Blog Reflection

          Some benefits that I gained by maintaining this blog were learning how to read into a text better and really understand the hidden meaning. For example, I reread some books that I had read from last year, and when I did read it, I found many things that I hadn't noticed before. I've also benefitted by this blog making me a better writer. Lastly, I also realize how it feels nice to share your thoughts with others and to have your thoughts and ideas heard. This blog was like a creative outlet for me.
          I think that teenagers do abuse the freedom that being online gives you. People do type things online and comment on pictures and say things that they would never ever say to a person's face. For example people say how horrible certain people are online anonymously because they want this person to know how they feel about them without the person knowing who said it. I think that it's a good thing because if a person doesn't know who said a nasty comment, they wouldn't end a friendship and hate someone because of something that they said which might've been a mistake. The online freedom lets you say what you want and really express your feelings.
         Writing online, to me is different than writing in a notebook. When you write in a notebook it's kind of a private thing like just for you, while if you write online, people can see what you've written and said. Also, writing in a notebook takes more time than writing online, so you might lose some of your ideas in the process while if you write online you can write quicker and keep your ideas. Also, while writing online it's easier to get into a flow because you can write faster and keep your ideas and opinions in your head long enough for you to write it.
        I  think that when we're online we create fake identities that reflect who we really want and strive to be. What people post can show you a lot about them. If someone posts really artistic photos it could reflect that they like to take photos and have an interest in art. These online identities are like a magnifying glass into our brain and body and shows our desires and who we strive to be.
        I don't imagine myself maintaining this blog. i don't imagine myself continuing this blog because I would rather be outside playing and exploring than writing about it. I want to experience it and not just imagine it and put it into writing. My opinion on blogs is that they're a creative outlet for people to express themselves. Some people like to have others see what they think and a blog is just the way to do this.

Non-fiction critical analysis

Zach Gee

          I read the article "From Rwanda to Harvard," by Michael Wines of the New York Times Upfront Magazine. This article is about how a boy Justus Uwayesu went from being a begger in a dump, and not having taken a shower in over a year to a boy going to Harvard. The article is about the transition from Rwanda to Harvard. The big message in this article is that potential can be found in the most hopeless of places.

        The article says "He's an example of the potential buried even in humanity's most hopeless places----and a reminder of how seldom this potential is mined." What I think this quote means is that even though a place or country might seem hopeless and a place without anything good, there is always something good everywhere. Justus Uwayesu is an example of this buried potential. He was hidden in the midst of all the hopelessness in a dump full of beggers and homeless children. The author also has Justus Uwayesu say "I don't see the future of Rwanda through the past." I think that this quote mean that you have to forget about the past and think about improving the future. I think that he says this because he realizes that the past is set and cannot be changed, but that the future can still be changed and molded so that it can be made better. The author also says "After graduation, he plans to return to Rwanda." I think that this quote shows Justus's goal to help his home get better. He wants to make things better and I like that.

         My opinion on this article is that potential is hidden and all you have to do is find it. You can find it in the most unexpected places. It's like a game of hide and seek. The potential is hidden in places where you wouldn't expect to look. This article has shown me that if you look and search hard enough you will find what you desire. All you need is the want to find whatever it is that you desire and want.

       My book, The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Euginides, is about the neighborhood boys recalling the past thirteen months where all of the Lisbon girls committed suicide. Cecelia, the youngest was the first one, then came the others. Mr. Lisbon was fired from his job for complaints and after that no one was seen coming or leaving the Lisbon house. The neighborhood boys are invited to go to the Lisbon house and while they're getting impatient they start to explore. They find Bonnie dead in the basement and Therese dead by sleeping pills. Lux is dead from choking to death and Mary is the only one who can be saved. However Mary decides to commit suicide later. I believe that Cecelia was like the trigger, that she was the one who started all of the suicides and her parent helped contribute.
       I think that Cecilia was the trigger and the one who started all the suicides because she was the first and all the others followed. Of course their parents letting them have no social lives contributed because they couldn't make friends and became depressed. Cecelia went upstairs during the party and jumped out her bedroom window and was impaled on the garden fence. I think that if Cecelia didn't commit suicide then the other girls wouldn't have because it never would have occured to them to end their own lives. I think their mother, Mrs. Lisbon played a big part in their daughters suicides. She didn't let them out of the house after Lux came home late and she kept them from school. She and her husband were controlling their daughters lives. If they let them have more freedom then their daughters would still be alive. Cecelia should have tried to make friends in school because then she would not have felt so bad about life. A priest said that Cecelia was one of those people who were there, but they weren't really there and that when she jumped she probably thought she would have flew. But I don't think that this is the case, I think that Cecelia knew what she was doing and she was getting prepared for it. The author includes a part about how Cecelia took her time and I think that this time was spent contemplating on whether or not to end her life because she previously tried to cut her wrists and the doctor said it was a social issue. I believe that Cecelia was just done with life.

To kill a mockingbird

     The book, "To Kill A Mockingbird," by Harper Lee is about Scout Finch and all the adversity that she has to go through because her father, Atticus is defending a black man named Tom Robinson. The book takes place at a time where racism is present. The blacks and whites of
Maycomb are divided, and every white person in town thinks that Atticus is crazy for defending a black man because they think that the whites are always right. In this book Scout and her brother, Jem  has to face a lot of adversity because of the man her father chose to defend.
     Scout gets told at school about how her father is a n*gger lover, and even though she doesn't know exactly what it means, she beats up the kid who said it. She was defending her father's pride because he was doing something that no one else in their time period would have done. In many people's eyes he was doing the unthinkable which was defending a black man. Atticus tells Scout and her brother, Jem to keep their heads because they would have to learn to because it would be much worse when the Summer came. Summer was when the trial was. Scout's neighbor, Ms. Dubose is always trying to get Jem and Scout to lose their heads whenever they walk by her house. One day when Jem and Scout are walking to town she talks about how Atticus is defending a n*gger. When Jem and Scout come back from town with their new toys, Jem cuts up all her flowers because of what she said. Also, when their family went to celebrate Christmas at Finch's Landing, Scout's cousin is making insults about Atticus and Tom Robinson. Scout forgets what Atticus said about keeping her head and punches her cousin because what he said was so offensive,
     I think that back then was a bad time, where certain people thought that they were better than others. The book takes place in Alabama where there was a lot of racism because it was close to when slavery was abolished. I think that all the hate that the whites gave the blacks was about bitterness because they had just lost the people who did all their work. Mr. Ewell is the man who beat up Mayella, not Tom, he had just witnessed his daughter kissing a black man, and he did what most people would've done, he blamed it on a black man. I think it's wrong how the jury failed to see Tm's innocence. They were bias and it would've been the first time a vote went towards a black man over a white. They should've realized that everyone is equal and treated each other with respect.

blog post

Blog Post
Book: To Kill A Mockingbird
      My book, "To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about standing up for what you believe is right when the costs are high. For example Atticus, Scout and Jem's father was defending Tom Robinson from a crime that he didn't commit. Tom was accused of raping a farmer's daughter. The central idea of  this book was to stand up for what you believe is right.
     Atticus is a lawyer and he defended anyone who needed his help. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a farmers daughter. There was plenty of proof that Robinson hadn't committed the crime, but they were living in a time where racism was present so the judge sentenced Tom guilty. Atticus did all he could to prove Robinson's innocence and he had clear proof that the farmer's father had done it. The farmers father beat his daughter because his daughter liked Tom and she was white and he was black. He saw them kissing and he beat his daughter and accused  Tom of doing it. Atticus defended Tom even though the white people in Maycomb couldn't believe it. He defended a black man when racial tension was high.
     I think that what Atticus did was right. He stood up for the man, he ignored the fact that he was black and used all his power to prove his innocence even though Tom was found guilty. Atticus proved  that Tom was innocent, but the judges ignored his evidence and convicted Tom. I admire how Atticus ignored everyone's hate and protected Tom. When Tom was in holding Atticus sat by his cell to protect him from men who tried to hurt him. One time, when a group of white men came to the jail with the intent of hurting Tom because of the crime he didn't commit, Atticus sent them away and stayed by Tom's side. I think that the other lawyers and judges in Maycomb should follow Atticus's example because what he did was right.
     In conclusion, standing up for what's right should be one of the most important rules of life. Convicting innocent people is wrong, especially when there's evidence that they're innocent. Atticus is a prime example. To Kill A Mockingbird has a powerful message and shows that racism is worng.

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis
     The Upfront article "China's Cram Schools," by Brook Larmer is about the Maotanchang High School in China. The Maotanchang High School is one of China's cram schools where 20,000 students train for multiple hours to prepare themselves for China's national-college entrance exam also known as the Gaokao. For many, passing this test is the most important thing in their lives. I think that putting so much stakes on one test isn't right. I believe it should be based on interviews and past records, they should let the colleges decide who they want.
     Yang Wei was a former student as at Maotanchang High School. He spent 3 years getting to school at 6:20 and getting home at 10:50. At Maotanchang High School, all they do is study, study, study. Yang said "If you connected all the practice tests I've taken over the past 3 years," he said "they would wrap all the way around the world." This just shows how much they do and how much the students at Maotanchang care about this test. Many families spend most of their money sending their kids to this school so they can go to a good college. An example is "Cao's family was heartbroken. His father had worked 12 hour days, 50 weeks a year, building high rises in eastern China to pay the Maotanchang fees." This is the life that kids who don't get into a college can expect. A lot of manual labor in construction or factories. Cao said "It's a lot of pressure," said Cao. "My mother constantly reminds me that I have to study hard, because my father is out working construction far from home to pay my school fees." The students feel all this pressure because they're not the only ones who need this. Their parents need it too.
    I personally don't think it's right to put so much into one test. It puts too much pressure on students because it's all or nothing. If you don't pass it then you can only expect to be working in factories or construction for the rest of your life. They should let the colleges pick who they want, because you can't learn personality through a test, you need things like interviews to determine this.
     I think that China's school system is messed up. They make it all or nothing, there's too big a risk for many people. It's not only students who suffer if they don't do well on the test, the parents who work 12 hours a day to pay the school fees suffer too because they've just wasted 4 years of their lives and so much money putting it all on their child to do well.

Zachary Gee
Blog Post
     My book "Quarantine: the Saints," by Lex Thomas is about a boy named Will and how he's trapped inside a high school with hundreds of violent kids. He falls into a gang called the Saints and becomes best friends with their leader, Gates. Gates turns out to be crazy and Will tries to escape him, but Gates is obsessed and won't let him get away. The characters in my book have many different characteristics.
     Will is a leader. He chooses his own path and does what he wants. He isn't a follower. For example, he went on the Skaters PA system and challenged Sam to a fight in the quad. When he was fighting Sam he shouted that Varsitie's whole food supply was being left unprotected to the other gangs and varsitie's food supply was gone. Gates follows Will although Gates is the leader of the gang.
     Gates is crazy, a follower, and make decisions before thinking about the results. For example, Gates scalped one of his best friends because he confronted Gates about the fact that he killed his brother Colton and then tried to get Will to say that he loved him. Gates follows Will everywhere because he thinks that Will is a new version of his dead brother and that he'll protect him from the real Colton who he believes is real. Gates never thinks about he end result. He does what he feels is right even if it's totally wrong. He kidnapped Sam because he wanted control over the parents so he could get the kids in the school whatever they wanted.
     Will and Gates are the main characters in my book. At the end Will realizes that Gates is insane and that he should get away from him. When Will graduated Gates went insane. I think that Gates should really think about what he does and make his own decisions. I think Will should reconsider who he trusts because he always manages to choose the wrong people.

Zach Gee

Revised Blog Post

            In my book “Scat,” written by Carl Hiassen, Scat is about a panther in the swamp and trying to reunite it with it’s mother. On a field trip, Nick and Marta’s teacher, Ms. Starch disappears in a fire. She is saved by Twilly and agrees to help Twilly reunite the baby Panther Cub with its mother. Duane is framed for the fire and Nick and Marta try to find out what happened to Ms. Starch. Justice was served by many different people, even those who I didn’t expect to serve justice. As always, there were people who stood in the way of justice and caused injustice.    

The people who stand in the way of justice and serve injustice are the Red Diamond Oil Company. They are drilling oil illegally from state land and on the day of the school trip to the swamp they light a fire and try to frame Duane for it. During the fire, Ms. Starch disappears. When the fire department and police come to investigate, they find that it’s arson. Their first suspect is Duane because he has previously had an arson charge for lighting a billboard on fire. However, he lit the fire because it was advertising the flight that his mom took when she left him and his dad. The Red Diamond Oil Company stands in the way of justice by preventing Twilly and Ms. Starch from getting the cub back with it’s mother. They scared away the panther by trying to shoot it because they don’t want anyone to find their illegal drilling site.

Justice is served by Twilly, Marta, Nick, Ms. Starch, and Duane. At first Nick and Marta don’t know about the panther cub and Twilly’s mission of reuniting it with it’s mom, but on their way to finding out what happened to Ms. Starch, they stumble upon their operation . Twilly and Duane are the original two who try to help the cub, then Twilly saved Ms. Starch in the fire and she wanted to help. Twilly serves justice by messing with the Red Diamond Oil Companies illegal operation and helping the cub. Ms. Starch serves justice by taking care of the cub while Twilly tries to find the mother. Duane serves justice by using his tracking skill to help find the mother. Nick and Marta serve justice by helping the mother find it’s cub when the Red Diamond Oil Company tries to shoot it.  In the end they reunite the mother with it’s cub and shed light on the Red Diamond Oil Companies illegal operation.

I didn’t expect Duane and Ms. Starch to serve justice. This is because at the beginning of the book, Carl Hiassen depicts Ms. Starch as that mean teacher that no one likes. She the person who gives a lot of classwork and homework and you just don’t expect that person to be serving justice. I didn’t expect Duane to serve justice because at the beginning of the book I thought he was just a big kid who wanted to be left alone and never did his homework. Duane surprised me. Duane and Ms. Starch get into disagreements, and in one of these he eats her pencil. Ms. Starch helped take care of the cub and Duane was one of the main reasons for the reunion, so in the end they served justice.

The social injustice that this book brings to light is greed. The Red Diamond Oil Company was willing to kill a panther, drill illegally on state land, and to set a fire just to make a couple more bucks. I don’t this that this is right. There are more important things in the world than money. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. This book did a good job showing that.

Blog Post
     My book, The power of Six, by Pittacus Lore is about these aliens from a planet named Lorien. They look like an everyday teenager, except they have special powers, such as fire resistance and invisibility.  In this book, John decides that he wants to split up with Six to go and get his chest back. I disagree with this decision because as a result his friend got captured and he almost died. I think that he should've went to Santa Maria with Six to find the others so that they could team up and come back for it later.
     I disagree with John's decision. I feel like he let his personal views get in front of doing what was right for getting back to Lorien and rebuilding it. If he went to Santa Maria with Six, then he would've met number 7, Marina and Ella number 10. Then he would've gone with them to Africa and found number 8. Also, by going into the cave, he knew it would be near impossible to get back back out of the cave because of all the traps. When they did get into the cave, it took them almost all the time to find the chest when it was in the most obvious place. It was where the monstrous beasts were. If they had found it sooner then I would've been ok with their decision because then they would have been able to get back out safely and meet up with Six at the designated location. John should have cleared his head and realized that this was a bad decision. It was his fault anyways, because he's the one who wanted to go back to Paradise and that's where they lost the chest.
     Another reason why I disagree with this decision is because in the process of finding his so important chest, he let Sam get captured by the mogs. Now they're gonna torture him for information about John and the others location when he has no idea where any of them are. He is going to torture that could've been prevented. And John didn't go back in for Sam, because 8 thought it would be too dangerous. It was an ill-advised decision and  now they might never see Sam again.
     They never should've gone into the cave, they should've gone with six to find Marina and Ella. Sam was captured in the process and they went in without a plan. They went in recklessy and as a result Sam is being tortured. John should think more about what he needs to do next time.

http://meganwatersblog.blogspot.com/

I read Megan's blog post about "Should Athletes Be Paid?" Veronica Majeral, and I thought it was great. I thought it really went into how the author felt about the topic, and how she showed it in her article. It was also informative and was clear about what the author thought. The article is about a debate on whether or not college athletes should be played for playing in college athletic programs such as basketball and football. Most people would have wrote about the two sides and which side they agreed with, but Megan told us about the author and which side she sided with.

I found it interesting how she found pieces of evidence that proved that the author sided with the side that says that they should be paid. She uses a piece of evidence that says "There are nights that I go to bed and I'm starving," and then she starts to talk about how this piece of evidence is surprising and is something that you wouldn’t expect a big time athlete’s life to be like. I agree with Megan, I do believe that this fact if life threatening and that if I heard this I would say that they should get paid because they spend their college careers bringing glory to their school and making them proud. Yet, they don’t have enough money to buy food so they’re not hungry.

Megan also writes a paragraph about how the author tries to persuade us to the side that college athletes should get paid. She comments on how popular athletes bring millions of dollars to the colleges along with new recruits and increase alumni donation. I like how she included this piece of evidence in her post because it makes the reader feel resentful of the colleges because the athletes go home starving, while the colleges get all the money and all the benefits of having a good athlete inside their athletic system.The least they could do is give the athletes some money to get food and other necessities.

Megan also puts in her own opinion on what colleges should do and how her point of view changed after reading this article. Her opinion is that they should get paid, but the money should go into trust funds made for the athletes. The players aren’t being treated fairly for all the benefits that they bring to school. I also agree with her thoughts about trust fund because the athletes might blow all their money in one night, this way they can’t.