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Monday, October 15, 2012

Reading Times

Short Stories:
10/8    Dry September    45 min
10/9    And of Clay are we Created    45 min
10/10    Harrison Bergeron    20 min
10/12    Waltz of the Fat Man    40 min

Total time: 150 min

Literary Elements in Short Stories

            In the short story "And of Clay are we Created", the literary element that stuck out to me the most was point of view. It was a strange point of view because it changed from first person to third person (omniscient) multiple times throughout the story. At one point in the story, the narrator would be stating her thoughts and where she was and what she was seeing, but then it would change over to where Rolf Carle was and whtat he was thinking about.
            The reason that I think the third person point of view was omniscient was because of the part in the story where Rolf Carle talks about how the girl trapped in the mud reminded him of his bad childhood. He talked about what it made him feel like to see the girl trapped, and there is no way that the narrator (his wife) could have known all of that just by watching him on teh TV screen. I think this point of view worked well in this piece because it let you see what was going on in two characters' minds.

First Qarter Participation Evaluation

            Overall, I think my particapation was pretty good this quarter. I took all the notes that we were supposed to take and made some comments about the short stories when we discussed them in class. I don't remember a time coming to class without something I needed. However, I do feel that i could have improved in some areas. For about a week, I din't have a free reading book. I had finished my last one and just never got around to getting a new one. Also, all my free reading times added up to either the bare minimum, 150 minutes, or only a little bit above that. For the next quarter, I should read more each week and do more than the minimum.
            For the next quarter, I am going to try to do more than the bare minimum in most of the assignments that I will have. I will put more detail in my writing. Also, I need to always remember to study for vocabulary quizzes because I forgot to learn the words a couple of times. I don't want to loose points on small assignments like that. Hopefully, I can do even better in all of these areas next quarter.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Reading Times

Short Stories:
10/2    Da-duh    30 min
10/3    A&P    30 min
10/4    A very Old Man with Enormous Wings    30 min

Hero:
10/2    pp. 237-255   20 min
10/3    pp. 255-270   20 min
10/5    pp. 270-289    20 min

Total Time: 150 min

Monday, October 1, 2012

I am a Writer Who...

            I am a witer who can come up with good ideas and write a paper pretty efficiently. I find that I write the first draft of my papers in a relatively short amount of time. This might not be the best strategy because it leaves little gaps in detail and ends up making my following drafts not as detailed as they should be.
            I should start trying to take my time a little bit more on my papers. Being more careful and putting more detail into my writing would probably help me make a better writer. Hopefully I will remember to do this the next time I write for this class.

Reading Response (Plot Structure)

Hero by Mike Lupica:
9/25    pp. 132-151    15 min
9/26    pp. 151-160    10 min
9/27    pp. 160-202    40 min
9/28    pp. 202-237    35 min

"To Build a Fire" by Jack London
9/27    50 min

Total time: 150 min


            In Hero, I think I am still in the rising action portion of the plot structure. The main character, Zach, has just learned that he is special and has powers. He is trying to figure out how his dad died.I am more than halfway through the book, so I am not sure when I will reach the climax.
            If I were to draw a graph of the plot structure of this book, it would have a short exposition and a long rising action. I find the plot structure of this book to be a little bit strange. I feel like the author isn't getting to the point fast enough.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Good Time of Year

            There are two things that I get excited about when the weather starts to get cooler: football season and duck hunting. Once the temperature starts to get below the 90s, you know the time for these to things is just around the corner. I am even more excited about duck hunting season than usaul because we might be getting a great new lease to hunt on for this year. My dad, little brother, and I may have to build our own blind for the lease. I think that would be very fun.
            I have been duck hunting with my dad since I was a little kid. It is my favorite thing to do with him. He gave me my first shotgun when I was six, and I shot my first duck when I was seven. Duck hunting got even more fun when my brother got old enough to come with us. In the duck blind, it feels like you have no other worries at all and you can just forget about everything for a while. It is such a great activity to do with your family in my opinion, and the duck meat tastes great, too.