The Jungle
Upton Sinclair
literary fiction
pg. 1-41

I decided to read this book because my AP US History teacher Mr. Schmidt had talked a lot about it and the impact it held during the progressive and reform era in the early 1900s. He said it wasn't taught anymore, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Ona Lukoszaite and Jurgis Rudkus have migrated from Lithuania to the Chicago around 1900. They get married and hold their wedding reception or feast as is Lithuanian custom. The feast costs up to $300 so the guests all donate money to help pay for the feast. However, Ona notices many guests coming to eat and drink all they want, then leaving without paying. It causes her to worry about how her and Jurgis will pay for this. Jurgis says that he will work more and harder if necessary to pay for the festivities. In Lithuania, Jurgis had heard that a friend, Jokubas, had made it big in America. Before coming to America, Jurgis worked for months to raise money in order to pay for him and 11 other extended family members to make the voyage. By the time they all arrived in Chicago, most of their money was gone. The 12 of them are directed to an overcrowded boarding house. After, Jurgis and Ona go out for a walk and take note of this Packingtown until Jurgis declares he will go there to find work. Jokubas takes the family on a tour throughout Packingtown. They all notice the thousands of pigs, cattle, and sheep everywhere that will all be butchered by the end of the day. Jokubas tells how some of the meat inspectors don't even check all of the carcasses for TB, so many of them are packed anyways.

Soccer Sensation

Indi Cowie is an incredible soccer player. She plays soccer and is probably the world's best female freestyler. She is known all over the world for her unbelievable moves. It's mesmerizing! She has won contests, performed at halftime shows in front of thousands of people, and even been filmed for a Sony PlayStation commercial. I wish I could play soccer like her even a little bit. However, despite her infmaous talent, she still remains a "16-year-old nobody." For her school, she doesn't even play on the girls soccer team. She feels like she will receive more practice if she continues to play on the boys club soccer team. At school, no one knows who she is. After her performance in the school talent show, everyone asked themselves "Who is that?" Despite the face they didn't know who she was, they were all still in awe of her talent. One of the other performers even told her she was her new hero. Furthermore, Indi also has difficulties on her soccer teams for being selfish apparently. Her coaches always become angry with her for not passing the ball to her other teammates, even though she ended up scoring anyways. Indi Cowie is an inspiration to many girls in the world. She's only 16 years old, but has more talent than many of the women soccer players.

HIgh School Senior's Futures

Some of the things the students want to do are a little bit surprising, but others don't surprise me at all. If I could relate to anyone, it would be Andrew Benedict-Phillip because he is undecided. I'm also undecided, I have no ideas at all. The most interesting would have to be the boy who wants to become a school counselor. I admire that he is taking his who trust and experience with his school counselor to pursue what he wants to do in life. The one least likely to happen and most far-fetched is definitely the guy who wants to be a marijuana baker. I feel like he just wants to be around the marijuana so he can have easy access to it for himself.

When I wonder where I'll be in 10 years, have no idea....I know that I will be graduated from college with hopefully a steady job. I just have no idea what I want to study in college or what I want to be. So I'm undecided as of right now.

Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
literary fiction
pg. 143-176

Antonio has now returned to school again. A bunch of the kids at his school are making fun of him and calling Ultima a witch. He attempts to stand up for her but it's pointless, all the kids end up fighting anyways. After the fight, no one teases Antonio about Ultima anymore. Antonio and his friends also end up taking over their school play when no one shows up for school during a blizzard. When Antonio is walking home, he passes Tenorio fighting with someone in the street. Apparently another one of his daughters is sick and he is threatening to kill Ultima. Antonio continues to follow Tenorio around. Antonio witnesses Tenorio killing Narciso, and screams, causing Tenorio to attempt to shoot at Antonio, but his weapon doesn't fire. Antonio goes home to report what he has seen, then falls into a deep fever and has a dream about the Virgin again. Antonio begs God to forgive them of their sins.

This book has begun to confuse me...a lot. It takes a lot of focus to read. There's so much controversy about religion, it just becomes confusing! But I mean if that's you're kind of book, go for it!

1000 Awesome Things

I love this site. I feel like so many of these things apply to me. Some of my favorites are finding the end to a roll of tape, when someone already highlighted my textbook, seeing old people holding hands, and definitely trying on new clothes right when I get home. If I could add anything I wanted to to the list, I'd probably add being successful in pulling a prank on someone hahah.

Country Boys

The 1998 David Sutherland documentary Country Boys portrays the lives of two distressed teenagers living in the hills of David, Kentucky. Christopher is a teenager living in poverty with his mother and alcoholic father in a trailer, while Cody is a teenager who lives with his unrelated grandmother. These boys attend The David School, which is an alternative school for troubled students. Both Cody’s and Chris’ vulgar, improper word choices reveal their poor, impoverished lifestyles.

Chris and Cody speak with crude, indecent language exposing their poverty-stricken backgrounds. On numerous occasions, Chris speaks with improper grammar, saying things such as “I’ll find a couple of people that is real social, ‘cause you know I’m not.” His choice of saying “a couple of people that is” reveals his uneducated background. Proper grammar rules would have said a couple of people that are. Additionally, Chris said, “to hell with everything else.” His vulgar choice of “hell” expresses his indecent background. Cody is similar to Chris. However, Cody uses much more vulgarity when speaking. Cody believes something is “bullsh*t.” Instead of using a more appropriate, less crude choice of word here, Cody discloses his improper background and upbringing. Both Cody and Chris speak with numerous imperfections in their grammar and offensive words.

Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
Literary Fiction
pg. 122-142

So Antonio goes into Ultima's room and notices the three wax covered dolls, one of which appears to be in pain, from when she was curing Lucas. Ultima forbids Antonio from touching them and he must stay away. Soon after, someone bursts into their home announcing that one of Tenorio's daughters has died, and they claim that there was a bag of herbs from Ultima underneath her bed. Now, a Tenorio and a drunk mob were coming to kill a witch, or Ultima. Someone proposes a test to see whether or not Ultima is a witch. She appears to have passed the test, but Antonio is unsure about it. However, it is time to go to Antonio's mother's relative's farm for the annual harvest, and for the first time, Antonio's father is coming. There, Lucas's brother Pedro talks to Antonio about why he didn't come to warn Ultima of the lynch mob. He was scared, but will stand by Ultima from now on. He continues on to describe the funeral of the dead Trementina sister. Of course, Antonio has a dream about it, and instead of seeing the dead sister, he sees Ultima in the coffin.

The book has me confused a little bit still. But I enjoy it for the most part. It's very intriguing because of the religious views of it. I understand why it's caused lots of controversy. Personally, it doesn't matter to me..

A Tropical Paradise

by: Madison F.

Lying on the beach
With sunglasses on your face
Shielding the harsh sunlight from your eyes.
You cover your skin with SPF 25.
Sand makes its way into your sandals,
but you don’t mind.
Off in the distance music is being played
on steel drums.
They set the mood of your whole vacation:
relaxation.
You see the boats drift by with their brightly
colored sides
And you hold onto your tropical drink that tastes
like bananas
With its tiny umbrella hanging off the side.
It makes you smile.
You wonder if the sailors on the boat are as
peaceful as you are.
Worries escape you as you drift into your own oasis
And your home life becomes something of the past.
Almost unreal.
You smell coconut everywhere you go
And wonder if you’ll miss it when you leave.
All you hear is the crashing of the waves.
All you can feel is your newly burnt skin.
All that matters is nothing.

Children's Books

I looked through the time line of children's books. It made me remember all the books I used to read when I was little. I kind of want to find them and read them again. My favorites from the time line are Madeline, Little Bear, Where the Wild Things Are, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Max and Ruby, Love You Forever, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I remember reading them with my mom or dad every night. Little Bear was probably my overall favorite. I also watched the show every morning when I was in pre-school.

Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
Literary Fiction
pg. 83-121

Summer is now back, and Antonio's uncle Lucas has fallen ill from witnessing the satanic dance of the daughters of Tenorio Trementina. They ask for Ultima's help in curing Lucas, who in turn says she'll need the help of Antonio. Ultima confronts Ternorio about her daughters, but in turn, Tenorio calls Ultima a bruja (witch). Ultima concocts a mixture for Lucas, who after a long process, has been cured. However, back at home, Cico takes Antonio to see a golden carp, which Antonio had always believed would bring bad luck if fished for. After witnessing the carp, Antonio's friends invite them to play ball with them. Antonio's friends taunt Antonio, saying that a witch lives in his house, talking about Ultima. Antonio and Cico flee to a hidden pond, where the golden carp makes an appearance. Cico warns Antonio to never go there alone. Cico also explains to Antonio that every man sins, making Antonio sad. However, that night, Antonio dreams about the conflicts of his life.

The religious aspects are beginning to confuse me a little bit. They're sort of hard to follow. But overall, I'm still enjoying this because it just provides another interesting insight to religion.

Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
literary fiction?
pg. 39-82

Antonio's summer is ending and he is getting closer to starting school. He still goes on walks with Ultima very often to collect herbs from the llano (the grassland). Ultima expresses her love of the llano to Antonio, who has grown to feel the same as her. Antonio is also getting ready to go visit his uncles on his mother's side. He is going to help with the harvest as he does every year to keep him close to his grandfather and his uncles. Same as every night, Antonio and his family prays before the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In his dream that night, Antonio sees the Virgin talking to his mother, reassuring her that her brothers will return home safely from the war. But when she asks to make Antonio a priest, the Virgin appears to be wearing clothes of mourning, causing Antonio to cry out in his sleep, when Ultima comes to comfort him. However, soon Antonio and his siblings and his mother go to see his uncle and help out with the harvest. His uncle encourages his mother to send Antonio to them for a summer so that he could be saved. In the fall, Antonio began school, where kids made fun of him for not speaking English and eating green chili in tortillas for lunch. He found kids similar to himself to spend time with. In the winter, Antonio's brothers arrive home safely from the war, where they sleep all day and spend all of their money on alcohol and women. His brothers urge him to enter Rosie's brothel, but he resists because he might become a priest one day. At school though, Antonio has been promoted from kindergarten to third grade already.

The book continues to deal with a lot of religion. I don't mind it though, I enjoy learning and observing what others think about religion. I admire Antonio for resisting the influence of his brothers though. I know that would be hard, but he knows what his future might possibly bring.

Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale

Jane Yolen

I am thinking of a fairy tale,
Cinder Elephant,
Sleeping Tubby,
Snow Weight,
where the princess is not
anorexic, wasp-waisted,
flinging herself down the stairs.

I am thinking of a fairy tale,
Hansel and Great,
Repoundsel,
Bounty and the Beast,
where the beauty
has a pillowed breast,
and fingers plump as sausage.

I am thinking of a fairy tale
that is not yet written,
for a teller not yet born,
for a listener not yet conceived,
for a world not yet won,
where everything round is good:
the sun, wheels, cookies, and the princess.

Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
literary fiction?
pg. 1-38

Antonio Marez recalls when he was 6 years old and Ultima, an elderly healer came to live with him and his family. The day before her arrival, Antonio has a dream about the day he was born. His mother's side of the family wanted him to be a priest and a Luna like the rest of them, but his father's side of the family wants him to be a vaquero like them. However, Ultima arrives and declares that only she will know the fate of Antonio. Ultima arrives with her owl though. She quickly adjusts to their daily life, helping out with everyone in the house. Her and Antonia soon become close friends. On their walk one day, Antonio begins to hear the voice of the river, and his family will no longer be in peaceful isolation. However, his friend Jason's dad, Chavez, arrives hectically because Lupito has just shot and killed his brother. All the men of the area set off in search for Lupito, and Antonio follows. Antonio sees Lupito hiding in the river with a pistol, but he soon runs off when the search party sees him there. They finally catch Lupito, who begs for Antonio's blessing while he's dying. Frightened, he returns home scared, until he realizes that Ultima's owl had been with him the entire time. When Antonio awakes, he wonders about Lupito and his soul, whether he'll be in heaven or in hell. Meanwhile, he listens to his parents quarrel about religion, like every Sunday morning. After long arguments, Antonio's mother, Maria, expresses her hope that Antonio becomes a priest in order to spare him of the corruption of life. The family goes to church however, and many people are dresses, mourning the casualties of World War II they are facing.

So far, a lot has been going on in the book. It's very controversial because it deals with lots of religious aspects. I'm enjoying it though. I'm excited to continue it and see what happens with Antonio's future.

Just Becuase Week

This week is Just Because Week. I think everyone should dress up, just because. The days aren't my favorite though. Jersey day....wasn't really feeling it. Tomorrow is tacky day though, and I'm pumped! I'll probably embarrass myself, but who cares! If you have school spirit, you will too. I can't wait for Wednesday though. I went to Goodwill and got the most hideous sweater! It's perfect. I can't wait to wear it. Then senior citizen day Thursday. I'm excited for that to. I have the perfect Easter/Grandma vest to wear. Friday is morp shirt day. I don't like the morp shirts at all though. They're so boring!! Hopefully morp won't be as boring as the shirt....

Spellbound Response

In Jeffery Blitz's documentary Spellbound, Neil Kadakia and Ashley White share few similar and different motivations for winning the National Spelling Bee. Both Neil and Ashley seem to compete in the spelling bee too make themselves and their families proud. However, Neil seems to be doing it more for his parents and grandparents. In the film, Neil's father talks about how Neil's grandfather is paying a thousand people to pray in India that he wins, and if he does, he will donate enough money to feed five thousand people. It also seem that Neil's father wants it more than Neil. He puts lots of pressure on Neil, forcing him to spend all of his time studying. In the end, Neil doesn't win, but his father is still proud. On the other hand, Ashley seems to compete more to make something of herself. Her mother and family talks about the money she could earn, alluding to the possibility of the reward she could earn. Also, Ashley seems to do it because she enjoys it. No one pressured Ashley as much as the others, she did it all on her. Neil and Ashley have different motivations to compete in the National Spelling Bee, but both do it for their family.

Whistling in the Dark
Lesley Kagen
popular fiction
pg. 192-228

Sally and Troo were still with Ethel at Mrs. Galecki's. Nell drove Eddie's car over with clothes for the girls for the funeral. Nell was going to drive the girls and Ethel to the funeral. Troo and Sally came outside to leave and said goodbye to Mr. Gary and Mrs. Galecki. Rasmussen was outside and offered Sally a ride to the funeral. She denied, but then asked him why her picture was in his wallet. Rasmussen then forced Sally to ride with her because they needed to talk. On the way, he talked about her mother and how she was getting much, much better. However, Mr. Jerbak died from Hall hitting him with the beer bottle, so Hall was going to be in jail for a long time. The girls could no longer live at their house because they couldn't pay for it. Rasmussen tells Sally that her and Troo are to come live with him. At the funeral, Troo was super excited about the idea. After the funeral though, Eddie and Nell take the girls to the hospital to see their mother.

Whistling in the Dark
Lesley Kagen
popular fiction
pg. 160-191

Mr. Fitzpatrick drove Troo and Sally over to Granny's. On the way over, he tells the girls how Hall hit Mr. Jerbak with a beer bottle, sending him to the hospital and Hall to jail. Instead of going inside of Granny's, the girls left to go over to Mrs. Galecki's to see Mr. Gary and Ethel. Ethel had the girls spend the night out on the screened porch. Once Troo fell asleep, Sally snuck over to Rasmussen's house to search for proof that he is the murder and molester. She creeped through his window to find a picture of one of the girls hanging on his wall. Sally ran to tell Ethel, who calmed her town. Apparently the girl was Rasmussen's niece and he just adored her. Sally woke up in Ethel's bed in the morning. Ethel brought her breakfast and made her get ready for her bath before the funeral for the girl. Once Sally got into the bath, Mr. Gary came in to get some asprin for his mother, but he stayed to talk to Sally while she was still in the bath, creeping her out a little bit.

This part of the book is intense. I didn't want to stop. I thought it was inappropriate and creepy that Mr. Gary came into the bathroom while Sally was bathing. Grown men that aren't part of your family just don't do that. She's 10 years old....