Something That Symbolizes Me

            
              I think something that would symbolize me would be a book. I would say this because books are always filled with emotions no matter how crazy they are and I feel like that fits my personality perfectly. I also think it symbolizes me because of the fact that I love to read books. I am sometimes stubborn and very determined, like how If possible I would try to finish a good book in one sitting. As sometimes books can be determined to make people want to read them. I feel like books symbolize me because all books are different in some ways with different styles or different stories, and I like see myself being different from all the others around me. Not just sticking to one story or style but going around to try new things. I also feel like books symbolize me because in every book there is so much potential in the way it's stories are written. I feel like in my story there is so much potential for what I am going to do in the future. 

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Of Mice and Men: The Movie

             The indecent in Weed was different from what we had read in the book. It was different from the book because in the movie the indecent was what started the whole movie and inside the book you don't know what happens until later when George is talking to Slim. I think the director chose to do it this way because it could have added more of a back story to George and Lennie. It changes the story because now we didn't need to try imagining the setting as it was displayed inside the movie, so there was more space for the indecent in Weed.

             I think that the directer would start off the movie with George on the train instead of them being at the pond because it shows how their life was back then, moving from job to job. I think it also showed how they where very poor by the way his face was dirty. I this tells us that George has had a very hard time during his life. Taking care of Lennie yet also having to move places to find work must be hard. I feel the director is telling us that maybe George must be very emotionally and physically tired, like he has done so much for Lennie and himself that maybe thats why he wants the little ranch. We can see this in the ending of the movie when George shoots Lennie. It shows how he had done so much for him, and the best way to help Lennie and himself was to let him go. 

             I didn't like the directors choice for Curley's wife. I kind of thought she would be blonde and more like meaner towards the men. She wasn't what I imagined, I thought she would have been a blonde like mean attitude, kind of like Tallulah from the musical we saw Wednesday. I would have put Emma Stone as the role for Curley's wife because from what she looks like in her pictures, she always looks serious and to be honest very scary, or mean. I'm not sure what kind of woman she is like (I'm guessing she is a good person) but if I saw her in the movie I would probably say she would do great as the role of Curley's wife. 

             Overall I thought that Of Mice and Men was a very good book. I liked that it wasn't one of those books where everything in life has a happy ending, because it doesn't. I think that from Of Mice and Men was when George had to shoot Lennie. I say this because It shows what true friendship is. That even though George didn't want to do it, he did it for Lennie because he knew that Lennie was dangerous like when he had killed Curley's wife and he knew it was for his own good. It shows how he put Lennie in front of himself by actually shooting him and not letting them take Lennie to jail as they would of if they had found him. I would recommend this book to my friend Karen because she loves books that have sad endings, (I don't know why that's just her) and I feel like this would get her very emotional just like it did to me. 

            

Aow Reflections

            For this week's Gallery walk I learned a lot. For example Devin's aow (Article of the week) talked about how the riots in Baltimore have been causing a lot mayhem. I had heard about this before but hearing him talk about how many buildings and cars where set on fire me me realized how upset, angry and even crazed these people are. The people rioting had set 144 vehicles and 15 buildings on fire. He had severed spine injuries and a crushed throat box, because of those injuries he died in the cop car. Which lead to the many riots inside of Baltimore and other cities as well. I think that because of all the recent news with cops and the killings it has accelerated so much that, it may be the reason it set everyone off. 

             Another article I found interesting was Omar's article on free water in California. I thought this because I know that California has been in a drought for a long time. Their solution was to refine the toilet water, into drinking water. It concerns me that if they where to give away all the water, where would they drink after wards? Omar told me that people can get how ever much water they want for free. He also talked about how 25% of the water has already gone from the water that California has. If the people from California keep using up the water this fast, what will happen in the future?

 
              The last article that I found interesting was Joseph's article about emotions. I thought this because I use to have a dog and I remember always getting happy when I would pet him or be around him. He talked about how just staring into a dogs eyes could make you feel happier. It could also make the bond you both have (friendship or loyal) bond stronger. I feel like I'm evidence of this being true. Even if I didn't stare into my dogs eyes for hours, all those times where he made me happy count.

 

Weekly Blog for 4/27/15 OMAM

Prompt:

Brainstorm the different types of conflicts via your Google doc, creating a chart that addresses the conflict, types of conflict, and the effect that the conflict has had on the plot so far. From your brainstorming session, choose at least two conflicts to explore more in depth in this blog. Be sure to include textual evidence and support and also identify the effect that the conflict has had on the plot so far.

First Conflict: Crook vs Society

Second Conflict: Lennie vs. Curley


            One conflict that I noticed was that Crooks wasn't accepted into the farm. I saw this because he often mentioned that no one wanted him to be around because he was 'black'. This affects the story because he can relate to the other characters and make the reader maybe feel sorry for them. Like the bad things about them or there faults. Like Curley's wife, how she gets separated from them because she is a girl. In the story he says that no one wants him to play cards with him because hes black. This shows how much racism was going on at the ranch. He all alone against all the white men on the ranch.

            The second conflict that I noticed was Lennie and Curley. In the story I think Candy had said that Curley didn't like big guys. Thats why immediately there was that tense feeling in the bunkhouse when Curley first met Lennie. Then afterwords Curley kept sending mean glances or glares while Lennie was scared and tried to hid from him. After awhile it all lead up to the fight that happened between them and caused Lennie to crush Curley's hand.

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Dream Poem

Dreams exisit

Everywhere around us

It's what keeps us going

Even in the darkest times

It helps us decide our future

Even if we change them

Its something that we always

try to reach in the end

because it will make us happy

They are seen as 'dreams'

yet if you chase it far enough

It would become reality

My dream is different from yours

but that doesn't stop us from trying 

to both reach our own

Weekly Blog for 4/20/15 Of Mice and Men

º Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse.
º Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name? What message, if anything, is John Steinbeck  trying to send by not giving her a first name?

            I would say that the atmosphere of the bunkhouse would be tense. I think this because before Curley came into the bunkhouse, it was fine but since a bit later in the book we discover that Curley doesn't like big men. Since Lennie is big Curley tries to intimidate him which causes George to get mad, "He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glace was at once calculating and pugnacious. Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted his feet nervously." This means that since Curley doesn't like big men he immediately tried to be mean by curling his fists and going into like a fighting position like if Lennie did something to show a threat, he would attack. Even after Lennie does get scared and wants to leave, George becomes like a brother and tries to calm him down. This makes that tense mood that stayed even after Curley left. I think that the atmosphere of the ranch is mostly Tense as well, as we don't see that much of the whole ranch in the first one to three chapters. 

             I think that Curley's wife doesn't have a name because since shes the only girl there, and is to be married to Curley it would be reasonable for everyone just to call her Curley's wife, as the book refers to her as. I think this because since back then women where seen as possessions there would be no need to give her a name as she could just be called "Curley's wife". In the story it says "He got married a couple weeks ago. Wife lives over in the boss's house." Which just states that they don't bother calling her by her first name if she even had one because now she is Curley's wife, its more practical to just call her that. I think that the message John Steinbeck is trying to say is that back then women where considered possessions and it didn't matter if she had a name or not.

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Weekly Blog for 4/13/15 Alabama Moon

Are the characters realistic (do they seem like they could be read people)? Why

or why not?

• Describe a character that you would like to meet (which doesn’t mean that you

think you would like the character, but that you think the character would be

interesting). List 4 questions that you would ask.

Describe the major conflict. What side are you on?
 

          I think that the characters in this story seem like they could be real people. I think this because sometimes you find people living in the woods like Moon and his father (not exactly like them, they must have electricity and like a cabin).  I also think that they could be real people because like any other boy that loses his parents and has no relatives, he goes to a boys home. I also think that the characters could be real people because in the story, not everyone is perfectly healthy as for example Kit has cancer.

          I would like to meet Moon. He is a brave kid and I would love to have him tell me what its like to live in the wild. I would ask him "What did it feel like burying your own father?" I would ask him this because he must have been very emotional, and it surprised me that a kid had that much strength to bury his own father. Another question I would ask would be, "How did you feel when they put you in the boys home?" I would ask this because it was all of the sudden, from the forest to an actual home, I wonder how he felt. I would ask him "Why did you go back to the store to talk to Mr. Abroscotto?" because I'm guessing he knew that Mr. Abroscotto could have just called Sanders to catch him but yet he did it anyways. My final question that I would ask him would be "How do you feel living with Hal?" I would ask him this because like before it was a sudden change and he seems to be doing well but I would ask this just to make sure. 

          The major conflict in the story is that Moon wants to live in the forest while many other people tell him not to. The major conflict is also when Sanders is trying to catch Moon, because he left with Kit and Hal. I am on Moon's side because yes, it is insane that a kid wants to live in the woods. I would never do it. Moon on the other hand, has lived in the forest his whole life. Even if his father died I think that he is very skilled and prepared to live life the same as when his dad was alive. 

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