this sonnet wasn't hard after all

I just had to think like a well known poet

Then it could be done faster then you know it

Literary essay

POSSIBLY A SPOILER! NOT REALLY SURE IF IT IS THOUGH! 

In the book hurricane song, by Paul Valponi, there are two main characters, Miles and pops. They are in a father and son relationship. They are trying to get this to work out and have a good relationship between each other. They are very distant and don't know really how to support each other, until Hurricane Katrina puts them in a situation where they are forced to get closer, what this book shows is how imperfect family relationships can be, but will still pull through with loving intentions. 

Miles is meeting his dad (pops)  for the first time and already they are too different from each other to get off to a good start in their so called "new found relationship". Miles didn't really care about his father, all he really wanted to focus on was his football skills. His dad wanted him to play the drums since he was a musician himself, possibly having Miles in some of his gigs he did. Miles didn't care for the music and tossed it aside, but still had a feeling inside, his father cared nothing about him as a person. He thought his father didn't care for or even love him, he thought music was more important then his own son, and his early features supported it.

Pops didn't have a clue of how to take care of a high school school student, his own son who he barely has even met! Pops really didn't show care about anything other then music, and especially his favorite horn. He didn't really show interest in hobbies that Miles did, especially in football. He didn't like the sport that much and didn't really support Miles on it. He really wanted him to play the drums though Miles hated the stupid thing. It seemed like the drums was the only way Miles and Pops could possibly get closer, but Miles wasn't willing to this possibility through this way. This all might have never changed if the hurricane hadn't came along.

They had stay in the Superdome where they were supposedly safe, which it wasn't. It was very chaotic there, they might have had about the same situation outside. This is when they still don't really understand each other (Miles and Pops). They start to build up conversations now and talk about each other's history, it's something at least but not really enough to call bonding. They do help each other try and survive the very scary situation that they are in. People got trampled, killed, raped, and a lot more bad things when nobody was expecting. They helped give each other advice to stay safe, and let each other wander too far without knowing specifically. Then one day the guards inside allowed people to leave the stadium, people didn't know what to expect, they thought it would be a a lot better then inside... It was chaos outside.

There was water up above 3 ft surrounding everything, bodies were even floating around in the water... Many stores were looted, broken glass, torn down houses, and everything was just destroyed. Later on, there was a shoot out that happened. Everybody panicked not knowing what to do. Then  Miles gets pushed out the way straight into cover where the bullets couldn't hit him. He looked back wondering what just happened, he turns and sees Pops! It turns out pops had pushed him out the way in the middle of the chaos, putting Miles life out harm before himself. Miles in this situation feels a bit of happiness, knowing his father actually cares about him.

Later in that day, they saw that men were trying to steal a piano that was very special to this area. Pops pointed it out in anger, and Miles feels like he should help put it back in its rightful place. He goes over to one of the people who are trying to take the piano and tackles him to the ground. They start to wrestle in the water, and Miles starts to give in. He is over powered by the man, and forced under water. He struggles and can't get back up from under the chocking water. As Miles is slowly fading away, he feels the grip loose from around his neck! He swims from underneath the man up, grasping for air. When he gets up he sees the body floating away from him, as if he is unconscious. He wonders how this happened, and he sees pops... And a broken horn of his. This is when Miles had changed completely about his father.

His farther had shown he loved his son dearly, and no music could get in the way of that. Pops said never to touch his son again, and if he did he would regret it deeply! This broke the barrier of their uncertained relationship, to one with pure love. They supported each other through out the rest of the year in a loving and caring way. Miles turned out to have picked up the drums, and was really good at it too! His dad had supported him in his hobbies, and Miles ended up getting on his high school varsity football team.

This relationship wasn't very great one at first, but proved to be a great one in the end. It just took a big event to happen, to make them work together, love one another for a long time.

blog review

Jose's post on legend and Prodigy (can't get link right now.) was really good and wanted me to try and read the book myself as soon as I got the chance to do so because of his really specific detail!

He gave such great examples of certain characters feeling and backed it up real nicely with necessary background info. The things he said in those details made me feel really bad about what happened in this persons life and made we wanna read more to see the end result!

Also he backed up really well on why he thought the book was just splashed with injustice everywhere! I mean sure he may have spoiled a bit of the book for us but I feel it was the necessary type of thing to  do to prove his point, so this gives him a pass for not being yelled at by me saying he spoiled the book for me and should never talk to me again.

Overall, detail is what matters most to make a good blog into a great blog, and that's exactly what Jose had done.

blood beast

How did I end up in the hole? And why is it bigger then before! Am i really turning into a werewolf? This must have been done by me because, there is dirt under, my nails. I must be turning.

  Good thing the boys didn't think it was me. They knew the hole was dug up by an animal but didn't know what kind. I was trying to tell them how someone else probably continued our job and left it like this. But they won't give up. They still want to keep looking for it! These are a though bunch of knuckle heads we have here.