TKAM Blog Post # 3: Chapters 10-12

Jem

         My name is Jem and I am twelve years old. I have a younger sister named Scout, and my father's name is Atticus. My mother died when I was very young. I am very adventurous and I like to play outside with my best friend Dill, as well as with my sister. One day, me and Scout were walking when we saw a dog in the street. It looked really sick, and I wanted to tell Cal about it since I felt in peril. I went back to the house as quickly as possible, and we later found out that that dog, old Tim Johnson, was a mad dog. Cal called Atticus up and told him about it, and he raced back home with Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb. The dog was coming closer and closer, and I saw that Mr. Tate was going to shoot the thing. Suddenly, he gave the gun to Atticus. I was in deep confusing at what was going on, I mean Atticus can't do anything?! He can't even manage to play keep away with me unlike my school contemporaries, so how in the world could he possibly shoot something? In that same moment I watched Atticus walk to the middle of the street then raise the gun. This was going to end badly; surely my father was going to miss. In a hot second it was over. I glanced over quickly to see the outcome of the situation. My head was spinning. I could not function because of my disbelief in what just happened. I wanted to say something, but it would of been inaudible. Scout pinched me back to reality. I could of never, ever guessed that Atticus was capable of doing that! It turns out my father is also known as "One-Shot Finch!" 


         Lately, I've been hearing a lot of down talking about my father, and how he is defending niggers. I've been pretty good about ignoring it all, but Mrs. Debose, the meanest  lady I know, is getting to me about it. Can she get any ruder about the topic? Yes, my father laws for negroes. Does it matter that he doesn't judge you based on your color, that he treats everyone equally? He's a great man. One day she said, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" I can't believe I heard that coming from an adult. How mature! I definitely contradicted her in that moment. I was not just going to let that go, she has to know that saying that about my father is not at all a good thing to do. She was going to pay. I grabbed Scout's baton I bought her with my birthday money and ran to Mrs. Dubose's front yard, cutting off the tops of every single camellia bush she had. I hope that the mess would be inconspicuous. I then snapped the baton in half and later kicked Scout, but I regretted it as soon as I did it. Later, Atticus saw what I did, and I apologized to Mrs. Dubose about it. I did not mean any word I said to her; she didn't deserve a apology for all the crap she has said to me and Scout. My punishment was reading to her every day after school and also on Saturday's for two hours. I had to do this for a month! What a cruel, and unfair punishment! I didn't deserve this, I was going to be tortured. Ugh.


         The month went by, though Atticus made me do an extra week upon Mrs. Debose's accidental request. The reading wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though it still was pretty bad. Mrs. Dubose wasn't so rude and degrading as she was before the month of reading, and in a way I kind of liked her. A month after my punishment was over, Atticus got a call stating that Mrs. Dubose had just died. Apparently she was a morphine addict, and that is why she had her random fits; it was because she wasn't getting her "medicine." Too bad for her. I felt bad and in a way, I was going to miss her. 

TKAM Blog Post # 2: Chapters 4-9

Atticus

         My name is Atticus and I have two kids, Jem and Scout. A while ago I caught them trying to give Boo Radley, a neighbor who never comes out the house, a letter by attaching it to a pole, and trying to reach it into his house. What were they thinking? That was invading his privacy! They should stop tormenting him. If Boo doesn't want to get out of the house then let him be. I love my kids but sometimes they do the oddest things.


        Recently my kids made a snowman! I was quite impressed though it looked like they were trying to make Mr. Avery. I can tell they were very proud of it.  Miss Maudie's house caught on fire. She is a neighbor as well as a friend. I wonder how that happened! I told the kids to go wait down by the Radley's place and to stay there until it was safe to come back. Scout, my daughter, got a surprise visit by Boo Radley! I suppose that he came out and put a blanket onto her. At first I was a little concerned that that happened, but yet thankful because without it Scout would have gotten sick! I was also worried that she didn't realize that happened therefore he could of done something unfriendly to her. I also pray that Miss Maudie is going to be fine since her house burnt down. 


         Christmas time was where things got a little out of control. Unfortunately, Scout got into a fight with her cousin named Francis. She punched him in the face! It really upset me that she would do that, especially to her own blood. I also felt ashamed that my whole family had to know about it, and also see it occur! I really hope that Scout learns from this because it's not okay to do what she did. She later explained to me that Francis was calling me a nigger-lover, and it especially upset her because he was saying it in a snotty way. I thought she could handle all the talks about me and I really hope that she does keep her head high when worse things come. And it will come.

TKAM Blog Post #1: Chapters 1-3

Scout

         My name is Scout and I am in the first grade. I have an older brother named Jem, and a father named Atticus. My mother died when I was two, so I have no memories of her. I am a curious person, I speak my mind, and I am intelligent for my age. I love to read, especially at night with my father. I also like to play with my brother outside, as well as with my friend Dill.


As I was reading in class today, to my surprise, my teacher, Miss Caroline, seemed very displeased that I knew how to read. She told me to tell my father to stop teaching me though I did not know what she meant by that. I learned on my own, I think? Jem says I've known how to read since I was born. I felt really bad that I was educated and told Jem about it. He didn't do anything but say she's trying a new teaching method and that didn't make me feel any better. I don't think Miss Caroline likes me since I had a really bad first impression. All I did was start to read and she overreacted about it! I don't like school so far.


The bad first impression got even worse, unfortunately. Miss Caroline saw that Walter Cunningham did not bring a school lunch and offered him a quarter in hopes he'd pay her back the following day. She did not know that the Cunningham's were very poor and couldn't afford that. As I was trying to explain the circumstance, Miss Caroline got even more annoyed and frustrated ending with her smacking my hands with a ruler. I was confused, and the confusion turned into irritation with her. At that moment, I highly disliked her. I highly disliked school! I didn't wanna come back here tomorrow. 


        The same day I told Atticus that we couldn't read together anymore because of what Miss Caroline said. I was very disappointed because I love reading with him. I also told him that I didn't want to go to school anymore; I didn't need to! Atticus never went to school and he ended up just fine. He told me that I had to go to school, but that he would keep reading to me as long as I didn't tell Miss Caroline. I liked that idea! Atticus said it was a compromise which is an agreement reached by mutual concession. It made me happy.

Faith's Novel Partners Post # 3

NAME: Faith Burila     DATE: February 18, 2011 TITLE: Farewell To Manzanar TIME: 2 HOURS AUTHOR: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston PAGES: 96- TOTAL PAGES THIS WEEK:

Do you think you would read another book by this author? Why or why not? What other character(s) beside the main character is really important to the story? How and why? What does this book make you wonder about? Why?

         During my reading this week, more events happened! One of the events that made me a bit sad was when Woody was drafted (August 1944). I think that he is also a really important character in the story because when Papa was taken away, he was the one who stepped up and tried to keep the family together which I thought was very responsible and courageous of him. The family could of drifted apart faster than anything, but he tried. When he was drafted, I think that he made a foolish choice because who knows what could happen to him in the war. He should of thought of those circumstances before making a choice like this when he could of refused answering to the letter.


         If I had a choice to read another book by this author, I don't think that I would. This book is great in a educational standpoint about Pearl Harbor, but the book is not intriguing. Whenever I start reading it, I just want to put it down already. It does not interest me. Also knowing that the story is legit and real makes it even worse. This story makes me feel sad, to know they just locked you away in horrible camps if you were Japanese or what not. I would not read another book by this author, or any stories that are similar to this particular topic.


         Whenever I read this book, it makes me wonder how life was for all these innocent people. Getting locked up in camps and having to relocate numerous amounts of times must of been horrible. It makes me wonder if that's how life would be if this type of situation ever happened again. Would we be treated just like that? Or would we get more respect, a nicer environment, making it a decent experience? I wonder if people see looking back at Pearl Harbor, if this would be legal? Locking up people in camps for a amount of time, not knowing when they could be let out. It must of felt like a jail. I wonder if anyone from back then loved living in Manzanar.

Faith's Novel Partners Post # 2

NAME: Faith Burila     DATE: February 11, 2011 TITLE: Farewell To Manzanar TIME: 2 HOURS AUTHOR: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston PAGES: 48-95 TOTAL PAGES THIS WEEK: 47

What is confusing in this book? Why? (Be specific) What was one of your favorite lines (or sentences) in what you read today? Copy it down and tell why you liked it. 


         During my reading this week a lot of crazy events went on, which confused me a ton. The first chapter that I read (Chapter 6), Jeanne talked about the early life of her father, their fathers, and so on. This part was a little confusing at times because I didn't know which generation she was talking about. She would switch people she was talking about quite fast, but towards the end everything was clear to me as I knew she was talking about her own father, and her mother.


         The second chapter I read was all about an interview that Jeanne's father had with a unnamed interrogator which happened in Fort Lincoln, North Dakota. The man asked Papa many questions, such as if he has contacted or been to Japan ever since he has been living in the states. Papa denies both, also refusing that he has been delivering oil to Japanese submarines offshore. The interrogator finally questions Papa who he wants to win in the war, Japan or America, but Papa replies with, "When your mother and your father are having a fight, do you want them to kill each other? Or do you just want them to stop fighting?” I really liked this quote because it gave a perfect example of how Papa really just wanted the war to end, because both countries were his homes. I would feel the exact same way, and I thought that Papa saying that was very wise and direct to his feelings about the war. The interrogator was really annoying me though because he was asking really pointless questions. 


         Something that shocked me during my reading this week was chapter 8. Jeanne explains that Papa is addicted to alcohol now, and one night he threatens that he will kill Jeanne's mom. He raises his cane in preparation to hit her in the head with it, but Kiyo (Jeanne's brother) jumps out of bed and punches Papa directly in the face. When I read this, I got a little nervous to see what would happen to Kiyo considering he might get beat by his father now. I crossed my fingers in hope that Kiyo wouldn't get hurt, and he didn't which relieved me! I hope that Papa gets help and stops drinking so that he will not hurt his loved ones. 


         Something that upset me during the book was how during the interview with the interrogator, Papa named all of his ten children except Jeanne! When he named nine of them but forgot the tenth, I got very sad because how could he forget his own children's names?! That is horrible. It broke my heart. It kind of showed me that he isn't such a great father after all, especially to the fact that he is now an alcoholic or what not.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
         What I predict will happen next in the book is that they will be let out of  Manzanar, and be able to go home because they have no proof of Papa doing illegal activities. I hope that happens because I want them all to go home; it's not fair at all to just be locked up in a camp like that only because you were a certain race. I find that cruel and just heartbreaking! In some ways I see how that is understandable but in most that's horrible.

Faith's Novel Partners Post # 1

Farewell to Manzanar

How did what you read today make you feel? Why? 

         During my reading this week, I got introduced to a lot of the characters. The story is in the perspective of the author, Jeanne Wakatsuki, telling the story of her life when her family was sent to live at Manzanar. Jeanne talks about Mama, Papa, Woody, Bill, Chizu, Kiyo, and Granny. The story takes place in 1942, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. 

         Jeanne was seven years old when this madness occurred. It all started when they found out their home country bombed Pearl Harbor. Her father was taken away, and arrested for delivering oil to Japanese marines offshore because he was communicating with people in Japan which at the time looked as if he was a spy. Soon later, Mama (Jeanne's mother) decided to move the family to Terminal Island which is where other Japanese people live. The family moved two months later to Boyle Heights which is in downtown Los Angeles. About a month later, the government chooses to move the family again, and gives them 48 hours to clear out, and move to a camp at Manzanar, California. 


         During the reading, I couldn't stop thinking about what was going on in all their heads at the time! For Jeanne, she probably didn't understand anything, but I couldn't imagine how hard it could of been for the family to have to keep moving constantly. It made my feel so bad, like I wish I could of been there and tried to help them or something. I think it's interesting seeing how life was in a camp like that during the war, but it shocked me to see how badly they were treated. I guess I understand because at the time, the U.S. was at war with the country they originated from, but it made me feel quite bad for them. The father was not with them at the time which is worse, because Jeanne's father was the head of the family. This resulted in times where the family was lost in what they should do. I couldn't process everything because it was a lot to take in, but overall my reading this week made me sad because of all their misfortunes!

Book Review

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

Faith Burila
Humanities ?

          The Lovely Bones is truly a touching story involving the relationship of love between friends and family, and in the bigger picture, teaching acceptance to all the characters. The story starts off with young Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl, getting raped and murdered by her neighbor who is known as “Mr. Harvey”.  The tragedy greatly affected both her family and friends. Susie enters her heaven, where from there she watches the ongoing life of the ones she loves, as well as her murderer. Susie’s family refuses to accept that she has been killed, until the day where their neighbor’s dog finds the elbow of Susie.

         Throughout the book Susie told the life of her family, friends, and so on from her heaven. I found that very interesting because it’s cool to see a perspective of the dead watching the living, and seeing Susie’s thoughts of what was going on down on Earth. It was very depressing for me to read about Susie’s sadness and anger about being murdered, and during every chapter I read it felt as if I were Susie herself. I could feel the feelings she had because the author described everything so vividly. I could picture each moment that Susie experienced during the story. I think what also helped, but yet threw me off was knowing what happened in the movie, and comparing it to the book.

         Many things that occurred in the movie, such as the plot, were quite different than the story line in the book. I found the plot for the book very creative and entertaining! It was clear and very detailed, and I always wanted to know what was next after finishing a chapter. I watched the movie before reading the book, so knowing some of the events that took place in The Lovely Bones made it a little difficult to keep up / understand exactly what was going on. I definitely liked this book though, though it’s a little disturbing to know a man like Mr. Harvey (a neighbor) raped a 14-year-old girl, and this was one of many kills he had done. I got goosebumps reading it because problems like these happen very often, and I’m around that age so I sometimes imagine if I were in Susie’s case.

         Other than a slight disturbance you might get while reading, the book was very touching and showed the relationships between Susie and her Family. I could really feel the pain that her mother, father, sister and brother had, and saw how heartbroken they were when Susie was murdered. I understand that it must be hard to lose someone who is a really important part of your life, and that it’s not easy to let go. This book gently progressed to show the acceptance her family as well as her friends, had about her murder. This book also showed and represented love, mostly between Susie and her Dad. Jack Salmon, her father, had a gut feeling of who his little girl’s murderer was. Everyone failed to believe him, except Lindsey, who is Susie’s little sister. Jack constantly told people that George Harvey killed Susie, and it got to the point of where everyone thought he was crazy, which was unfortunate. During the phone calls Jack would make to the police, Abigail, Susie’s mother slowly developed feelings she shouldn’t of felt, towards Len, who is the detective of Susie’s case. She later had an affair with him, later causing her to leave Jack and her children. This really shocked me and in my opinion broke Susie’s heart, as she saw everything from heaven. The book had many different things it represented, but the author did a great job with all the themes!

         At the end of the book, Susie let go, and accepted that she could not live her life on Earth, but she knew the love from her family and friends would never go away. The story was deep and touching, and overall great! I would definitely recommend reading this book if you like suspenseful, yet heart-touching stories!