Prompt 3

With no knowledge of the book whatsoever, one could say that I might connect the most with the character by the name of Whitney, but simply having the same name is not enough to relate to. I actually relate to the main character, Haley a lot more and for a lot of different reasons. She is often worried about fitting in and how others think of her. She tries to impress the popular girls –Sasha and Whitney- and she wants attention from her crushes. When she was forced to change her look by cutting her hair (pg 6) she was worried if people would like it or not. I’ve acted like that plenty of times; changed something about myself and hoped it would be accepted, or done something to get a guy to notice me.

Prompt 1

Hayley is the new girl at her school; she's been there for about three months already but she was homesick. She misses her best friend back in San Fransisco, but at the same time she is developing new friendships and crushes where she is now. Her and her family take a trip back to San Fransisco for a Thanksgiving getaway. On the way home her little brother put gum in her hair, the weather is bad, and the car breaks down. While it is getting looked at, Hayley's mom takes her to nearby salon to cut the gum out; she's really not happy about her new look and refuses to see it in the mirror. Her father buys a new car and her mom is not happy about it and argues a great deal before reluctantly getting in. The whole way home she thinks about all the drama at her new school of being the new girl and how everyone is watching her to see if she'll make a right or wrong move. She finally looks at the damage of her new haircut Monday morning before school and realizes it's not so bad, that it actually suits her. She goes to school and notices that the popular clique is missing one of the girls, but why? One of her new crushes is also missing from the clan, what's going on? And how will the rest of the girls react to her hair?

The authors' style of writing explains each chapter, but at the end raises different questions about what is to come. They also give you options and let you decide where the story will go: "if you want this to happen go to pg 12, but if you want this to happen go to pg 19."

Amir's Guilty Conscience

Amir needs to be atoned first for simply watching Hassan get physically and sexually assaulted and doing nothing to stop it. He also needs to be atoned for later lying to Ali about when after being asked if he knew if something happened to him. The guilt of everything is eating away at Amir; every time he looks at Hassan he gets a headache, not because he's truly sick, but because his subconscious is letting him know that what he did was wrong and he should come clean and ask for forgiveness. Poor Hassan has no idea and thinks he did something wrong to Amir which is causing him not to want to play with him anymore. It isn't fair to Hassan what he's doing to him; he gets beat up and raped for Amir's sake and yet he is still trying to be his friend and Amir doesn't know how to handle his emotions. He lashes out at Hassan hoping he'll lash back to make things better, but with the kind heart that he has, he does the opposite which is even harder on Amir. He needs to just give Hassan a break and clear his conscience from the guilt and just let him know what happened. If Hassan is as kind and loyal to Amir as he has always been up to this point, he should still be that way after he finds out. Hassan has the right to know why his friend won't play with him anymore, especially when it's not his fault; he's been through enough.

Atonement

Atonement: satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

I believe that atonement for past sins and mistakes is possible, if the proper actions are taken and for certain situations. If you accidentally do something, and you make up for it later like you spill something, or you run into someone and knock them down then atonement is very possible. However, if you intentionally bring harm to someone whether verbally or physically, I feel that atonement is very difficult, especially if you are not sincere about it. I think it can also only truly work when the person that did the wrong thing and the other person involved forgive (one forgives the other, and the person forgives himself) then atonement can work, otherwise, there's no way to truly be atoned for the action.

Mistake At Sea

I made a mistake on the last night of my cruise vacation once, back when I was about 15 or 16. My parents told me to come to the room around 11-12:00; they also told me not to go into anyone else's room either. So my friend Taylor and I went to the club then got sick of it ad went to chill with our friends in one of their rooms. Taylor left me and went back to the club, but I was sick of it and stayed in the room. We were chilling in the room talking and joking and what not and lost track of time. I finally got service back in my cell phone after not having any from being out at sea. It was beeping like crazy telling me that I had about 9 voicemail messages. I realized they were from my parents telling me I would be in big trouble when they found me. I quickly left the room and ran back to mine and I ran into my dad on the way back who looked worried and then furious when he saw me. Apparently they thought I was kidnapped or killed or something and thrown overboard because I was MIA (to what I thought was only 1:00) but in reality it was 5-6:00am. They sent out my picture and had the whole cruise staff looking for me, and Taylor wouldn't tell them where I was because he was mad that I didn't want to go back to the club. I made the mistake of not caring about my rules and curfew my parents set for me. I was grounded for 2 weeks after we got home, but they were more happy that I was alive and safe rather than being mad that I didn't listen to them.

Preview to: What if...All the Boys Wanted You

The Front Cover
•Title/Author/Awards- What if...All the Boys Wanted You by Liz Ruckdeschel and Sara James; no awards
•Picture/Words- four strips of pictures (different people doing different things) top- a girl's shoulders wearing dressy attire and pearls, second- a girl's hips in casual attire just resting on a wall, third- a girl's knees wearing soccer socks on a field running in front of a goal, and bottom- a girl's feet trying on different shoes.; words- top corner: "a choose you destiny novel".
•What do you think the book is about? Topic/Big Picture? I think, judging by the cover with each picture showing something different, that it is either about four different girls that are friends and they are dealing with life situations together, or about just one girl with different sides to her.
•Jot down 2 questions you have. "What does the cover pictures have to do with the story?" "How does the title tie into the message of the book?" "What IF all the boys wanted you?"

The Back Cover
•Synopsis or Plot Preview? Hayley has a whole new look but the same problems and people to deal with as in the book before this one -"What if...Everyone Knew Your Name". Queen bees Coco and Whitney want to groom her to become the next Coquette now that they've kicked Sasha to the curb, but is she exactly ready to remake herself in their images for a shot at popularity? Meanwhile, free-spirited Sasha's dad is MIA, and she doesn't know how to deal. She starts to cope in some seriously unhealthy ways, but can Hayley help bring her back to reality? Funny, artistic Irene is ready to head off to San Fransisco with Hayley, but if Hayley can't make new friends and keep the old who will she choose?
•Review/Praise/Acclaim? Overall what is your impression. I think this is a very interesting book that I might be able to relate to in one way or another.
•Does the back cover reveal anything about the story (time period, characters, setting, etc.)? If so, jot down some notes. It reveals the characters and their various struggles throughout the story, as well as their relationship with Hayley. It reveals part of the setting- San Fransisco and in my opinion it's in present day.

Inside the Book
•Copyright/Publication date? 2006
•Is there a dedication? no
•Table of Contents? Chapter Titles? #’s? no table of contents; each chapter has a title that tells an overall summary of the chapter along with a subtitle that breaks it down more specifically, for example "Skip School, There's a reason schools are called institutions".
•Open to a random page and read a few paragraphs. What is the author’s writing style? The authors write in detail and use a lot of dialog.

OVERALL IMPRESSION
Based on your preview of the book, what do you think it may be about? What types of characters, issues, themes, etc… do you think you will encounter? What sort of background information (already known or researched) do you think you will need to understand the story? Write down 3 questions you hope to have answered by the end of the story. I think it will a be good book filled with friendship, betrayal, and more.

The Beginning of the End

It was about two o'clock on a cloudy Thursday afternoon. Tensions were very high and everyone was alert and ready for the unexpected. The battle ground is always a dangerous and nerve racking place to be; one never knows what the future holds, what the enemy is planning, what's around the next corner, or when the time comes to realize this might be the end. Each soldier lives in the moment, in the here and now, the next minute is never promised in war so time is of the essence. Actions must be taken quickly, but at the same time, within a well thought out plan -one thing goes wrong, the whole squad could be blown to the sky. I told each and every one of my men to live by this rule: kill, or be killed. The opposition will not spare your life when they are fighting for their own, there is no reason for you to spare their's. My apologies, I seemed to have digressed. Anyway, tensions were high and everyone was alert and ready for what was to come. We weren't sure when the last and final battle would begin, we just knew as soon as it started that we would have to be the ones to finish it. We lay hidden behind some rocks so that we were not in sight of the other side. It was quiet...too quiet. All I could hear was the water rushing down the stream and the quick, faint breaths from my men as they anxiously panted waiting for something to happen; it was the calm before the storm. I sent one of them around the side of the bank as a look out to check if we could move forward. He slowly and very cautiously crept around looking every which way, trying not to be seen, not make any sharp movements, and not to make a sound. He realized there was nothing to fear, he yelled and signaled to us that the cost was clear (thought it truly wasn't). I was about to sent my troops forward but i noticed something falling from the sky. As it came closer into my focus i realized what it was. It hit the ground about two feet from my lookout and exploded shooting dirt, dust, and rocks into the air. I ordered him to return on the double, but once the bomb fell, guns were fired in his direction. I wasn't sure if that would be the last time I would ever see him, but I'll never forget the startled look on his face during the ambush as he frantically charged back to the safety of the troop. I knew in that instant that the other side had initiated the first blow, final battle had begun...

Does Evil Stand a Chance?

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.
- Edmund Burke

I agree with that statement. There will always be good vs. evil, and I feel that the only time evil stands a chance to win, is when good people don't take a stand at all; when they sit back and do nothing, anything can happen. Evil can win by doing bad things, but they also have an advantage when good people see it and don't do anything to stop it. In my opinion, if you let it happen, you are just as bad as the person doing it. You don't necessarily have to take action yourself, but you could at least notify someone who can.

What should I do?

When making a decision, I take into consideration every possible outcome, both good and bad. I work out a plan on how to go about doing something, if it is possible to achieve, I will usually make th decision to go through with it; if not, I will most likely decide against it, or come up with a new plan. For instance, when deciding on colleges, I had to make a decision upon where to go. So I sent out applications to the potential places I wanted to go to. Once I got into about four or five of my choices, I had to make a decision to pick one. I took into consideration the education, location/distance from home, the campus, dorms, places around it, food, etc. It was possible to go there, and it met all of my needs and wants, so I decided on going to IUP. Another decision I had to make, was about religion -since my parents practiced different religions. When I was old enough to be whatever I wanted, I had to fgure out whether I wanted to practice Judism or Christianity. I realized that I related more to the Christian faith, plus my father isn't very religious, I didn't have a Batmitzvah, and I couldn't read Hebrew, so I went to church and got baptized. I have been practicing Christianity ever since.

Recipe for Diaster

1lb. of Eastern Persian
1oz. of Muslims
1oz. of Sunni
1oz. Shi'a
1oz. Hindus
1oz. Sikhs
1 drop of a Jewish man
1tspn of European influence
1 cup of oil
1/2 cup of opium
1 pinch of terrorism
1 tbsp of Buzkashi
a handful of goats
1oz. of Civil War
1 cup of military
a pinch of an Afghan President
0 cups of salt water (landlocked)
2 cups of plains
a handful of moutains
1oz. of gold
1oz. of silver
1oz. of zinc
1oz. of salt
1oz. of coal
1oz. of lead
a drop of black, a drop of red, and a drop of green (flag)
shake well (frequent earthquakes)
Fat free (since 3 millions refugees fled the country/recipe)

Spring Break

My cousin turned 21, so we went to Club 27 down in Philly and got lost, so we used the GPS to find out way to the club (on foot). I hung out with my boyfriend every day. We watched movies like Babylon AD, went mini golfing in the cold, partied at our friend's house, and had dinner with our families (we spent Passover with my family, and Easter with his). I also finally found my dress for prom!

Ind. Reading- Prompt 1

I disliked the book as a whole. It had a good message of love and passion, but then again it had a message of old age, pain, decay, and death. I felt that eve the message of love was a bit confusing; if you truly love someone, even if you go away and come back, that love should remain strong and true, but if it does in fact fade and you find a new love in someone else, you can never really let go of the previous love. Florentino never let go of his feelings, and I find it quite puzzling that Fermina could just move on like it never happened; that makes me question her feelings for Florentino from the very beginning because in my opinion, true love never dies so maybe she merely liked Florentino. I also did not care for Florentino's character. He seemed too desperate and too needy of Fermina's love, even when she clearly wasn't going to give it to him. I understand his feelings for her were strong, but I do not understand why he kept trying for such a long time, getting hurt time and time again. If that were me, I would have given up when I knew for a fact that it was over. Though I admire that the author made him determined to get her back, I didn't appreciate how h went about doing it. Love letters are fine, but showing up to the man's funeral, not to pay his respects, but to attempt to gain the affection of his widow is unacceptable; I admire his intentions of love, but I do not respect his actions.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 5

As crazy as he was, I admire Florentino's passion. That truly moved me. Though he spent most of his life wanting, chasing, desiring, and hurting only with the fear of old age creeping up on him, I think it was charming that even after all those years, he still attempted to win back the love of his life. One usually only hears about those actions in books or movies though, but I feel that it still makes an impact on me even if it's not real. I would love to have someone fighting for my love even for a day, let alone fifty-one years, nine months, and four days. A girl can only dream; but that's what books like this are for -to provoke the mind, move the reader, and stimulate a reaction from events that could happen in the real world, but are very rare to come by.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 17

Elements of a Story

Plot: Florentino falls in love with Fermina; Fermina goes away. She comes back and he wants to start their relationship back up again, but she lost interest in him by that time and revoked her promise to marry him. She then married a wealthy doctor. He spent most of his life trying to move on but couldn't. He loyally and patiently waited for the day that he could make his move and get her back. That day came when the doctor died; that was the beginning of the end of both Florentino and Fermina's lives.

Setting: small coastal town in South America from the late nineteeth century to the early 1930s

Main Characters: Florenitno Ariza, Fermina Daza, and Dr. Urbino

Symbols: love, passion, heartbreak, old age, decay, death,

Ind. Reading- Prompt 3

Florentino Ariza is one of the characters in the book. He is a sucker for love. He spent practically his whole life chasing after this one woman, Fermina Daza. They were lovers but the poor girl got shipped away. He remained madly in love with her, however upon her return when he tried to relight the fire between them, she realized that he was no longer what she wanted and married another man. Now most men would move on and forget about "the one that got away", but not Florentino. He stayed true and loyal to her in hopes of one day he could jump back into her life. That day finally came when her husband passed away. He seized the opportunity to seduce her once again, although she was not amused. Some could say that he is a bit crazy, others could say he was just desperate, but no one can deny the love he had in his heart for that woman the determination he showed on trying to win her back.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 4

I found it surprising that after so many years of marriage, that after Dr. Ubino's death, he still tries to win her back. It's shocking that he just shows up, not to pay his respects to him, but to seduce her and get her back in his life. I find that disrespectful, rude, and selfish. I understand that he's a man hopelessly in love, and people do stupid things when they are in love, but I think that's crossing the line. Although I find it even more surprising that after his attempts, and her shunning him, as well as his efforts, he slowly somehow manages to win her back; and at such an old age! I guess some people will forever remain desperate for love.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 8

The novel's major themes are of course about love and passion, but also aging, decay, and death. It is about the journey through a long marriage, but at the same time finding fulfillment in old age; about commitment and fidelity but also a refusal to grow old gracefully and respect Florentino Ariza is both intense about love and philosophical about age. He sees death as a bottomless pit where memory trickles away. He is a patient man, and the delicacy that he seduces Fermina Daza with, and the nature of their companionship during the final stage of their long lives defies all odds. It inspires one to live life and keep memories alive that can one day obliterate both the pain and passion of the past, because they can be lived once again.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 16

I think that this book could relate to our essential question and what we have been discussing all year about invisibility. I feel that in a way Florentino Ariza, doesn't quite feel invisible to the world, but he does however feel that way towards Fermina Daza after she lost her interest in him. Though she lost the spark for him, he never let go of the desire for her. Try as he might, he always lost to her husband. I'm sure his heart and confidence were shattered when he was rejected after such a long time of them being apart. I'm sure trying to win her back only proved more and more to be a lost cause because she stopped noticing him as she used to (making him almost invisible to her). Though even then his heart remained to be in her hands, whether she would accept it or not.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 15

My picture and symbol, well more like a logo, is "longing". I chose this because Florentino Ariza spent most of his life longing for Fermina Daza. He is so in love with her and his heart remained loyal to her for so many years, and all she could do was into the arms of another man after she lost the spark for him. He spent a lot of his time trying to fill that void that she left with countless females, but no one ever came close.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 10

My connection to this book is about love. I can relate to Florentina Ariza, in that I too have dealt with (travels all over the world), births (usual in the family -new little cousins), deaths ( my grandparents), and even poetry (it's my life and i write all the time). I have also put my heart on the line for people only to be let down in the end, and I too had to wait for another girl to get out of the way before i could start a relationship with someone I had been waiting for. Once they were out of the picture we hit it off and things went smoothly. I understand a lot of what he went through because I have too, although, this is just a story and this is my real life, I can still relate to it.

Ind. Reading- Prompt 11

In my opinion, the author's style is somewhat whimsical and lovey-dovey. I feel like he is trying too hard to make his point be known about the theme of the book. I understand that it is about love and loyalty, but I found his writing to be distracting from the plot. I enjoy books about love, but not when it is being written as a poetic soap opera; that I did not care for. For example, on page 105 he wrote, "Seduced by his personal charms and by the certainty of his families fortune, the girls in his circle held secret lotteries to determine who would spend time with him, and he gambled, too, on being with them, but he managed to keep himself in a state of grace, intact, and tempting, until he succumbed without resistance to the plebian charms of Fermina Daza." All that is really saying is that he is in popular demand by the opposite sex but he only has eyes for Fermina Daza. All that exsessive wording is not neccessary.

Che thesis statement (theme 6)

Ernesto Guevara wanted to help people, and he tried to help people, but violet tactics and barbaric leadership did just the opposite. Once Ernesto was lost and Che took over, he killed, abandoned, let his people down as a Cuban guerrilla leader. Young Ernesto's intentions started good, but Che's actual impact was a recipe for disaster for the country and for himself.

My Do Now

If you saw a culture withering away, much like Che experienced with the Incas, what would you do? How would you react? Would you take action and try to help them, or just keep on moving? Explain your answer.

Essential Question: Che Che

I think that Che wanted to become a doctor, he wanted to impact lives and make people better. Later on in his life, with the help of Fidel, i think he wanted to become a similar leader to him and impact the lives of those in that country. I don't think, however, he expected to have made as great of an impact as he had on his followers who idolized him. I think he only wanted to be as good as Castro, but his plans changed and he realized his true power, and he wanted to surpass his and become a more powerful individual and leader than his close friend and "mentor".

6-word memoir: Chile (Easter Island)

Isolated land. Huge statues. EASTER ISLAND.

Che in Chile

"There we made friends with a married couple, Chilean workers who were communists." (pg 77)
"It's a great pity that they repress people like this. Apart from whether collectivism, the 'communist vermin,' is a danger to decent life, the communism gnawing at his entrails was no more than a natural longing for something better, a protest against persistent hunger transformed into love for this strange doctrine, whose essence he could never grasp but whose translation, 'bread for the poor,' was something which he understood and, more importantly filled him with hope." (pg 78)

I think these two quotes from the book show significant events in Chile that helped to later shape him as the Che we are more familiar with. I think that by meeting the communist couple and speaking with them and spending time with them it opened his eyes to a communist lifestyle. I also think the man some what inspired him to go in that direction as well. He saw hope in his eyes for something better as well as loyalty to that lifestyle which could have helped Che to choose the communist path, then to improve it later on with the help ad guidance of Fidel Castro and the communist Cuban people.

6-word memoir: America

Wealth, power, strength! Has it ended?

The Ideology of a Diva

My ideology consists of different aspects of my life. My personal values are some what spiritual and love based which gets me past yesterday, through today, and onto tomorrow. I focus a lot on love: love for God, love for my family, love for my friends, love for my boyfriend, love for myself, and love for my enemies. I feel that love is the most important emotion, action, thought, feeling, etc. in my eyes.
I do believe that God Almighty is my creator, and my Lord and Savior. I'm not big on going to church because a lot of things they talk about doesn't make much sense, or doesn't really have a valid point, but religion plays a big part in what makes me who I am. I will always have love for, and a relationship with God. He is my strength that gets me through each day. My family members are my rock. I love them because they raise me and help me to get to the next stage of my life; whatever that next stage might be. My friends are my world. They accept me as I am and let me be myself. They get me through school and the pointless drama I am faced with. My boyfriend is my heart and soul. He is almost exactly like me. He has the qualities of almost everyone else: he gives me strength, he gets me through each day and onto the next step in life, he lets me be me, and helps me with whatever problem I have. I love him simply because he loves me in return. I am the most important thing to myself, as selfish and conceited as that sounds, it's true. I have to have love for myself for those times when no one else does, and if I don't love myself, how could I love anyone else. I also have to be my own strength and have confidence in myself or the world is going to eat me alive. My enemies are also part of my strength. I love them because no matter how hard they try to bring me down, they only make me stronger.
As long as I'm spiritual and love for myself and those around me, I will be living "the good life."

"Apples to Apples, or Apples to Oranges"?

Contrast: Che turned to violent tactics against people of his own country who were against his political revolution, whereas Al Qaeda and the Taliban are violent towards American military men, who are total strangers to the country.

Compare: Americans could be training soldiers to take down Al Qaeda and the Taliban much like they trained soldiers in Bolivia to take down Che.

Che Ideology

im unsure about this...Mr. Yost, help!!

Bust a move!!

If I were to make a documentary, I would make it about the art of dance: dancing through the decades with the history of it, how it got started, who was the first to put motion and movement to music, the different types of dance- everything from jazz to hip hop, swing to tap, ballet to polka, salsa to square dance, etc.- how different dances represent different cultures, how the type of music can influence different movements, how choreographers actually put a routine together, who the first people were to perform a dance routine in front of an audience, what the first dance club was, how dance clubs devolved over time, and finally, exploring actual dance classes at different dance studios and showing how they operate.

Che Documentary

If i were to make a documentary about Che, i would focus on his life as a promising young man and his transition from that into the Hitler/Stalin type of leader that he became. i would ask him questions about why he decided to go that negative route of leadership instead of remaining a positive role model for his people. i would also ask him how he thinks his actions affected himself, his family, and his country. i would also talk to his daughter to get a sense for her feelings on the matter of her father; is she proud, ashamed, indifferent, etc.

Cinquaine- "Heartburn"

Love
Unpredictable, deadly
Developing, changing, lasting
With kisses of fire.
Passion

Hello All!!

welcome to my page...its mine, so deal with it!! this is a hater free zone, nothing but love is appreciated...ya dig!!