Final Reflection

Over the past school year many valuable things have been learned, whether it be academically or friend wise. In ELA many things were brought to my attention of how much I did not know about literature, and grammar. For example the couple weeks of when we learned about literary devices such as irony or hyperbole. Not only did it broaden my vocabulary list, but also allowed me to give the thing I’m reading a name when it shows up in the book or article.
In the beginning of the year the class or rather the whole 8th grade was asked to write a bookshelf with books we enjoyed. Just glancing at the assignment seemed quite easy. However, when I got home I really had to narrow down my favorite books. The fact that there are hundreds of thousands of books out there made it hard. Not saying that I read all of them, but of the books I’ve read it was rough. Having us do this made me reflect on what I learned from the book, and why I liked it. Something I don’t do often.
The most recent and most memorable was the Romeo and Juliet play. Before this I never really thought about Shakespeare and his writing. All I knew was that he wrote Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Julius Caesar and many more in which it would be too long to write. When I was reading and trying to annotate his writing style it was difficult. The sonnet was extremely arduous, having to match all the syllables, and what not got tiring really fast. But in the end it definitely paid off, now I can say i wrote a sonnet. Regarding the play itself, it brought great pleasure. It was fun the try to act out scenes, and of course we got to watch the movie to understand how our characters were suppose to act.
Books to finish:
Broken Silence by Natasha Preson
Pines by Blake Crouch
My Sisters Grave by Robert Dugoni

Summer Reading:
Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self Control by Walter Mischel
Feed By M.T Anderson (required)
A Perfect Red by Amy Butler greenfield

Poetry Project

Everyday  

The blinding sun as eyes awaken
The smell of a cigarette as a person blows out
The roar of a truck as it comes to life
The crunch of a leaf as somebody steps on it
The ripping of paper as a sheet is teared out
The grinding of teeth as someone waits to presents
The clicking of a clock as students wait for the bell to ring
The cheers of kids as they flee school
The weeping of little kids as their ice cream falls
The rattling of as a cup is held out to you
The slamming of a door as someone walks out
The crying of a daughter as she lowers her mother down
The silence of the night as lights click off

I was inspired by the typical day, other than the second to last sentence of the poem. I thought about everyday things that happen to people, and being a student I had to throw a couple sentences about that.

The devices used are alliteration, imagery, and line break more specifically end-stopped line.


Lost

I am lost without you
Lost as a kid in a grocery store
Lost as a star in a galaxy
Your actions destroyed me
But your words console me
Refusing to let me go
But I am not yours
Although I long to be
I cannot
I have been hurt to many times to count
Your words cannot mend my broken soul anymore
For you are the reason it is shattered into a million pieces
You helped me through hard times
As I did to you
And I am grateful for that
But you could have warned me if you were going to leave me
I let my guard down with you around
Never to be done again
You made your bed
So lie in it
But just know
I will never be the same
You made sure of that
When you skin went cold
When your eyes that once shined so bright dulled
And when you heart stopped beating
So did mine

This past year a good friend pasted away. He (my friend) was in surgery when it happened, the doctors kept telling him to fight to live and when he didn’t I couldn’t help but feel alone. There will never be enough words to express my feelings but this is a start.

The literary devices used are similes, allusion, apostrophe, hyperbole and tone and mood.

Never Together 

She sat beside the window looking out
A world now blurred by a burden of tears
By sorrow sated she would have no doubt
That mourn would bring to life her secret fears
Upon her lap lay all his letters bound
The multitude of dreams he had shared
His picture slipped from fingers to the ground
Along with all the hopes that he had bared
She pressed to a chest the latest one
In which he pledged his love undying true
He hoped with rose her heart he’d finally won
It was a symbol of his passions hue
All this she pondered as she sat and signed
For love forbidden have to be denied

When I found out we were going to do Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet I looked into it.  I really liked the idea of their love, and how they died for each other. Obviously, it is a bit different but it revolves around Romeo and Juliet.

The literary devices used are rhymes (end rhyme), rhythm, symbol, speaker, tone and mood and allusion.

I Am Not Yours by Sara Teasdale

I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love—put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.

The literary devices used are similes, stanza, rhyme, hyperbole, and tone and mood.

At first I had no idea what poem to use. But then I realized my brother had a poetry unit when he was in middle school. I went back and read through his poetry book. That is where I was introduced to I Am Not Yours by Sara Teasdale. It is almost a tragic love poem. The poem itself in a bit indirect to what happened to the person she loved. You could say he died, or he left her, whatever you want to believe. My personal opinion is that the person she loved left her for someone else, and she still loved him.
The poem is about a woman who wants to be in love. But of course she can’t be with him.  The person wants to lose herself in the persons for Sara writes “ Put out my senses, leave me deaf and blind “. The repetition of “ I long to be lost” also allows the reader to understand this better. Also similes are used such as “ Lost as a snowflake in the sea” , the similes seem to have a deeper meaning the farther you get into the poem. You could describe the mood as powerless, pained and of course heart broken.
This poem reminds me of two things. The kind of love everyone desires. To be able to be lost in love when the person you love is around. It also reminds me of myself, somewhat. So my zodiac sign is Leo. While I was looking on Instagram and found a post that said Leo’s wanted someone to love them more than they loved themselves. I want to have someone there to hold me up when I can’t for myself. Love is what makes up humanity, at least in my opinion. Without it we’d be lost, going know where in life. Although I haven’t been in love, this is the kind I want. I know this sounds reedy but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t true. Yes, you could say on the inside I’m a hopeless romantic.

Have No Fear- Poem

I have a lot of fear
You cannot see it
But it is there
I do not show it
But it is there
Lurking in the shadows
I act strong
To put on a show
For all those who are watching me
So they will know
I will not fail
I will succeed
While you are scared
I will be strong
I will have no fear

Essay

     The Dead by Charlie Higson is a captivating book about survival. Young adults are becoming infected with a unknown disease. All electricity is gone, and no adult can be trusted. The adults with the disease are known as "sickos". The series follows a group of teens and how they are surviving. Sticking together is more important then anything. You will need someone to be there.
      People who have a shelter hold the most power. they decide the people without a shelters fate. They can either let the homeless stay with them, or say they can't stay. When Ed, Jack, Bam and the others are talking to Jordan the leader of a group they met at the Imperial War Museum he says " They're not staying." (197) Although eventually Jordan allowed them to stay, but they had to plead at first. before he said they could stay, Jordan didn't give a second to think about whether they could stay or not. No it's not ideal to beg for shelter, but in their situation they had to.
      Power also depends on your strength. If you were in the book you would have to fight "sickos" and sometimes other people. People who haven't been infected with the disease. Jordan is the leader of the group at the museum, he also holds the most strength even with everyone's strength combined. Jack upset Jordan by pointing at him and yelling. The element of surprise was on Jordan's side. Jordan may have looked weak because he had a blanket on him but "He was taller than Jack and moved like an athlete." (200) Jordan was twisting Jacks wrist "with an iron grip." (200) You shouldn't underestimate someone just because of their outside appearance. Everyone in the book has a different background, Jordan was probably an athlete.
      Setting aside your emotions can actually be a good thing when you have to kill people. It may be tough and you will change but you need to survive. Ed is a tough, but scared teenager who has his friends nearby. When Ed and the others were a in grocery store scavenging for food they came across a women who may or may not have been sick. The group decided to kill the women and Ed was holding the bayonet. However, when it came down to it, he totally flaked
              "[He] thought of sticking the bayonet into her, feeling it sink into her flesh, pushing it hard enough to kill her, into her brain... Could he do it? Brooke pushed past him and grunted as she swung her club at the back of the mother's head." (251-252)
       If Ed were to be alone he most likely would have died. Brooke killing the women, although violent was necessary.
      The Dead, a dystopian book about bonds. Kids are scared and don' know what to do, and honestly I wouldn't know what to do if a unknown disease started taking over and ultimately killing young adults.

Authors note

     People with disabilities typically aren't treated the same. As Mandy Ratliff says "Throughout history, people with disabilities have been treated differently by society at large, because of their disability." To be more specific "'There is a tendency to patronize people with disabilities; you can either be treated like a child or like an idiot,' Lawrence Carter-Long, Network Coordinator for the Disabilities Network of New York City..."
     In my elementary school I remember a boy who had a facial deformity. Now I'm not going to go into it, but people tended to avoid him. Kids would stare, and then look away when he saw them as if they never looked. Back then I didn't do anything, yes I was a bystander. Now looking back I could have helped by becoming his friend.
     The message I am trying to convey is to "help the other fellow" no matter their outward appearance. Everyone is the same inside, and everyone has feelings. I hope this book helps by allowing readers to put themselves in the persons shoes.

Wonder

How does this text address the points of view (perspectives) of other groups/people, especially those who usually don’t get to tell their side?

     The book Wonder  by R.J Palacio definitely addresses the views of different people. The book Wonder is about a boy named August better known as August. August was always home schooled because he was born with a facial deformity. Wonder takes you through the life of August from different perspectives. Mainly August, but there are also perspectives from his sister Olivia, Justin Olivia's boyfriend and friends of August. One example that stuck out to me was Justin, not just because his section had incorrect punctuation and grammar (on purpose) but because you got to see how he reacted to meeting August. He knew that August had a facial deformity but he was still "taken by surprise".  He assumed that he look close to normal because of all his surgeries. Another perspective that stuck out to me was Olivia's section. You would think that because she lived with August all his life when she saw him after a month she would feel the same. "I have to say it was so amazing being free of all that stuff... No one stared at Grans and me when we went to town to buy groceries." I think she has a right to say she felt free because she didn't have to keep worrying about how people were judging August. When Olivia came back and saw Augusts drool on his chin while he was hugging her she felt "Horrified. Sickened. Scared." People can argue that she shouldn't have felt that way, even if it only lasted a minute. I would say I agree and disagree with that. On one hand August is family and you shouldn't feel scared around them. However, she was gone for a month and she did get use to not having people stare and point. She got use to "normal" faces. It's like when you go to camp for a month and you come back to the city, and still feel in the camp spirit. yours happy to be back home, but at the same time you miss the feeling of camp. Or in this case being free of people pointing.

Should Challenged Books Be Banned?

Should Challenged Books Be Banned? 

   Across the world, school boards are debating whether to ban certain books. The banning of certain 

books is called censorship. “Censorship is the removal, suppression or restricted circulation of 

literature” writes Henry  Reichman. Many to all of the deal with what parents say “mature topics”. 

Some topics include rape, romance/sexuality, drugs, addiction, religion, children challenging 

parent(s)/ authorities, etc. One example of a book trying to be censored is 13 Reasons Why by Jay 

Asher. This particular book deals with rape, underage drinking, bullying and suicide. Some people 

say the book should be banned, however it can teach valuable things to readers such a cause-and-

effect; therefore, it shouldn’t be banned.

     Some parents have been saying that book makes “the reader feel nakedly uncomfortable” because 

it deals with rape. “The harsh reality is that many students... act on those feelings of despair.” after 

being raped. A person just can’t take the feeling anymore. Although suicide, which Hannah 

committed may not be the right choice, it can teach kids or just people in general to get help. Overall, 

the book may deal with a mature topic, but it can help people cope and be “comforting” to know 

others are going through what you may be going through. 

    When someone bullies someone, the victim will typically put on an I don’t care face. But their 

hurting inside, because they can’t seem to get what the bully said out of his/her mind. In the book the 

main character commits suicide, because all of the actions people thought didn’t effect her really did. 

“People [need] to realize that every action-or-inaction has consequences.” This is very true, although 

this may just be a fiction book things like suicide happens every day. One recent example is a 14-

year old student, David Q. Phan. Phan committed suicide in front of his school and classmates. He 

“condemned the bullying...” 

    Lastly censorship of books goes against the U.S constitution. The constitutions first amendment is 

about “Freedom of expression”. Literature is a form of expression, and if people take that away, it’s 

saying you shouldn’t express yourself. Totally wrong! People need a voice, to be heard. Books are 

banned because people “disagreed with the ideas contained in the book.” Honestly this isn’t fair to 

all the people who want to read the book. It’s your choice. 

    In conclusion, although the censorship of books is taking place, banning books won’t help. In fact 

books like 13 Reasons Why can help, and teach lessons. Small things you don’t think effect people 

may. You don’t know their personal life. It’s just a matter of time before the actions people make set 

the person of. There are many things we can’t change, but if everyone works together the censorship 

of books will be one less thing to worry about. 

Bibliography 

Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why: A Novel. New York: Razorbill, 2007. Print.

"Banned Books Awareness:." Banned Books Awareness. Banned Books World, 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

 Fillichio, Carl. "Banned Books Awareness:." Banned Books Awareness. Huffington Post, 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

 "First Amendment." First Amendment. Cornell University Law School, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

"First Amendment Site." First Amendment Site. Lehigh University, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.