Animal Farm Project: Poem.

Mr. Jones was a cruel old man,

Who drank too much as he farmed the land.

The animals despised him for always yellin’

And Old Major informed them of the upcoming rebellion.

Soon enough the battle was fought

Leaving Mr. Jones and the humans distraught.

As they had feared, the animals had won,

And were under the leadership of Snowball and Napoleon.

Snowball came up with lots of ideas,

But Napoleon disagreed, and sent dogs on his heels.

After that day,

If anyone disobeyed,

Napoleon would surely have it his way.

He changed the commandments to fit his desires

And to cover the truth, that he was a liar.

He went against everything the rebellion was for,

But no one could stop him

He was wicked to the core!

He kept all the apples and milk for the pigs,

in comparison the animals looked like skeletal twigs.

Power corrupted Mr. Napoleon,

he abused his authority after the rebellion.

He blamed everything dreadful on poor Snowball,

and viciously killed his fellow animals.

Soon enough, he walked on two legs

and resembled a human, much more than a pig.

Poetry Out Loud Performances

I watched Stanley Jackson recite the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The first thing that stood out to me about Stanley's performance was his physical presence. He seemed very confident and when he made gestures they were meaningful. His voice and articulation were also really great, he changed the quality of his voice throughout the poem to convey different emotions. He had a very repetitive poem, but he managed to keep it interesting by subtly changing how he said the line each time.

Stanley did a really nice job of conveying the poems meaning with his voice. At the beginning he uses a wistful tone to describe the bird, but throughout the poem shifts to a more angry tone, then desperate. My interpretation of the poem was that he understands that the bird won't give up hope to escape, no matter how much it hurts him. He related this to his own life somehow and felt sympathy for the bird. He knows the pain and realizes that the bird is crying for help, not singing a song. I think the meaning of this poem is perseverance, and fighting to change things.

Mockingbird Motif

In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the re-occuring motif is the mockingbird. In the beginning of the book, mockingbirds are described as innocent and harmless. There are two major characters in this novel that fit these descriptions, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The motif of the mockingbird is used to exemplify themes in the book. Boo Radley's "mockingbird" exemplifies the theme of lost innocence. Throughout the book Scout and Jem become less and less afraid of Boo, which represents them losing their childhood innocence. Tom Robinson's "mockingbird" represents racism. Just because he was a black man he was guilty, even though he was proven innocent.

Before reading this book, I didn't have a clear concept of what a motif was. The mockingbird motif was clear and obvious, and I think it helped me understand it a lot better. The mockingbird gave deeper meaning to the book and the characters, and enhanced the many themes.

Life Lesson

When I was younger, my siblings and I would constantly fight. Most of the time I would end up hurt and go crying to my mom for help. However, if for some reason my mom was not around I was out of luck because my dad simply said, "You got a problem, solve it."

Throughout my childhood I heard that phrase all the time. When I couldn't find the remote, when I got mad at my siblings, when I didn't have enough money to buy my favorite candy, etc. I got really frustrated whenever I heard it because I didn't want to have to solve my own problems, that's what dad's were for! But now that I'm older I see why my dad would say this. It made me more independent and now when I have a problem, I try to solve it, instead of giving up or relying on others.

Best Friend

One of my best friends, Kate, is a very interesting person. She has wavy shoulder length dark brown hair, that she usually wears down. She is about 5'3' but slouches to about 5 foot. A lot of her time is spent running and playing soccer, she's super athletic. Her voice is amazing and she does Capital Playhouse every summer to show off her theatrical talents. Her sense of humor is strange; she laughs at EVERYTHING. (She's laughing right now.) Kate's smart and I don't believe she's ever had a grade lower than and A+. Most people would describe Kate as a natural beauty.

Kate is an optimist, a glass-half-full kind of gal. She puts others before herself, a true altruist. Kate's indecisive, she can never decide what kind of candy to buy at Safeway. Not only that, but she is extremely gullible. She is an ambivert who prefers to be home alone, but has a million friends.

Earliest Memory

When I was about three years old my family still lived in Seattle, and I shared a room with my big brother Dominick. Our beds were right next to each other; mine a crib and his a big-boy bed. Dominick was five at the time, and was scared of everything. He had a special nightlight so the Boogy Monster would stay far away from his bed while he slept. I on the other hand, was a fearless baby would liked to inflict pain on my poor brother.

One night, while my unsuspecting brother snoozed in his cozy bed, I got bored in my crib. I had recently figured out how to crawl up the side of my crib and look at Dom over the top. I scrambled up quietly, made the scariest face I possibly could, and banged on my crib to wake him up. Startled, his eyes opened only to see my evil face glaring down at him. He let out a screech and ran right to our parents room. Needless to say my crib was moved across the room the next day.

The Bean Trees: Imagery

For this project I chose to read The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. It became clear to me early on in the book that imagery was the main literary element. I believe the author used imagery frequently throughout the book for two main reasons; to describe the characters physical appearance, and the unique setting. Kingsolver clearly described every character Taylor encountered no matter how important to the plot they were. She did this to give the reader a feel for what kind of person they were without having as much dialogue. For example, Turtle's doctor was described as fifty-ish and a little tired looking with slumped shoulders and socks with tiny sea horses on the ankles. This gives the reader a picture in their mind, as well as an opinion on the character. His slumped shoulders and tiredness indicate that he works hard, and his socks could be a sign that he is fun-loving, or wearing them because he is a children's doctor.

Meanwhile, Kingsolver illustrates the setting in great detail. Throughout the book, Taylor is far from her home in Kentucky, and not accustomed to her surroundings in Arizona. The author uses imagery to make the setting come to life, so that the reader understands how strange and beautiful the new sights must be for Taylor, even if the they have never been there. Not only this, but the descriptions help the reader get lost in the book and escape from reality. Kingsolver paints a picture of every person and every scene, drawing you deeper into Taylor's world.

Outside Reading

So far The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver has been really intriguing. From the first page I liked Kingsolver's writing style filled with imagery and detail. The events in the beginning of the book grabbed my attention, as well as the shifting point of view in the first few chapters.

The dominant literary element so far has definitely been imagery. Each page has at least one great description, and I constantly have a clear visual of what's happening in my mind. I think the author specifically focused on this literary element because the setting and surroundings are a very important part of the story. A big part of the plot is that Taylor left Kentucky to go to Arizona, and creating contrast between the two places is important for understanding that she wanted change. Also, sometimes there are moments in the book where not much action is happening, but the imagery enriches those moments and keeps you interested in the book. The tone of the book so far has been vague. From what I've read I would say it's satirical because it is humorous but in a sarcastic way, and sometimes at other characters expense.

Writing about Reading

I've always loved reading fiction; it's a great way for me to escape to another world, if only for a few minutes. My close friends also love to read so they're constantly recommending books to me, I always have a page-long list of "someday" books. I typically trust their judgement about what to read, but I sometimes find myself lacking interest in the first chapters of a novel. My initial instinct is to set the book down and try a new one, but I always say to myself, "maybe the next chapter will hook me." Usually, I stick with a book until the end even if I'm confused or don't really like it, especially when it's assigned. I see confusing books as a challenge and just try to push through them to understand as much as possible. Luckily, however, most books improve a few chapters in, so I can enjoy the remainder of the novel.

My favorite place to read is on my couch in the living room. It's a comfortable, quiet place where my mind is free to focus on the world in the book, and forget about reality. That's not to say that I can't enjoy a book elsewhere. Infact, I can read anywhere but in a car, though I typically read in bed before I go to sleep because that is the most convenient place for me. It doesn't even have to be quiet when I read because I typically zone out everything around me and become completely absorbed in the fictional world.

My reading style is very laid back. I typically don't read too much in one sitting, because most of the time I fall asleep after about an hour, but I've finished books in one day before. I have a bad habit of letting my mind wander when I read, causing me to have to re-read what I missed. I read almost every night, and always keep at least two books on my bedside table.

I read mostly realistic fiction because for me, books of that genre are easiest to enjoy. I find myself connecting with the characters more, because I can usually picture myself in the situations they're in. Also, the lives of the characters are typically a lot more interesting than my own, and it gives me entertainment after a boring or stressful day. My favorite author is John Greene, his books always capture me from the first page and hold my interest throughout the entire book.