*Animal Farm Project

*Poetry Out Loud

Stanley Jackson did a fantastic job reciting "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. I think he did the best on his physical presence and voice & articulation. He kept the audience interested by changing the tone in his voice. You could also hear him very clearly and you could understand each word that he said. In addition, I also felt like he did a great job on conveying his evidence of understanding the poem.

My interpretation of the meaning of "Sympathy" is to keep on believing in yourself and never give up. Stanley Jackson recites the poem amazingly well by expressing utmost sadness of the caged bird. Even when the caged bird sings over and over again, it never fails to give up hope, and the author feels sympathy for the bird. You should always carry on singing. (:

Mockingbird Motif

Motif was one of the very few definitions I didn't quite understand in the beginning of the year. I relied on internet sources, but those didn't help. After reading To Kill a Mockingbird, my understanding of motif is really strong. A motif is a recurring element or symbol that enhances the theme of the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the motif is the mockingbird. Throughout the book, the author, Harper Lee constantly talks about a mockingbird, and how it's a sin to kill one. The mockingbird motif intensifies the themes, justice vs. injustice, good vs. evil, and racial prejudice.

The author refers to Tom Robinson and Boo Radley as the "mockingbirds". Tom Robinson is a mockingbird because he was killed for no apparent reason. The jury thought he was guilty, when he really wasn't. This reflects on racial prejudice and justice vs. injustice; he wasn't given a fair trial. Boo Radley is the other mockingbird in this book because people were always trying to bring him into the limelight, when he always lived a secluded lifestyle. It's a sin to do so, to kill a mockingbird, because they truly didn't do anything wrong.

*Life lesson

"Go with the flow, and stop worrying so much." That's what my dad had said to me about four years ago. I admit, I didn't quite understand what "Go with the flow" meant four years ago. Actually, I had no clue what it meant. But I really didn't want to have my dad explain it to me, so I just didn't ask. But over those four years, I really learned from what he had said.

Ever since seeing The Lion King, I realized what exactly "Go with the flow" meant. It's just like Hakuna Matata. No worries, problem free. At least that's my interpretation of what it means. My dad told me not to worry so much about your life, or else you won't enjoy it. He told me just to live my life, to go with the flow, and everything will fall into place.

Best friends.

I have not one, but two best friends. Nicole and Ariana. They're BOTH my best friends, so I could never choose one over the other. That's why I'm choosing to write about both of them. :)

Physically, they're pretty different. One's tall, the other's short. Ariana's hair is really blond, almost white, and Nicole's hair is more of a dirty blond. The main thing they share in common main thing is that they both have great laughs that can make you smile, even if you didn't find anything funny. They tend to laugh a lot. Nicole does track & soccer, Ariana does basketball. Ariana hates soccer. If you kicked a soccer ball in her direction, she'd scream and run the other direction. Oh yes, she hates it that much.

They know how to have a good time, especially in the dullest and most boring situations. Nicole and Ariana have very bubbly personatlities. You could say that they're quite the extroverts, they're happy 99% of the time, and they know how to cheer a person up. The two of them are also very ambitious and friendly people. The differences the three of us might have don't matter, what matters is our friendship, which is going to stay strong for a long time.

Earliest Memory-

I opened my little chocolate brown eyes to my daddy trying to get me to wake up. He said something about school. Oh yeah! It was my first day of Kindergarten. I hopped up out of my bed, and ran into the kitchen-waiting for me was my mommy who had made chocolate chip pancakes. With a cold glass of milk. Yummm, my favorite. Well, maybe not the milk. :) After I ate, it was time for me to get dressed. My mom had laid out my most favorite dress ever-it was a dark pink, and it had flowers ALL OVER. And of course I couldn't forget my most favorite headband to go with it. Now it was time for my parents to take pictures. I loved smiling for the camera-all eyes were on me. I felt like a princess. :)

I admit it, I was afraid to go to Kindergarten. All the new faces, the older kids. It was a big school. Come on, who wouldn't be a little bit scared? I was entering a whole other world-school. I slowly walked into the classroom, with my mother and father by my side. I'm glad that I wasn't the only one; a lot of the other kids were with their parents also. I knew it was time for class to start because the parents were leaving. I gave my parents hugs, and they told me to have a great day. I didn't know where to sit, so I just sat at a table with a group of girls. We instantly became friends. They each had different personalities. How we all became friends, I'm not sure. Opposites attract, I suppose? Anyways, once the bell rang my mother and father were waiting outside the door for me, arms open, ready for a gigantic bear hug. I took their hands, ready to head home. Later that night, it was my bed time, but I couldn't sleep. I guess I was too excited. Phew, Kindergarten was tiring. Only 179 more days to go.

Rebecca::Imagery

I'm reading Rebecca by Daphne Du Marier. The dominating element that is used throughout the book is imagery, at least in my opinion. I think if the main character, whose name is never revealed, didn't explain the setting with lots of detail, you wouldn't know what was going on, or where the story took place. The detailed descriptions of Manderley, the house, the rooms, and etc., really help the reader imagine what the setting looks like, because it creates a vivid picture in your head. Without imagery in Rebecca, the book would have no added depth to it and make you feel like you're part of the story.

Outside Reading*

For my outside reading assignment I'm reading Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. At first, I wasn't really interested in this book, but once I started to read the next couple of chapters, I started to get into it. It was extremely obvious to me that imagery was the dominant literary element. I figured that out when I read the first few chapters because the author goes into lots of detail and easily puts a picture in my head. Rebecca was written in first person, so the book would have to be thorough so the narrator could clearly tell what's going on in the story. I would say that the tone in this book is sentimental. The tone doesn't shift from chapter to chapter because all of Rebecca is narrated by the same character and stays very emotional throughout the whole story.

(:

Writing About Reading.

Most people judge a book by its cover. I try not to. Usually after reading the first or second chapter of a book, I decide if I want to read it or not. Recently, I've been learning that I need to get past the first couple of chapters and give all books a chance. Now I stick with a book until the very ending. I like getting into a new book when it's quiet. It's way more difficult for me to read in a noisy environment, but from time to time that's the only option. It's hard for me to read a book for long lengths of time, no matter how good the book. I'd say that I get distracted extremely easily, sometimes my mind wanders off, or just by a simple beep from my phone.

My reading style is very easy going. I normally don't read for too long, only for about forty-five minutes to an hour. But I do read almost every day. My favorite genre is realistic fiction. Typically, I feel like I can relate to most of the characters in my books that I read. My favorite authors are Sarah Dessen and Jodi Picoult. The books I read by them catch my attention, even in the first chapter, which I love. But even with books that start out boring, I like to finish them still, because I know I won't regret it.

:)