English Final Blog Reflections

Link: http://ruchatadwalkar.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-maze-runner.html

The link shown above best exemplifies my ability to analyze complex characters. I talk about how the main character, Thomas, is in a "box" for about 30 minutes and how he is dealing with that and I also talk about what he feels when the "box" finally reaches the top. I talk about how at the beginning of the book he comes to a weird place with a gray wall surrounding him and having no clue how to leave and get back to his home, that he doesn't even remember. This shows how I am analyzing the complex character in the book. 

What goals do you have for yourself regarding future reading? For writing? What areas of improvement do you want to work towards next year for reading? For writing?

The goals that I have for myself regarding future reading is being able to read faster than I do currently. The goals I have for myself for writing is being able to write earlier than the actually due date. The areas of improvement that I want to work towards next year for reading is reading constantly, like 30 minutes each day, instead of reading all that I can on one day. The areas of improvement that I want to work towards next year for writing is being able to have better grammar and punctuation. 

Maze Runner

I am reading a book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I am now in the middle of the book, if you want to know what has happened, read my earlier blog post. Last week, I explained the characters and the protagonist, Thomas. You have learned where and what he is in. Well now so much stuff happened from that one area.

First of all, you learn what the other character's personalities are like. They are very different. You get to visualize the land and how there is a gray wall. You learn its a maze and Thomas asks many questions about this wall.

Second, a new character comes and this time it is a girl! Know this, this is the first girl to ever come along in this book. Somehow this girl knows Thomas, and only Thomas. When she was coming out of the box, the first thing she said was Thomas. Ahhhhhh, I'm soooo confused, so many questions just popped into my head. Who is she? Where is she from? Okay, Okay I will go back to what I was originally saying. When she reached out of the box, she was really scared and the only person she would talk to was Thomas.

Okay, so this is all you will get this week. Wait till next time to get a few answers that not only you want, but I also want.

The Maze Runner

We just had spring break last week and I started reading a book called The Maze Runner and I am completely obsessed. I read a lot of it over the spare time I had during spring break. This book uses a lot of imagery to help get the reader to understand what the main character, Thomas, is going through and it really helps set a great tone to the book.

It all starts out the protagonist, Thomas, wakes up in a moving box that seems to be moving. He remembers most of the knowledge that he learned, but doesn't remember his friends and family. He only remembers his name, Thomas. He is on the box for at least what it seems to him for hours, but it has actually been about 20-30 minutes. The elevator opens and he sees blurry pictures of boys and they seem to be taunting him, but when a guy helps him up a guy tells him, " Nice to meet ya, shank...Welcome to the Glade" and this is how it all begins.

As he starts to regain his eyesight, he notices a wide range of boys from different sizes, races, and age color. He looks around and sees a gigantic grey wall wondering if there was ever a way to get out.

The people around him start to make fun of him, but the leader finds him and tells them to stop. His name was Alby. He was described as a normal looking guy. Thomas also meets a guy named Newt. He falls down and takes a long nap wishing that this was all just a dream.


This is the most I can say this week... yes I know you want to hear more, but it leaves suspense.

Maze Runner

I am reading a book called, Maze Runner. I haven't started reading the book but I know that is it about a boy named Thomas who is trapped in a maze and trying to find his way out. This book has been put into a movie. I haven't actually seen it and I am planning on seeing it after I finish the book because it is so much fun to compare and contrast the book to the movie.

I have choose this book because I am interested in this type of genre. I have been recommended this book by a lot of people, so I thought why not go ahead and read this so-called, "great book".

I think this book has a great plot twist. I am guessing the end of this book has a great cliff hanger. I am predicting that some one in this story, who I might get attached to, might die. I feel as if Thomas will find a way out of the maze leaving behind some great characters. 

Satire

For this week's blog post, I am going to be talking about satire.

Satire is making fun of a subject with a humorous, contempt, or rude attitude.

There are many examples of satire, so for this week, I am using a  cartoon as an example.













Link: http://media.cleveland.com/allsun/photo/collegerjpg-c381ae54902a62f4.jpg

This cartoon is an example of satire. It uses a caricatures to help get its point across. A caricatures is a the form of exaggerating a cartoon. Here in this picture, the person is exaggerating how he has to pay a lot of money for student loans. He is saying how all his student loans go to one teacher for each year and making him pay a lot of money. He realizes how he alone has to pay money for each of the teachers so the universities can make some extra money.

Krista Ramsey #1

In the passage I just read about, Krista Ramsey talks about teacher absences and what she feels about them. She claims many of student's failures are from teachers being absents.


Link: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/06/07/krista-ramsey-teacher-absences/10190609/

In the passage I just read there was a sentence which really grabbed my attention, "Local school leaders say that, this past school year, the worry almost turned to frenzy as teachers ramped up for multiple testing changes coming next year." I have noticed that this sentence has a great impact on the reader. I is showing how teachers were more of a 'frenzy' when they heard of the multiple testing changes. I think this really grabs a readers attention by showing how teachers are really unprepared and miss more of class then students normally do, not only making it harder on the teacher but also the students. I really agree with what Krista Ramsey has to say with teacher absences. Krista Ramsey really emphasizes on what she is really trying to prove upon with words like frenzy.

I have noticed a certain style that Krista Ramsey has. She places relatable stories in the beginning on the passage to really grab the readers attention. She also did it in this passage by talking about having awesome teachers or the not-so-good teachers.

If I ever were to have the chance to meet her, I would ask her 3 different questions. My questions would be:

1) Where do you get the ideas from?
2) Is there something you want to say, but sometimes can't because of certain restrictions?
3) Which is your favorite passage that you have ever written?

To Kill a Mocking Bird - FINISHED

I have finally finished the book, To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and I find this book very interesting. It is a Autobiography talking about her life right before the Civil Rights Movement and how life was like there.

Lee talks about the night of the pageant using foreshadowing, The pageant is suppose to show the small town's pride, as the lady is spending 30 minutes talking about Maycomb. A mood of suspense embarks on Jem and Scout's walk home. They hear noises and think that it is only Cecil Jacobs and realize that they are in danger. They are getting closer to home but are still terrified because they have no idea what is happening. Lot of the clues point to Ewell attacking Atticus, but not the children. Then they realize that Ewell is to coward to be able to attack.

Boo Radley enters and Scout doesn't realize that they have saved them until they reached home. Boo, mostly know as a ghost, finally comes out and saves them. Scout takes the first steps to Boo making this more of a grown-up moral of a perspective.

The decision of Heck Tate to spare Boo the horror of publicity by claiming that Bob Ewell died by falling on his knife.  This helps show the theme of the story. Not only has Boo became a real person to her, but also saved many people lives such as her children.

The novel ends by Atticus reading to Scout.

In my opinion, I thought this book wouldn't be that good because I don't really like to read books like this, but after reading it, my mind changed and I loved this book. I recommend this book to everyone because it is very good and it will take you in and you can't ever stop reading.