Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

5. Analyze Mildred Montag. Is she truly happy leading a life blind to reality?




In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Mildred Montag is the wife to Guy Montag. She is obsessed with all of the latest gadgets…such as her 'Family". Which is really just the multiple wall sized T.Vs in their parlor. At first I thought that Mildred was suicidal, but throughout the book I have made my mind that the only thing she really cares about is her time with the 'family'. This life that she is living causes her to literally be blind to reality. She would rather turn in her husband to the police than to stand by his side when he asks and needs it the most.

At first I thought that Mildred was suicidal. “Her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall, but it felt no rain; over which clouds might pass their moving shadows, but she felt no shadow. There was only the singing of the thimble-wasps in her temped-shut ears, and her eyes all glass, and breath going in and out, softly, faintly, in and out her nostrils, and her not caring whether it came or went, went or came. The object he had sent tumbling with his foot now glinted under the edge of his own bed. The small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets which earlier today had been filled with thirty capsules and which now lay uncapped and empty in the light of the tiny flare." pg.13 Did Mildred purposely take all of these pills? Why would she? She had all the entertainment in the world. She didn't even care about Guy, but she still denies taking all of those pills. Isn't that suspicious? "...'Yes' he said.’I wanted to talk to you.' He paused. 'You took all the pills in your bottle last night.' 'Oh, I wouldn't do that,' she said, surprised. ‘The bottle was empty' 'I wouldn't do a thing like that. Why would I do a thing like that?' she said...'Heck,' she said 'what would I want to go and do a silly thing like that for?'... She was quite obviously waiting for him to go. 'I didn't do that,' she said. 'Never in a billion years.'" pg.19-20 I was still convinced that Mildred was suicidal. It is very common these days for people to kill themselves in the way I though Mildred was trying to. "'Hell' The operator's cigarette moved on his lip.’We get these cases nine or ten a night. Got so many, starting a few years ago, we had the special machines built. With optical lens, of course that was new; the rest is ancient. You don't need an M.D., case like this; all you need is two handymen, clean up the problem in half an hour..." pg. 15 Then another thought popped into my head. Mildred is not suicidal, she just doesn't care. Not about herself, not about guy, not about the world, only her T.V's.

Throughout reading the rest of this book, I found that this opinion of mine was increasingly growing into a fact. When Guy's only friend Clarisse goes missing, he freaks. He is worried for her. One when Mildred and Guy were talking, Clarisse happens to be brought up into the conversation. "'What girl?' she was almost asleep. 'The girl next door' 'What girl next door?' 'You know, the high-school girl. Clarisse, her name is.' 'Oh, yes,' said his wife. 'I haven't seen her for a few days - four days to be exact. Have you seen her?' 'No.' 'I've meant to talk to you about her. Strange.' 'Oh, I know the one you mean.' 'What about her?' asked Montag 'I meant to tell you. Forgot. Forgot.' Tell me now. What is it?' ' I think she is gone.' 'Gone?' 'Whole family moved out somewhere. But she's gone for good. I think she's dead.' 'We couldn't be talking about the same girl.' 'No. The same girl. McClellan. McClellan. Run over by a car. Four days ago. I'm not sure. But I think she's dead. The family moved out anyway. I don't know. But I think she's dead.'...'Why didn't you tell me sooner?' 'Four days ago!' 'I forgot all about it.'" pg.47 How do you forget a thing like that. A girl died by getting hit by a car. Although these incidents occur often, how do you forget one who dies and lives not far from you? The only thing she cares about is sitting in her parlor watching her family. Even right after Mildred almost dyes, she doesn't care. "' It's really fun. It'll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed. How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall-TV put in? It’s only two thousand dollars.' 'That's on-third of my yearly pay.' ‘It’s only two thousand dollars,' she replied. ‘And I should think you'd consider me sometimes..." Mildred is so of in some whimsical land of hers, she doesn't even know the concept of money. Montag isn't the one being inconsiderate? He saved her from dyeing. He already bought four walls for her. It's not like she has a job to pay for any of this. For me the final straw came when Mildred walked out on Guy. She called the firemen on him to report the books that he has been hiding. She is so reserved, hidebound and blatantly doesn't care about anyone besides her family at this point. " The front door opened; Mildred came down the steps, running, one suitcase held with a dreamlike clenching rigidity in her fist, as a beetle-taxi hissed to the curb. 'Mildred!' She ran past with her body stiff, her face floured with powder, her mouth gone, without lipstick. 'Mildred you didn't put in the alarm!' She shoved the valise in the waiting beetle, climbed in, and sat mumbling, 'poor family, poor family, oh everything gone, everything, everything gone now...'"pg. 114 See Mildred didn't care at all. She didn't care that Guy was going to go to prison, that these books she is having burned could be the last of its kind, that she took the sleeping pills, that she is willing to spend a third of Montag's yearly pay that she can have a fourth wall installed.

Throughout the beginning of the book I thought that Mildred Montag was suicidal. Come to fact I don't think that at all anymore. I think she doesn't care about anything besides her and her family of TV's. It seems to me that Mildred is not happy about leading a life blind to reality. She is obsessed with it. If she isn't focused on her family, then she is concerned when she is going to get another wall taken out and a TV put in. Mildred Montag has no care for the world in Fahrenheit 451. Maybe if she hadn't left Montag, but stuck by his side, she and her family members wouldn't have gotten blown up by the bomb.

TU Tuesday-Local

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Cops-Men-shot-at-students-security-guards-with-3595626.php

At the local College of Saint Rose on Tuesday, they started aiming for students. Literally. "...Tuesday morning after they got onto a roof near the College of Saint Rose and shot at students..." A lesson is to be learned while reading this article. That if you shoot at people you are going to get into trouble, even if it is not a weapon like the AK-47. "They were both charged with felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor reckless endangerment." The situation got worse throughout the day. First off the two men who climbed on top of a home shot two students who were just sitting there. "...First shot at two Saint Rose students sitting on a porch on Hudson Avenue from the rooftop of Zima's home..." If the two kids weren't going to get in enough trouble because the two victims reported the incident to security who then reported it to have it investigated, then they shot at the security that was sent out to investigate this Debacle. "Zima and Wolff then shot at security personnel who were dispatched to investigate, Smith said. Zima and Wolff also shot out windows to the St. Rose security office..." This act of stupidity by these two men resulted in consequences. It didn't matter that they only took shots with a pellet gun, what matters was that they did it in the first place. 

9. Why do veterans deserve respect?

Why do veterans deserve respect?
I think that veterans deserve a good amount of respect. First off because they fight to save and protect this country. They also save other countries that need help. I never really understood what it was like to respect a veteran. I never really thought that a veteran would matter to me. Even though my cousin is in the navy, I never see him so I don't really think about him. Although I do always hope that he is safe. The real reason that I hold veterans in high respect is because of this kid me and my sister met named Andrew. He was not the best kid in the world. Once he went to college, he stopped and went to join the military. After his first 'Boot camp' I saw how much respect him now. He is currently in Afghanistan stationed there for nine months. I hold extreme respect for him, because I don't know many people who at the age of nineteen will go off to fight in a war that seems endless. I hold and think that veterans in high respect, because they deserve it. They fight to keep America strong and to protect the people that live of its land.    

What is Crippling Us?

First of (Sorry for this Miss Geurin.) but I think that John Taylor is completely wrong and is the biggest asshole in the world. His comments literally tempted me to scream and throw my laptop out of my window. I am a civil person (Sometimes) so I didn't do that. I also could rant all day about how much I hate this guy so much, but there are rules to this assignment that need to get done first. The thing is that I do see some connection to John Taylor's article to Fahrenheit. "...mandatory schooling throughout the South, surely understood that the Prussian system was useful in creating not only a harmless electorate and a servile labor force but also a virtual herd of mindless consumers." Although I don't believe this, I do say that this connects to Fahrenheit. This connects to the books basic overview. People in a futuristic society will not be happy. They will be born only to serve and be used by the government. pg. 17 " Well, after all, this is the age of the disposable tissue. Blow your nose on a person, wad them, flush. Everyone using everyone else's coattails." People are useless they get used and then thrown away like tissues. I do admit also that John Taylor presents his case about school crippling students with much 'evidence' if that's what you can call it. "Inglis breaks down the purpose - the actual purpose - of modem schooling into six basic functions...The adjustive or adaptive function...The integrating function...The diagnostic and directive function...The differentiating  function ...The selective function...The propaedeutic function..." So this provides evidence that he is not the only person who believes this. It isn't just some crazy teachers opinion, but it is supported by evidence. In the book Fahrenheit 451, the author Ray Bradbury doesn't use evidence necissarily because he can't predict the future, but he does use reasoning and good educated guesses. pg. 55"...English and spelling gradually gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored. Life is immediate, the job counts, pleasure lies all about after work." I believe some of this quote to be true. Today we have spell check. I know that I depend on spell check a lot. Over my years I have practice the definition of words a lot, but I haven't practice spelling words sense elementary school. Also from the quote, aren't you pushed to do homework before leisure. I know that as I get higher in grade levels, my leisure time is diminishing more rapidly as I am learning more. I hate this, but I chose to do it, I am not forced like John Taylor said. So as you can see, Both Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Taylor have similar ideas and they both use reasoning or evidence to support their theories on society today. Now it is time to talk about how much I AM NOT PERSUADED BY JOHN TAYLOR. I also am not persuaded by Bradbury but I like his book a lot. So Mr. Taylor I think has it all wrong. I think that school is not forced upon you. Yes you are forced to actually go, but you are the one that really decides weather or not to do the work. I could not have taken five pages of notes in Mr. Renauds class today, but I did because I want to be successful one day. By successful I mean using my education as an advantage not so I can be a sycophant or submissive. One of the things that really annoys me is when he talks about the elite class being taught to control later in life. I believe that the elite people got there because they tried hard. I am not good in school because teachers just hand me good grades, it is because I try. Unlike someone who is not in the elite class. They just don't focus as much. I think and yes some people are devious and shouldn't belong in the elite class but still hard work usually results in success. The thing about leadership and schools not teaching it is crap as well. The students just didn't work enough to get it. There are plenty of opportunities to become a leader and teach the role of leadership. You can join a club and watch as leaders pass, then run to be a President or Vice President. You can learn a lot about leadership b becoming one of those. Just this year I was the treasurer for the class of 2014. I learned so much on how to lead and my job wasn't even the most important. However the case, this is my opinion and I have the right to have it, just like John Taylor has the right to his opinion even though I think it is wrong. 

Sources

http://www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  

Tried and True

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz9quhMITa1qz4e4a.png

As a normal pinata I wasn't expecting to get picked so quickly. I was just a star waiting to be picked by some kid. I wasn't Buzz light year, Spongebob or Dora, so why did I get picked so quickly. this little girl just picked me up one day. I love her, just as she loves me. She loved me so much that she started to feed me some candy. After awhile I was so full that I could have burst. I wanted her to stop filling me, but she wouldn't listen to me. So I went with it. That was last night. I realized now that I should not have been so excited to get picked, because now as I hang, filled with delicious candy, I fear for my life. The little kids keep swinging a long stick at me. BAM! Oh my I actually got hit. Sarah! Sarah! Save me. She wont listen. As I start to fall of the rope that I am hanging on, the young ones start running towards me. For I know that the end is near, the kids picking the candy that was once stuffed inside me. This is a warning to all of the pinatas left on the shelf's. For you are not the misfortune, but you are the lucky. For you get to live. Fear for your life once you get picked. It will only be a couple of days before your life that has just started, ends.
To all my fellow Pinatas,
Good luck.  

TU Tuesday - Commencement Speech

http://today.duke.edu/2008/05/kingsolver.html

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2792775-the-hunger-games



Although I don't like being told as you grow up you gain more wisdom, according to Barbara Kingsolver,... "Wisdom is like frequent-flyer miles and scar tissue; if it does accumulate, that happens by accident while you're trying to do something else." growing old and gaining wisdom come hand in hand. What did I  connect with in Barbara Kingsolver's commencement speech to the 2008 Duke graduating class was her opinion in hope. "The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. The most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides." I believe that you can't survive without hope. Hope is what keeps my engine running. For the dreams that I want to accomplish in my lifetime and the hope that I can complete and succeed at the small everyday projects. Katniss Everdeen from the book The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins has only hope in her life. “You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” As she walks into the ring that is going to lift her into the arena, she knows that her only chance is to hope for some lucky chance that she will live to see her family again.  
Today I hope that one day will be successful. I want to get a degree and a PhD. In what? I don't know. I do know that I will go into the field of science. I hope one day invent things that will help make this world more efficent and "Green." According to Barbara Kingslover, this day will have to come soon. "To stabilize the floods and firestorms, we'll have to reduce our carbon emissions by 80 percent, within a decade." Some say that global warming is just a myth. I really hope that it is a myth, but I have to think that some part of the human population has an effect on mother nature and her stability. Although I don't like being told that as you grow old you gain more wisdom, according to Barbara Kingsolver... 
Barbara Kingsolver gave a extremely inspiring metaphor in her speech. It related to a book about a person tearing up their ship to use it as fuel to keep going. "finds himself stranded in the mid-Atlantic on a steamship that's run out of coal. It's day 79. So Phileas Fogg convinces the Captain to pull up the decks and throw them into the boiler. "On the next day the masts, rafts and spars were burned. The crew worked lustily, keeping up the fires. There was a perfect rage for demolition."  Then she connects it to our life and our hopes. "How can we get from here to there, without burning up our ship? That will be central question of your adult life..." I loved this so much that I had to explain it and continue on with her metaphor in my own way.
As my ship sails, I hope that it will keep sailing. Up ahead I see that there is a fork in the sea. I can go one way or the other, but I just wait, unconcerned in my little ship because I know the two big ships behind me will give me big push when I make that decision in a year. A splinter of hope does momentarily rise in me though, becasue I know once I get pushed I probably wont go back. Scared becasue those two big ships have been providing my fuel for all these years. I will have to start finding the strength to push forward on my own. 
Yes my parents will always support me, but when I go to college they wont be the ones making the big decisions for me anymore. My fuel that will help me along the way is hope. Just like before hope is what keeps my engine running. The bucket list that I keep, my dream college, my discoveries, inventions. All different pieces of coal that will keep my engine running just by thinking of them. 
So I thank Barbara Kingsolver. In her commencement speech she not only inspired those few graduates to think about their future, but also a kid from Guilderland, New York, who has dreams as big as the Earth.   

how i went from being very shy to less shy

85. How I went from being very shy to less shy As a kid I was always shy. I would always hide behind my parents if we ever went out to a party and it wasn't family. I was always scared as a kid about what people thought about me. So I tried to fit in as best as I could. I didn't want to be the kid everyone knows is strange or weird. Most people could say I am that exact kid today though. Over the years I have grown to not care at all what people say or think about me. so now as a kid that is certainly not shy, I have realized that I love being the odd one out. Some could say I am arrogant and only want attention, but that isn't it at all. Why was I chosen to be my parents kid? I am one out Of millions of kids my parents could have had. So I was given this life to live it, why should I let this experience waste away when I could be one who acts for themselves not one who acts because it is "cool". There are situations though that I am still conservative and quiet. When. I know it is time to be repectf then I am, but school is a place for learning who you are and what you like. I'm not in the real world yet, so why let these few days of being a kid go to waste? (just because I said this, it reflects about myself. I don't think being shy is bad at all. It's just personally I would rather not be!)

Love to Know Slideshow

http://freelance-writing.lovetoknow.com/Slideshow:Free_Writing_Prompts~1

How do you feel when you walk though freshly fallen snow?

When I walk through freshly fallen snow I feel relief. I feel a calming sensation. One reason is a literal reason: The snow has killed all of the things that can flair up my horrible allergies. Which give me headaches and restricted me every Wednesday because I had to get shots just to be able to control them. The next thing that I think about is a calming sensation. I don't know why, maybe it is because snow falls gently but I have always loved snow and I always think a lot when I am in the snow. The new snow seems to have the special different memories on those special different snow flakes. As those flakes fall on me, a old memory is experienced again. The first time I played with my dog in the snow, the time I built a literal igloo, the time I built a snow slide at the end of my cousins hill. Just a few were written down. Each year as the snow falls down onto the ground for the first time, I sit down all bundled up, watching a TV of my life, flipping through the memories as each snow flake reaches my face. 

Creative Contest III

"Scribble, erase, no life only school"

Philosophy=Communism

Communism

Communism is a political idea. There are basically two types of communism: theory and reality. Theory is exactly what it sounds like. It is the theory of how communism was supposed to work. Here are some key components of it: The underclass (Proletariat) will overthrow the upper class (bourgeoisie) because the underclass supposedly gets exploited by the upper class, equal distribution of wealth, eventually no need for government, a Utopia, closed society. Things never worked out as planned. So the theory always turned into reality: Totalitarian state (Dictator), closed society, strong censorship etc. The thing is that it is against human nature for reality to work. People are usually greedy, selfish etc. so in theory when the lower class overthrow the upper class, why would the lower class want to give up this power? 

 I don't believe in this philosophy. I don't believe this because of the how equal it is. I don't like that people who own their own business and make a lot of money should have to give it up. Some people don't work at all and in places that have communism as a government people have the same wealth and everything. I just don't like it. For example if I were to become a doctor in a place like America that has democracy then I would work even harder because I would get fairly payed for my work, but in a place with communism I would be extremely annoyed and I wouldn't want to work as hard. (But if I would if someone needed my help but mentally I wouldn't want to) I wouldn't want to, because I would make the same amount of money as someone who works as a factory worker. Not saying that factory workers don't work as hard, but they don't have med school bills to pay and on and on. I just think if people work hard for their money, then they shouldn't get it taken away from them.

(Learned from Global studies (Upper section)) 

TU Tuesday- Classified

Made of solid fruitwood, perhaps pecan, this has not been refinished. Used as a china cabinet in a dining room for 25 years, this was originally purchased from an antique shop in Schoharie County. It has 1 drawer and a cabinet with 2 adjustable shelves. The china cabinet is approximately 42" wide x 62" high x 17" deep and is in very good condition. The china cabinet  has a matching side board which is available for $225. Buyer must provide transport. http://timesunion.kaango.com/ad-circa-1920-30s-china-cabinet-fruitwood/20550978 A Doorbell The moment I set my eyes on it, I knew my mom would love it. I did tell her I would bring her something back from China. I mean it is not my fault that I got a new job. Yes maybe when I first accepted it I didn't know that I was going to be stationed in China, but hey! That was three years ago and now i'm going back. The only problem is that there is no way to bring it back.  Sitting in bed at home I can imagine what my mo used to say. "Solid fruitwood, perhaps pecan..." It was what she always wanted a shelf made of wood. We could never afford it growing up. I knew I had to find a way to bring it back to her. On the way to work the next day I saw a passing boat. From that moment I knew how to get that shelf back home. I would have to use a boat. After work I went to the transportation office and set it up. The thing that really ticked me off though was that it cost me practically as much to send it back to America then how much I bough it for. Oh well mom will love it.  As I get on the plane I watch the boat leave from the port that is carrying the precious shelf. Sick to my stomach, I feel like something is going to go wrong. The flight attendant was talking "room for 25 years, this was originally..." but I couldn't focus because at that same moment, I watched the boat carrying its precious cargo sink into the water.  The end. AS I finish telling my story of how I went to China to my grandchildren I hear my doorbell go off. I get up off my butt as fast as I can, look out of the peep hole. And wouldn't you know, I see a box with Chinese written all over it. As me and my grandchildren rip it open, I see the unforgettable color of the pecan wood.  However my mother is long gone. So here I am now. It only brings back bad memories. That is why I am selling this piece of furniture for only the low amount of 225 dollars.  -Thanks Henry

L= Lettuce Salad

1 ea Lettuce- I think past to all of my previous summers. I think about how we always had homemade BLT sandwiches. We sat outside chomping down on these sandwiches made from love. Sitting on the porch with the light early night breeze blowing chips off of your plate. Taking your laughs of a shared memory out across the yard. 

  

A few spring onions- I think of my dad and his siblings. I think of the stories they tel me of how they were young, that they always had to pick the vegetables from the garden before going out to play. Then my nifty grandparents would always can the different things that were picked so that in the winter they could pop open a can and find inside a piece of summer! 

3 tb Olive oil- I think of my sister and her stages. She went through a stage where she liked olives very much. She had previously went out with her friend and she had black olives. The thing was that the next time we went out to eat there was an olive. I gave it to her and a look of disgust came upon her face. I knew right then and there that the stage of liking olives was over for my sister Taylor. 

1 tb White vinegar- I think back to fifth grade at Westmere elementary school. My old buddy Matt would always have vinegar in a can to dip his food into. Someday I don't know how, we got into the tradition of chugging the vinegar. Matt said that it sent shivers down his spine. So I never tried it. I was too scared. I always thought that it would hurt me. 

1/2 ts Salt- I think of spring break only a couple weeks ago. My family and I went to Mexico. Of course like every family vacation, we got into fights, but it was one of the last times for a couple of years we would  go on a vacation like this as a family. See my sister is going off to college next year and our breaks are at different times. 

1 pn Black pepper- I think of Rachel Ray! I used to have a little kid crush one her so much! I always think of her when I see black pepper because on her cooking show she ALWAYS mentioned how much black pepper she liked whenever she used it and I was so excited because I loved black pepper as well. I always knew her comment when she was pouring on the pepper. "Folks I love pepper so I put a lot on but it could be too spicy so I recommend not putting this much on!"  

1/2 ts Basil- I really don't know what basil is but what I do know is that it is a spice and with that I remember our spice rack in the kitchen. IT had all of these odd spices on there, but the thing that pondered my mind was that we only ever used around three out of the twenty that was on there! I never knew why we had so many spices but apparently we needed them. 

1/2 ts Chopped garlic- I think of my sister again. Occasionally we make a dish at my house that has garlic and some other stuff as a topping. Personally I HATE garlic., but my sister loves it so the family decides to overrule the one who hates it and they put like three cloves extra in the recipe. I hate it, and they wonder every time why I never eat the dinner that they are having that night.  

Famous Poem Starters

Begin your blog  with the line:    Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred

From Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred rangers. They knew that being on elephants was better than walking  through it, but  everyone knows that the valley of death is not named after a flower. The only goal that they had was to get across. Once across they were scotch free, but before they got to reunite with their wives waiting on the other side, they had to cross. The only rule was not to live. Hey! but that was the goal of the game. You cheated in life, so you should be good a cheating in a simple run right? Wrong. This was no ordinary game. There is only about one percent chance that you will win. Who are you playing against? No surly not each other, they wouldn't give you the satisfaction of killing each other. That would be too easy. They want your blood splattered against the wall. See as a child I always thought it was fun watching those people once a year getting slaughtered. I now understand that this was wrong, but it was the way I was raised: Once a year the criminals of our city get thrown into the valley of death and teams that you join once you hit seventeen try to kill you. The way they do this is another story in itself. Lets just say they use us as test dummies for new weapons that they create. So now as one of the criminals about to get slaughtered, I see  how the others felt. Just yesterday I was a free man, ready to participate in my team ceremony but, the police just swept me right out of there. -BANG- Crap we are bring released No! I haven't finished telling you why i'm innocent. No I get it, this is the game. You needed one more pawn to play with. Well good thing that you don't know I have cheated already. I have my invention right here in my pocket. You idiots were just to worried about getting me you didn't check my pockets. Well have I got a story for you, this invention is no weapon like the other kids at the ceremony that you made us make. I altered it to something much more. As I walk down the first steps of the valley, I can already hear the teams discussing what their obstacle is. HA! they're pissed. They weren't expecting an animal this big. They thought all large mammals were eradicated after the accident. DAM! Looks like I shouldn't be as confident, just as the balls of liquid lead came shooting down, I realize there plan after all. They weren't pissed, they were happy. They think it's too easy and just as the first ball hit my arm and left a hole in it, I run. Run down to the worst place I could, the pit were it is said you can never get out of. It's not an option. Its a matter of life and death. I will just hide. Wait. As I reached the beginning of the pit I realized that the government really doesn't want anyone to get out, because as I look over I see a pit of with a myriad of frogs... 

Nursery Rhymes ARE Relevant to Life

As white as milk,
And not milk;
As green as grass,
And not grass;
As red as blood,
And not blood;
As black as soot,
And not soot.
This nursery rhyme reminds me at how deceiving things can be. They might appear to be something that they really aren't. This applies fairly well in high school. I have to look past the "outer shell" of new people, because what if they are really someone who they aren't. What if they are nice but talk behind your back every chance they can get. Nursery rhymes are relevant to my life because I have had friends before who appear to be grass but they are just the color of it.  
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfa/dreamhouse/nursery/rhymes/blackberry.html

Turn your Inkblot into a Butterfly

Toys can Hurt
Seventh grade: a playground.
Time to play around.

The advanced got their letters
Algebra.
Seventh grade wasn't such a joke anymore.
Next year I watch the advanced class.
Wishing, hoping I had gotten off of the playground sooner,
And started the stage of studying.
I would be a step behind those twenty some-odd kids.
But I would find a way to be as good.

Eighth grade: The Inception.
I started to pick up my toys from the playground,
Yet I wasn't quite ready to leave.
One toy had been broken, it ruined the set.
One B was all I got.
However good, it broke the newly formed chrysalis in half.

I would have to wait until next year to catch up to those already liquefied.









Ninth grade: The Transformation.
As the year went by I slowly started to see the playground vanish.
Until one day I couldn't see it at all.
My chrysalis has closed all the way.
Catching up to the ones who have their wings.

Tenth grade: I Fly.
Instead of sitting on the swing, I sit on a red chair.
With a textbook in hand I see my report card beside me.
Suddenly my chrysalis breaks again, yet something is different.
I have wings!

I take off and as I look behind me I see empty chrysalises.
Yet one ahead has half a wing.
But yet I have no sorrow.
I was young and clueless while on the playground.
The advanced kids will always be ahead of me,
But it doesn't mean they will be as successful, as with the one ahead.
If I had gotten off of the playground earlier would I be like that one ahead?
It doesn't matter, because now I fly freely ahead without looking back,
Knowing that my struggles led me to here to this successful place.

Brigid Heslin

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that (readers) can follow your line of reasoning.  The organization, development, substance, and style should be appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

(1) read a brief biography about him/her; (2)  read the article (completely and thoroughly and thoughtfully); (3) write a summary of what you learned about the journalist (two direct quotes) and the topic of the article (two direct quotes) based on your reading; (4) cite specific examples in the form of FOUR direct quotes.  Call the blog by the journalist's name that you chose to find out more about. 

It is no doubt that Ms. Heslin likes sports. " I attempt to play tennis for the varsity girls team at Coxsackie-Athens High School, ski in the ski club, and swim whenever I get the chance. Hockey and baseball are my favorite sports..." It also happens that her favorite baseball team is from the big apple itself. The New York Yankees. "I’m a big Rangers and Yankees fan." Ms. Heslin's article that I read is about the 100 year anniversary of Fenway park. In this article I learned things that I didn't know about baseball fields let alone Fenway park. The first is that baseball stadiums can be used for more than just baseball." Fenway has hosted several incredible things since being built, namely the Red Sox (of course) and the pope. It has hosted soccer games, football games...It has also been featured in many movies, such as Field of Dreams Fever Pitch, and The Town." I always thought that baseball parks   were made especially for the movie, like a set. Then once the movie was over it was just never used again. I never knew that famous baseball fields were used in movies. I also didn't know that the pope liked baseball! I also learned that Fenway is older than I thought. Besides the fact the the title states it is 100 years old. "Fenway is the oldest field currently in use by the MLB, and is one of two classic stadiums left (the other being Wrigley Field)." I always knew (Or at least I think this is true) that the Yankees were one of the first teams to start playing professional baseball, but I never knew that the stadium they used is the oldest one used. As one who enjoys watching baseball, I have been to this stadium numerous times. It always looks brand new! Thanks to Ms. Heslin, every time I go to Fenway park I will realize that I am sitting on 100 years of history! 


http://blog.timesunion.com/highschool/introducing-me/20412/
http://blog.timesunion.com/highschool/happy-hundredth-fenway-park/30186/ 

NYT Tuesday

The Metal Apple
no apple I’d ever tasted before.

smoldered from the inside,

Sun set on crushed buildings in a reimagined world.

A decade now since the tall towers fell 

not fully healed,

put together,

Piece by Piece.

with a hard-shell

virtually impossible to break

no apple I’d ever tasted before.

1.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/us/sept-11-reckoning/decade.html?_r=1

2.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/dining/21curi.html?ref=apples

3.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/us/disbelief-still-as-florida-reacts-to-burning-of-3500-year-old-tree.html?scp=2&sq=burned&st=cse

4.http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/immigrant-released-from-rikers-4-years-after-her-babys-death/?scp=1&sq=healed%20again&st=cse

5.http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/world/the-reach-of-war-secrets-how-to-break-a-code-ever-since-the-days-of-the-sphinx.html

6.http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/experts-say-qaeda-image-unlikely-to-be-real-warning-of-attack/?scp=3&sq=put%20together%20&st=cse

7.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/opinion/striking-down-a-bad-law-piece-by-piece.html?scp=2&sq=piece%20by%20piece&st=cse

Loved and lost, or never loved at all? Which might you prefer?

I would prefer "Never loved at all." I enjoy being by myself, I don't mind it at all. I feel at peace when I am by myself because I don't have to please anyone. When I am with friends or my family, I want to please them. It is one of my ways of showing how much I care about them or love them. Such of these are as simple as giving up my last piece of gum or something large and difficult such as going to the mall with them even though I don't want to. To be back on track again, yes I would defiantly rather not have my love be lost. I was desperately in love (Family wise) to my great aunt. She was my role model. I also greatly loved my last dog Lady. They both have passed, around the same time. It was too much to bear. Although I say that I would rather be not loved than have my love lost, I do enjoy being in love with someone. It is just so hard to deal with someone you love being lost to you. I know (To me) it sounds weak, but love is not a game to screw around with. Once cupid's arrow hits you, one wrong move can send the sharp tip plunging through your heart.  

K =KFC

KFC is a restaurant that is in the fast food market. I can not say that I love this restaurant at all. When I walked in my first time, it was nice. I remember it looked clean and cool. I use the word cool because you could see everything. You could see past the counter and watch them make the fried chicken. As any fast-food restaurant, the prices are decent. Such as a 10 chicken bucket is 16.99 and a KFC snacker is only 1.49 of of the value meal. The service was great as well. I mean there are no people coming around when and if you sit down to eat but the people behind the counter are very respectfull and nice. I would defiantly recommend this resturant for someone. There is good service, great food and it's all for a good price!

The Book(s) that Changed My Life

So As you already know, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE HUNGER GAMES, but there are many other books out there than this series, so I am going to talk about another series that I absolutely love.

First: I read and love to read dystopian books. Yes it is weird that they are books that are about futuristic life after a disaster. In my teen age years, these are the books I read. I am currently reading the Birthmarked series. I finished the second book only days ago. This book I thought was almost as good as the Hunger Games. It is about a rebellious girl. This book (As many dystopian books) has a romantic part. The romance in these books are get annoying. But in Birthmarked the love was different. Gaia the main character wasn't suppose to even see the guy she loves. I really do love this series. It connects to the world today actually. There is two rebellions between the two books I read. They ended up messy and it caused problems.Both started from unfair treatment and laws made by a dictatorial figure. It is like today, things in Europe, Greece, The Middle East are going on. Such as revolutions and rebellions. Even though this book can connect to today's world, I love it just because of the characters. Gaia is extremely willful  and courageous when in pitfalls. I love her and how she solves her difficult problems. If you want to find out how to deal with a love square, read the Birthmarked series.        

Bucket List

1. Cure a disease- I would love to do this so that people can not die. It would be amazing to make a cure for something huge like cancer or aids but that is just wishing.

2. Become a successful scientist- I love the sciences. I want to become a famous scientist one day, wither it is for finding a new animal or creating a a vaccine or cure for a disease.

3. Go to Madagascar- I love animals a lot! I also did a project in ninth grade and it was about Madagascar. I fell in love with everything there. I hope one day I can go visit the unique animals and plants that are native to this island.

4. Get a 300- I have bowled my whole entire life. As every bowler, I hope one day to throw a perfect game. A 300. I would love this so much. I have been on the school team for two years now and I have been improving my game a lot so I hope that the day I throw one is soon!

5. Have a pet squirrel-  I love squirrels so much. Everything about them I love. So as would a dog lover, I want a squirrel as a pet. The only thing is that if I had one as a pet, I would feel guilty. I would feel guilty because I really feel like squirrels don't belong in a house. So maybe when I have a house I hope that a squirrel will occupy a tree in my yard.

6. Go scuba diving- I like fish just as much as I like animals. They are unique and colorful. I wish to help save them. I wish to save them because of the "Silent genocide." I feel like fish are being killed too much. I don't like to eat fish because I feel bad for them. I also hate all of the pollution that goes into the ocean which kills the creatures.

7. Ride a whale shark- I have gone to Mexico two times. I learned after these two times that if you go at a specific time, you can go watch the whale shark migration. They are literally gentile giants. I have seen documentaries where people ride them. I would LOVE to do this!

8. Study abroad- When I go to collage I want to study abroad. I think that it would be better than learning things in a classroom. I have never heard bad things about studying abroad. So I want to go one day.

9. Win a gold medal!!- Me and my friends have a joke on advisory. I want to go to the Olympics and compete. The thing is that I don't want to go for swimming or running, but trampolining and obviously as everyone who competes does, I hope to win the gold!!

10. I want to get a 99 average- I hope that throughout my high school years, I get a 99 average for one quarter. I have gotten 96,97 and 98 averages so I really hope to get a 99!!!  

The Language of Song

For your blog today, pick a different language other than English, Google music in that language, and listen to a song sung in the language you chose.  Songs in other languages make you think differently.  If you take a second language you're sure to have heard at least one song in another language!  For this blog write a short story using any (CLEAN)song sung in another language as an inspiration, capturing the tone of the song.  Cite the song title, artist, and lyrics used (both in English and in the other language.)   Call the blog The Language of Song.

Song/artist: La Camisa Negra (The Black Shirt) by Juanes  

Song Lyrics: http://songlations.livejournal.com/17899.html

Why

Before I knew it, I was running down the street. With a bullet wound right through my leg. I am an idiot! All you did was lie to me. I am running after you my love, while you sit in that white sedan waving goodbye. I gave you my house, bought you a karat ring and even payed for your mother to get through her kemo. All you did was run away. I mean I don't think you had to run, the thing that I did wasn't so bad...was it? Anyway all I wanted was some money, I need to get through the week.You knew how I was looking for a job. So I take fifty dollars and you act as if I was murdering you. So you decide to call your boyfriend. This whole time you went behind my back and you didn't even love me. So when Mr. New guy walks in, you cower over to him. He pulls the gun and shot me. What the heck! Your boyfriend shot me because I took fifty dollars from you.

Now here I am laying down in the middle of the street. Staring at my love quickly leaving me behind to bleed out. I look down at my pants and I know. The last thing I see is my black pants. Stained with the blood which used to propel faster and faster when I saw her face. Even now as she leaves, my last liter of blood pumps fast for her, my Rose. 

     

Lucky Blog

I have a lucky pair of shorts. They are gray with a line of white on each side. They are under armor shorts at about knee length. They have the fabric of basketball shorts. I use these shorts when I go bowling. I seem to think that I always do good when wearing these. I got one of my highest three game series (698) while wearing these. So whenever I go to my Saturday league bowling I wear them. What scares me is that they are getting a bit small. I think that by next year they will be too small to wear. Whenever I wear another pair of leg wear, especially pants I do horrible at bowling. Maybe next year I will unfortunately get my lowest series ever!    

TU Tuesday- Crime

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Texas-infant-that-was-kidnapped-8-years-ago-found-3407066.php

http://www.pdi-web.com/kidnapping-investigation-ransom.html

http://www.squidoo.com/kidnapping

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.


My question: What can happen to her (Prison wise), how do you investigate a kidnapping?

My times union article was about a babysitter (Tanner) who kidnapped a kid. After many years of searching for this child, the case ran cold. Recently they believe that they have found the child. " Texas authorities believe they've found a boy who was kidnapped as an infant eight years ago and have arrested his former babysitter." Kidnapping is a serious topic, but to me it isn't as "easy" as a murder. A kid being taken can easily be concealed, rather than a murder. So how do you investigate a kidnap? PDI says that you need to act quickly. Time is relevant and a key factor in finding the person. "Time is the enemy in missing child cases. According to a study by the State of Washington’s Office of the Attorney General, in 76.2% of child abduction-homicides, the murder of the child occurred within the first three hours." Now that we know time is at the essence, what happens after someone is actually caught? Do they get a life sentence? Seven years? Mr. Kavinoky posts that the punishment is harsh. "The punishment for a kidnapping for ransom varies. Where the victim does not suffer bodily harm or death, the punishment is life in prison with the possibility of parole. If the victim suffers death or serious bodily harm, the punishment is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kidnapping to commit robbery is punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole. In order to prove this offense, the prosecutor must prove that there was a robbery and there was a kidnapping." The good part is that the child will be reunited with its mother. If the jury decides to punish Tanner, she is going to have to start liking the color orange!      

Creative Contest 2 Blog

 "I never knew running into a boulder could leave hair in your mouth!?"

http://www.google.com/imgres?start=71&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=809&addh=36&tbm=isch&tbnid=paqr5a5AsccQyM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nassaulibrary.org/centreblog/2010/07/we_are_family.html&docid=HJX4plI_0Nln1M&imgurl=http://www.nassaulibrary.org/centreblog/stick%252520figures.gif&w=512&h=384&ei=vnZaT-qhA_TJ0AGO_cGgDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=187&vpy=308&dur=752&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=118&ty=108&sig=107261238629618762088&page=3&tbnh=139&tbnw=192&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:71

Extra Credit is on my blog!

Scruples

2. In a heated tennis match, your opponent returns a ball that looks out, but you’re not sure. If you win the point, you win the match. Do you call the ball out?

There is an obvious answer to this in my opinion. This is because this happens to my cousin and I all the time. My solution would be to redo the play. It is the only fare way. Well actually not. If I was playing where there was a ref, then I would go to them about this problem and if i din't agree I would challenge the play or do anything I can to prove that my call was right. Back to a simple friendly game of tennis. Yes I would just ask if we could redo the play. 

I answered this scruple in the way I did, because it is only fare. If I just lied and said that I saw it go out 100 percent then I would have guilt in the back of my mind for awhile. So I would ask if we could redo it. If the person said no I would be OK though because I wouldn't have lost. I can still keep fighting my way through!   

My Blog Idea

First list five things. It can be anything: animal, person, object etc. Do this before you go on to the rest of the directions.
After you listed seven things, choose one of the following scenarios. 
     1. You realize that you have gotten on the wrong train. No one else is aboard with you. You end up in the city of Mern. It is  a large city but is completely uninhabited.
     2. On the last morning of your tropical vacation, you wake up and see that no one is around. You look out the window and see that miraculously the ocean has risen all the way to the foots of your hut. Besides the tree next to your hut there is only one thing. Something floating on the horizon.
Based on what scenario you picked, write your adventure back to civilization. The catch is that the five things you listed in part one are the only things that you can use to get yourself back. You don't have to use everything. If you picked...
     Scenario 1: Use the five things to get you out of Mern and back home.
     Scenario 2: Use the five things to get you to the thing on the horizon and make sure to include what is in the horizon.


   
My adventure back home! 
1. Ghost
2. Pack of pens
3. Flash drive
4. Toothpaste
5. Blanket
I choose scenario 2
After I get over the fact that I am stranded in a hut I realize something needs to be done. I search through my room and find four things. A blanket, pack of pens, flash drive, and a pocket size tube of tooth paste. I know that I need to get to the thing on the horizon. It's my only chance to survive. I get snapped out of my thoughts when suddenly a small blob appears in front of me. Surprised I black out. 
                                                                 ***** 
I wake to the sound of splashing. I warily get up and walk to the door. I see the same little blob as yesterday throwing my blanket into the water back and forth. I go back and get the toothpaste. I charge the blob and throw the toothpaste at it. The moment the toothpaste went through the blob I knew that the thing was a ghost. It looked up at me. It started to point at the thing on the horizon. I look back at it. The thing makes a floating motion and then points at the blanket. I start to say no it can't hold me but then walk forward and I feel something hard against my leg. It was the blanket. The ghost looks up and smiles. I look closer and see that the blanket is being held up by thousands of pens. I remember how yesterday I found a pack of pens. I originally thought that it said 100 pens in the corner but it must have said 10000. I smile back at the ghost and walk back in the hut. I grab the remaining things: a flash drive and toothpaste. I walk back and get onto the blanket. 
A couple days after leaving the hut the thing that was in the distance becomes clear. I realize that it is a water plane. It is a good thing to because the pens have been separating in the past day. As I get up to the plane, I notice it is locked. You can tell that it said something a while ago but its been faded. In anger I smash my hand against the side of the plane. The now broken flash drive falls out of my hand. The only piece left is a thin wire. As my last hope i decided to try and pick the lot. Vigorously I shove the wire into the lock and it snaps. As my hope fades away I hear a door slide open. I look to the other side and i see that the whole time, the passenger door had been open. Joyfully I jump into the water and I get in the plane. I turn the hanging key to start the engine. Thankfully it roars to life. As the plane speeds off I look to the ghost and thank him for if it weren't for him, I would have died alone in the hut. With nothing but a flash drive, toothpaste, pens, a blanket to entertain me before my final breath.     

Revisions

Original poems submitted

Caterpillar

Inching along a rough terrain,

A monster inside of them: Hunger.

A minuscule thing yearning to grow big

Eventually changing its state,

Into a something that is a feather in weight.

Rapidly flapping its newly formed wings

Her goal to lay babies on the milkweed’s leaf.

Starting just as her,

A miniscule monster,

Eating, yearning, hoping to grow big. 

Free Heart Universe

Sailing yesterdays vast stream

We long magically

Someday to go explore again.

Wild tree flower fly

Liquid fish laugh

Wet morning breeze

& yet I stay

A blind prisoner

Living as ghosts of my foolish thinking.

Believe

  And pretend it gets easier

When your hero moves to another world never to be seen again,

When your best isn't good enough.

And pretend it gets easier,

When your dream is shattered in two,

When you know the going will only get tougher.

And pretend it gets easier
After hours of daunting homework,
after a failed grade.

And pretend it gets easier
only to make your day feel better.
When the real thing to do is believe it gets easier.

Revision advice

Thank you for all 3 poems.  It's good to have an industrious, enthusiastic participant!  Caterpillar and Free Heart Universe have strong images throughout.  Believe is heartfelt and sincere but lacks the imagination that the first two contain.  I suggest you look at the first two and see how you incorporated imagery, and then try that in the third.  Sometimes a 5-10 minute free write will help to develop surprising images.


Mimi Moriarty

Revisions


Believe 
And pretend it gets easier
When your hero moves to another world never to be seen again.
A world above the clouds. 
A world which loved ones go after they are put into the earth. 
You enter a competition with your best dessert,
Only to find that your best baking isn't as good as you thought.


And pretend it gets easier
When your dream is shattered in two.
An audition gone wrong,
An audition that makes you realize dreams don't always come true. 
When you stop chasing the dream.
You realize that you need to start over again, pick a new dream to follow.


And pretend it gets easier
When you get home from school,
Yearning to relax.
You look into your overworked brain and realize you have more to do.
The older you get the more your "Suppose to have"
After you mind grows with knowledge, you find out you didn't even pass.


And pretend it gets easier 
Only so you don't drop down.
From the stress and burden always carried on your shoulder.
Once in awhile you get a break.
The weight is taken off your back from a generous person.
A new hero that shows the light at the end of the tunnel.


Thoughts
I really love were Miss Moriarty's advice took me. I think that the revised piece complements the other two poems a lot better. I used more details and symbols like Miss Moriarty told me I should. I love both of these new pieces that I wrote. I think that I do still like my original piece because I know what I wanted to do with it and it was a success. I liked how in the original poem, it let your imagination run wild (The reader). That's what I thought. I wanted it to be less about my failed grades, lost hero, hardships in school and instead I wanted to the reader to think about what hero they lost and how hard they try in school and then have a moral booster at the end. Compared to my revised poem. My revised poem is more personal to me. It is still connectable but it shows what I think and I really wanted that poem to be open to have people think what they want. If I were to publish a book of poems and I had the first two poems in it, then I think that the revised poem does work a lot better, because it follows the pattern. If i were to just publish the Believe poem then I think that i would choose the first one, because it's simple yet has the potential to spark a lot of conversation about..." what does the author mean when he says 'a lost hero?'" If i chose the revised one the people could easily said "Oh! his hero was someone who died. I was very happy with my revised version of Believe. Both the original and revised believe have their own qualities and they fit different situations.