Reading Times

4/16    Sea of Monsters pp. 100-135    45 min
4/17    Half of my cover letter draft    45 min
4/18    Finished cover letter draft    60 min

Total: 150 min

What I want most in the world

            I would really want to have the ability to naturally fly, without wings or anything. Just to be able to float up into the air and go wherever I want. I would never run out of fuel or anything, I would want to just be able to fly whenever and wherever I would want to.
            This ability to fly would benefit me in a few ways. I think like feel a lot more free and I would be able to go wherever I wanted. Also, I wouldn't have to buy a car or pay for an airplane trip if I needed to go somewhere. I think being able to fly would be absolutely amazing.

Poem and Reading Details

Reading Times:
Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan    pp. 1-100    2 hrs.
Portfolio and Writing center    30 min  
Total: 150 min

Tennis

POP

the noise of the ball bouncing off my raquet

on a perfect hit

is such a great sound to hear.

In the middle of a close match,

trying to not get too tired.

But after 15 long games,

I start to feel very worn out.

Every time I have to run to get to the ball,

I get more and more tired.

When the last game is over, 

and I have finally sealed the victory, 

I feel so relieved

and proud 

of myself.

Reading Response

Reading Times: Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz

3/26    pp. 50-75    40 min

3/28    pp. 75-105    45 min

4/7    pp. 105-160    70 min

Total: 155 min

            I have been enjoying Point Blank. I think it is at a good level for me and keeps me interested. I also like how the main character is about my age so that I can relate well, rather than reading about someone who is much older or younger than me. 

            Right now, Alex, the main character, is investigating a school that MI6, the detective team he works for, is suspicious about. The author uses a lot of suspense in this book and allows you to think for yourself about what you think might happen. I like to try to figure it out and form my own opinions. I think that makes reading more fun than it is when a story is just told straight up to you.

Song Analysis

            In the song "Float" by Aesop Rock, there are a few techniques found in poetry used throughout the lyrics. One technique is repeating sounds. In the beginning of the song, I noticed multiple words used that had the 'or' sound, such as portrait, tortoise, tortured, orchard, and order. Another example of repeating sounds is in two lines toward the end of the song: "I am not a crook, I cook the wick at both ends just to blend that element of chance with my tight rope dance." This technique of rhyming within the same line is called internal rhyme. These repeating sounds give the song some rhythm and give it a certain sound. It makes it flow.
            Another technique I saw was saying things that aren't really real or possible to make the listener understand how the author feels. An example of this is in the last line: "I float, while everybody else around me's busy drowning." Obviously, he wasn't actually floating. He said this to convey that he was different and in a better state than everyone else around him.
           
LYRICS: http://www.songlyrics.com/aesop-rock/float-lyrics/

Reading Times

3/20    Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz    pp. 1-15    25 min
3/21    Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz     pp. 15-40    35 min
3/25    ''          ''               ''                 ''            pp. 40-50    15 min
3/25    Jane Goodall post                                                 30 min
3/25    Looked over papers and decided which to revise    15 min
3/25    Paper revision post                                                 30 min

Total time: 150 min
  

Paper Revision

            I think the paper that I am going to revise for my portfolio is going to be my literacy narrative. The two traits of good writing that I will focus my revisions on are probably going to be word choice and voice. I think these were the two main things that I could have done better on the most in this paper.
            When I re-read my literacy narrative, I was pretty happy with it. However, there were definitely some opportunities to use stronger words than I did, specifically things like "to be" verbs, as Dr. D said in the comments. I also could have used a more unique and strong voice throughout the course of the whole paper. I think revisions on these two traits will make a better paper out of my original one.

Jane Goodall's New Book

            In my opinion, what Jane Goodall did in writing her paper was pretty serious. She pretty much copied information almost word for word into her book. Not only that, but she didn't even give proper citations to the sources where she got the information. She at least gave a list of where she got some of the information at the end, but she should have included more citations. Also, it mentions that she used Wikipedia, which sometimes isn't very reliable.
            To fix the problem in Jane Goodall's book, they should go back through to where they used other sources and put quotes around the words from the souce and a direct citation in the text. Another option would be to go back and paraphrase the information, but still add a direct citation in the text. Also, at the end of the book, they should have a clear and correctly formatted works cited list, with all the information from the sources that is necessary. After they have done all of this, I think their book would be in good shape. It would not be considered plagerism if credit is given when needed.

Reading Times and Nervous Conditions Review

3/11    Finished Nervous Conditions    60 min

3/14    Worked on B Layer    30 min

3/17    Finished B Layer    40 min

3/17    A Layer Project    60 min

Total Time: 190 min

Nervous Conditions Review

            I have mixed opinions about the value of having Nervous Conditions as a required book to read for the 9th grade class. Overall, I think it was probably a good book for our grade to read. I feel like it provided us a different type of book to read, being that it was set in a different country and written by an African woman. It exposed me to a new culture and a different style of writing.

            One of the good things that I think came out of reading this book was the amount of characterization in it. It made me really think about identifying the characters and what kind of people they were. I think this probably made me a better reader and will help me with books that I read in the future, whether for school or just for pleasure.

            Another reason I think this was a good book for the 9th grade to read was because apart from the literary value, it also contained some historical information that none of us would have probably ever learned. It was set in a country that I have never really learned anything about, and I think that it is good to keep learning about other places around the world. Without Nervous Conditions, our class probably wouldn't have even known what Rhodesia was or what it was like in the 1960s.

            The only reason I would say 9th graders should not have to read this book is because it just felt a little random to me. The book sort of just came out of the blue and wan't really related to anything we were doing at the time. However, it was an interesting and valuable book, so I think that it should continue to be a part of the 9th grade syllabus.

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 10

            Tambu gets very deep into study at the Sacred Heart. She gets so into her work that she never even responds to Nyasha's letters. This surprised me because I thought Tambu would have been missing Nyasha and would definitely be writing her. At her school, there was more evidence of whites dominating blacks when the school had six beds in one room instead of just four, and they also only had four wardrobes for the six blacks. I could tell this bothered Babamukuru, but he didn't do too much about it.
            I thought it was pretty sad when Nyasha basically went crazy. She was under a lot of pressure in trying to impress her father and also Tambu being at such a higher level. I guess Nyasha won't be going to school for a while. I found that Babamukuru didn't even seem very concerned about Nyasha. It didn't say anything about him trying to comfort her or anything like that.

Free Post

           The hot fishing season is just around the corner. I absolutely cannot wait for the speckled trout to start moving in. Every year, they come in early April. In about a month, Grand Isle will be full of anglers ready to get into the fish.
            This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather starts warming up and the fish come with the warmth. I can't wait for waking up at the crack of dawn, going to the marina to buy the shrimp, putting the sunglasses on, and riding out to the spots. The season can't come fast enough.

Different Expectations

           Different situations and places definitely can affect how I act. One example of this could be when I am playing tennis. If I am playing a school match against someone I don't know, I am expected to have good court etiquette and have god sportsmanship. I am not supposed to start yelling and smashing my racquet on the ground if I get frustrated. However, I might act differently if I was having and informal match for fun with a friend or family member. I wouldn't really have to act with such good etiquette, but I could just be a little bit more relaxed and just have fun. I wouldn't be under the pressure of representing my school.
            Another example of this could be going out to dinner at a restaurant. The quality of the restaurant would affect how I acted. If I were at somewhere like Subway, I wouldn't have to have such great manners. If I were at a nice steakhouse, however, I would be expected to have the napkin in my lap, to sit up straight, and things like that.

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 9

            In this chapter, Tambu decides she wants to go to another school. Babamukuru says that the only reason he is hesitant to let her go is because being with white people could cause her to become a bad person. This shows the racism of the time and that it was definitely there.
            It is pretty sad how Nyasha will be alone with her mother and father since Tambu ill be transferring schools. I think Tambu feel bad for leaving too, but she is so excited for the opportunity for such a good education. I think Tambu will get far in life because she is so passionate about her education and she wants to learn so badly.

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 8

            In this chapter, Tambu really stood up against Babamukruru for the first time. She would not get out of bed on the morning of the wedding, even when Babamukuru told her to. Then, when she finally got out of bed, she told Babamukuru that she did not want to go to the wedding at al. I was surprised that she did this because in the past, she always talked about how she treated Babamukuru with so much respect and did everything he asked. I also understand why she would't want to go to the wedding; it would be pretty weird to watch your own parents get married.
            Maiguru also had a little rebellion against Babamukuru when she pretty much just randomly told him that she was tired of housing all of his family and tired of him taking her money to spend on things that Maiguru didn't really care about. She goes away to stay with Chido, but only for about five days. Though these were two relatively small rebellions, I have a feeling that there may be a bigger one against Babamukuru soon in the book. It seems like the tensions are growing in that house.

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 7

            This chapter basically consists of a big argument within the family. It pretty much starts when Tambu tells her mother that the bathroom is filthy. Tambu did not mean to offend her mother by saying this, but her mother took offense from her saying this. Tambu's mother felt jealous that her daughter had been living without her for so long, and when they finally see each other again, Tambu complains about how things are at her home. Also, Tambu's mother gets mad at Babamukuru and blames him for killing her son and now taking her daughter from her. I think Tambu's mother just feels bad about not being able to provide as much for her children, and also may feel jealous and think that Tambu likes Maiguru and Babamukuru better than Jeremaiha and herself.
            There was more involved in argument than just Tambu's mother. The men started talking about how so many bad things were happening within their family. Jeremahia thinks these bad things are happening because of some kind of evil spirit and thinks the family should have a cleansing ceremony. Babamukuru disagrees and thinks it is because they are living in sin. The reason he thinks this is because Jeremahia was not married in a church before God as their mother had told them to. Babamukuru even offers to pay for the wedding so that all these bad things will stop happening and they can start to get along as a family. I don't think the marriage will help, and I think this family is going to start falling apart even more as the book progresses.

Persona of Tambu

            I fell like Tambu always thinks hard about what she does and about what other people do. She is very judgmental of others and in my mind tries to please everyone. I am going to write from the point of view of Tambu about the fight between Babamukuru and Nyasha.
            This fight astonished me. I could not believe that Nyasha could ever have the courage or disrespect to venture to actually hit Babamukuru, the one who has provided her with so much. On the other hand, I did not think Babamukuru should have treated her daughter like that, either. He should have gone so far as to call Nyasha a whore just because she had been talking to some boys her age.

Reading Times and C Layer Reflection

Reading Times - Nervous Conditions

2/25    Ch. 4 and blog post for project   75 min

2/26    Ch. 5 and blog post for project    75 min

2/27    Ch.6, blog post for project, and vocabulary list and test    2 hrs

Total Time: 270 min

            I felt pretty good about the work I did for the first C Layer of this project. My blog post were not just summaries, but had evaluation of the chapter and what I noticed. Also, I completed the vocabulary list, test, and test key, and learned some good new words from doing this.

            Something I could have done differently was to be making the vocabulary list as I read the chapter, and not done the whole thing in one night. I had been marking words that I didn't know in the book while reading, but hadn't started making the actual list or test until I finished Chapter Six. I didn't realize how long the process of making the list and test would take. I definitely would have started the list earlier or done it as I was reading if I did it again.

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 6

            This chapter confirmed my thoughts about Babamukuru not being as fun and loving as I had thought in the beginning. I could not believe the fight that him and Nyasha had. He basically had a brawl with his own daughter. It said he punched her head and slammed it on the ground. That seems pretty harsh for a dad to do to his daughter. This fight had a big effect on Nyasha and Babamukuru's relationship and how they both acted. Nyasha seemed to be recovering by the end of the chapter, but I don't really know if Babamukuru is going to want to talk to Nyasha for a pretty long time.
            One little thing that I just noticed throughout the course of this book was that there is some weird spelling of 'z' or 'ze.' For example, she will write 'realises' instead of 'realizes.' I don't understand why she is spelling these words this way. Is it because of where she is from?

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 5

            In this chapter, my thoughts about Babamukuru changed a little bit. At first, I thought he was kind of a fun person who would sometimes joke around, but also worked very hard. In this chapter, however, it seemed like he was very serious and strict, especially when he talked to Nyasha. A few times, he said he did not like the way she was turning out and that she needs to behave better. I never realized that Babamukuru was so stern.
            It seems like Tambu is enjoying and doing well in school. She says that she is at the top of her class. It impresses me that she could learn the english language so well to actually excel in school. I found that Tambu and Nyasha's relationship has been improving. When Tambu first got to Babamukuru's house, she didn't really approve of Nyasha. By the end of the chapter it sounded like they had become pretty good friends again.

Nervous Conditions: Chapter 4

            At the start of the chapter, we see Tambu leaving with Babamukuru in his car to go to his house. Tambu feels very excited and thinks about all she will be doing with Babamukuru and his family. However, when she gets there, she starts to feel a little bit uneasy. This does not really surprise me because I think she realizes that the only real reason she is there is because her brother had died.
            It was interesting how Tambu kept pointing out all the big differences between her old home in Rhodesia and in Babamukuru's home. For example, she says how nice the beds were compared to the ones ad her old home. She said that she was excited about having more than one blanket on her bed so she could be warmer.
            Tambu continues to judge people in this chapter. She critiques Nyasha's manners and how she acts as a person a lot. It seems like in Rhodesia they were more strict on manners than in Babamukuru's place.