Hello again. I feel sort of guilty, because I really haven't done much reading this week. I don't know why, but I just haven't. On Wednesday, I sort of flipped through Romeo and Juliet and read an essay that my sister wrote. (Hey Clara, you look bored...) My creativity fails me as it comes to rewriting the Prologue. The trouble is, you can write anything you want and put it to music, and it'll be the greatest thing ever. So how I write something to sound more 'modern' is beyond me, other than that by doing so I would make it about a tenth of the length. I have to figure something out. I rewrote each line to help make sure I got everything, but the only thing I learned is that they really made it too hard to say.
On a, different, note, I have been reading a book about a young woman, a deceased woman, I should say, named Henrietta. I would say 'On a lighter note', but it's not exactly fitting. This young African American woman, Henrietta Lacks, died at the age of thirty, in 1951, of cancer. At first it looked as though the cancer would be easily treated, and it was, with radium. But it eventually got worse and worse, and it spread throughout her body. The radium left her stomach black, and she hardly had any strength. So, she was finally admitted to the hospital, and she later died there because she couldn't rid the toxins from her body. What she didn't know was that, right when the cancerous tumor had begun to grow, the first doctor she went to cut a bit of the tumor off, and kept it for scientific studies. Most African Americans who came to hospitals were expected to be guinea pigs. They were sometimes injected with diseases, and things were tested on them. So, without her knowledge, let alone approval, he took these cells from Henrietta, labelled them HeLa (From her name, Henrietta Lacks) and gave them to his assistant to see if they would grow. Does anyone know where this is going?
Henrietta's cells were the first human cells to grow outside of the body. They thrived with minimal help from scientists, and were shipped around the world to help studies. They helped to find answers for polio, and replaced monkeys and other animals for testing. While this may sound amazing, Henrietta's family still did not know a thing about it, and was never paid for her gigantic contribution to science. The book I'm reading, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks talks about how the author struggled to find any information on her. The family didn't really talk about it, and neither did anyone close to her. The hardest part is, when her family found out, they were more upset by the fact her cells were living when she wasn't. They believed it wasn't right to have her cells living when she wasn't. It's really a sad book. Her children had a hard time, too, and it's very upsetting to see how much worse everything was for them because of their mother's death. Very frightening.
Well, today I watched Holland High's version of The Three Musketeers, for the district competition. It was quite funny, for being very short. For those of you not familiar, competition theatre requires your performance must be short, half an hour, if I'm not mistaken. They did the whole thing earlier this year, which was hilarious. I feel bad that you have to cram so much into such a short show, especially when you have to cut things out that were important to explaining the plot, or something funny. They also rearranged some of the.... slightly less important characters. (Non Musketeers/Aspiring Musketeer) I'm not sure how I liked that. They got rid of Milady, a villain, and had that actress become the queen. She was much better as the villain. But, Constance, the important lady-in-waiting who falls in love with What's-His-Face, the main guy who wants to be a Musketeer, was much better. Before she was sort of boring, but she was much funnier, because she is so oblivious to everything. But that's technically not reading, so I apologize.
"...smoked the enemy with my blazing sword!" That is a good line, if anyone saw it, which I hope Anna or Paul did, at least the longer version, because if anyone from this class was there today, I completely missed them. However, I did spot our four special guests from last week. :)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Reading: Jan 18-25
I don't even know what to call this post. This week I have been reading a lot. Music, math and social studies books, and the closings at the bottom of the television. Actually, I did go to the library when I found out I was unwanted at play practice that day. I got three books. One is a mystery about a missing musical instrument, which is solved by a group of friends. I thought it was okay. The puzzles in it were cool, but I found the characters sort of strange. This valuable violin is stolen from the store where it was being repaired, and they have to figure out how anyone could have stolen it without going through the front of back doors, which had alarms, or breaking any windows (which were barred) The problem is that there are only a select few suspects, so it's not that difficult to figure out 'who' as much as 'how' and 'why'. I honestly thought the reason why was a little weird. But the very ending, after they solve the mystery, I liked.
The other book, which I just started, is called 'The Islands of the Blessed' this would be the third book in the series which I think I have mentioned before. (The Sea of Trolls and The Land of the Silver Apples) So far it's pretty good. There's an un-dead mermaid that is coming to find a monk because he refused to marry her because she was a monster. Then he burned her tail and floated away in his ship. And she died, but not really, so her spirit has come back and it gets angry every time it hears this gold and bronze bell. And there was a gigantic tornado that ripped through the town. That's sort of important. Right now there are some hobgoblins, named The Bugaboo and The Nemesis, who are visiting our friend and bard in training, Jack. Sort of unfortunately, all the copies there were in large print. I'll have to see how it all turns out.
The other book, which I just started, is called 'The Islands of the Blessed' this would be the third book in the series which I think I have mentioned before. (The Sea of Trolls and The Land of the Silver Apples) So far it's pretty good. There's an un-dead mermaid that is coming to find a monk because he refused to marry her because she was a monster. Then he burned her tail and floated away in his ship. And she died, but not really, so her spirit has come back and it gets angry every time it hears this gold and bronze bell. And there was a gigantic tornado that ripped through the town. That's sort of important. Right now there are some hobgoblins, named The Bugaboo and The Nemesis, who are visiting our friend and bard in training, Jack. Sort of unfortunately, all the copies there were in large print. I'll have to see how it all turns out.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The End of The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
So, I had time on Wednesday to read the end and then reread it because I had almost no homework. (That was because it was waiting in ambush for Thursday...well not really) Anyway, I read the book over again and looked for 'huckleberrying' and wrote it down for myself.
I am still particularly amazed by this book. Henry has such an interesting spin on everything. But the ending made the play seem more serious. He has that once scene with Edward where they're picking huckleberries, but other than that I felt like there was a complete lack of cheerfulness in the end. Lydian says he should get married, Waldo fights with him and everyone else gets mad when he rings the bell but Waldo doesn't come. Then there's that dream with the war, where they pretty much kill Edward. It didn't leave me feeling very happy. I did like Williams a lot, though. I felt like I could see him popping out of nowhere. (Cañada) When I went back and reread it, it didn't seem as funny as it did the first time. He said all the same things, but it all felt much more serious than it had before. It was like someone had just taken all the "Funny" and drained it out. Henry still had his sense of humor, but it was almost like at the same time he didn't actually think what he was doing was funny. I felt more like what he was saying came from some strong emotion that had gathered up inside him and sounded sort of ridiculous when he said it rather than something that, although is perfectly serious (in Henry's case) seems to have more purpose as a joke.
What I liked about Henry were his peaceful views, even though he wasn't always peaceful himself. It wasn't just he refused to pay taxes for the war, that he was sent to jail because he 'did not murder'. He also questions what good it is to 'flog' students, and resigns soon after he is forced to do so. He acts, in more ways for something he truly cares about. He also genuinely cares for nature. He admires the bird's ability to fly and sing and live off of flowers while sitting in his cell with Bailey. He says to Ellen "Did you know that trees cry out in pain when they're cut?" He also tells her that people are poisoning paradise. He believed that no matter who has bought land, the animals that live there still own it. (Woodchucks)
I think that's why I didn't like Ellen. Thoreau had such ahead-of-everyone ideas that when Ellen disagreed, she seemed unintelligent. When they talk about the railroad, she says it's much smoother and faster, but seems only confused when he points out that it's uglier and dirtier. He sees these terrible things in the future, but she seems only to deny it. She also believes her father too much. You can still love someone and not believe everything that they say! My dad says this. My dad says that. Guess what? Your dad isn't the only person in the world who you can base your opinions on! How could she be so willing to learn (going to school) but at the same time be completely narrow-minded about what she was learning?
I forgot to mention last time that one of my favorite things he says is about how books should have legs. (That would be pretty cool)
I am still particularly amazed by this book. Henry has such an interesting spin on everything. But the ending made the play seem more serious. He has that once scene with Edward where they're picking huckleberries, but other than that I felt like there was a complete lack of cheerfulness in the end. Lydian says he should get married, Waldo fights with him and everyone else gets mad when he rings the bell but Waldo doesn't come. Then there's that dream with the war, where they pretty much kill Edward. It didn't leave me feeling very happy. I did like Williams a lot, though. I felt like I could see him popping out of nowhere. (Cañada) When I went back and reread it, it didn't seem as funny as it did the first time. He said all the same things, but it all felt much more serious than it had before. It was like someone had just taken all the "Funny" and drained it out. Henry still had his sense of humor, but it was almost like at the same time he didn't actually think what he was doing was funny. I felt more like what he was saying came from some strong emotion that had gathered up inside him and sounded sort of ridiculous when he said it rather than something that, although is perfectly serious (in Henry's case) seems to have more purpose as a joke.
What I liked about Henry were his peaceful views, even though he wasn't always peaceful himself. It wasn't just he refused to pay taxes for the war, that he was sent to jail because he 'did not murder'. He also questions what good it is to 'flog' students, and resigns soon after he is forced to do so. He acts, in more ways for something he truly cares about. He also genuinely cares for nature. He admires the bird's ability to fly and sing and live off of flowers while sitting in his cell with Bailey. He says to Ellen "Did you know that trees cry out in pain when they're cut?" He also tells her that people are poisoning paradise. He believed that no matter who has bought land, the animals that live there still own it. (Woodchucks)
I think that's why I didn't like Ellen. Thoreau had such ahead-of-everyone ideas that when Ellen disagreed, she seemed unintelligent. When they talk about the railroad, she says it's much smoother and faster, but seems only confused when he points out that it's uglier and dirtier. He sees these terrible things in the future, but she seems only to deny it. She also believes her father too much. You can still love someone and not believe everything that they say! My dad says this. My dad says that. Guess what? Your dad isn't the only person in the world who you can base your opinions on! How could she be so willing to learn (going to school) but at the same time be completely narrow-minded about what she was learning?
I forgot to mention last time that one of my favorite things he says is about how books should have legs. (That would be pretty cool)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
I have no idea why at this very moment, but I LOVE it!! That just about sums it up. If you don't like to read all of what I wrote, it's longer than usual, so you can just stop there because that's all that's important. At first I thought it would be very depressing, considering that it sounds like just the night he spent in jail. (This is before I had even opened it) However, I found it really amazing! If I told you all my favorite parts, I would be listing most of the book. I love how crazy he is, because when he says it, it no longer seems so crazy! And even when he doesn't sound like he makes much sense, I listen anyway He teaches Bailey to write, and then he gets angry that he can write his name and tells him to un-learn it. B-A-Beanpole-Turn the Corner-Comb-Tree! I also really loved the teaching thing with the audience, and the whole conversation with the Deacon.
The weird thing is, I have this really clear image of the set in my head. I can see how it all works, except for the part where he's in the boat with Ellen. That has always been clearer in my mind as in a movie, not sitting on a stage in a boat, which bothers me, because it would seem very pathetic to sit in a boat on the middle of the stage and clunk the oars against the ground every so often, because he obvious isn't going anywhere. So for that part I forgot about the 'play' part of it.
One thing I like about him is, like I sort of mentioned, is that he says and does strange things, and yet it doesn't make you think worse of him. For example, when he has the whole in the shoe, he walks with one shoe on and one shoe in his hand and salutes people with it. Then he takes the order to arrest him and sticks it in his shoe. Everything he does is strange, but at the same time, I accept that as the way he is, and it doesn't bother me at all.
He's brave enough to laugh in even in a bad situation. He can be in trouble, and yet he'll still be calm. That's what makes him better: he defends his opinions well. With the Deacon, he tells him exactly what he thinks, even if the man clearly disagrees. He only gives in to save his job. He even struggles to whip the students in the room! He seems like an almost unreal person. He cares deeply about all people (which gets him in jail), and he stands by that, even when he could get out of it. (I thought that conversation where Bailey asks him why he's in jail was just wonderful, by the way.) He also has these great ideas, and he can say exactly what he means. At the same time, he seems sort of normal. He does things with his brother, he has a sense of humor, he falls in love with Ellen. (Deacon: We've been feeding our souls! Henry: How selfish of you.")
Some of the best things are with his brother, John. He seems to really understand Henry, and accepts his name is backwards, and he sort of shares his sense of humor. They are probably my two favorite people in the play. I actually don't like Ellen that much, she always seems sort of dumb compared to the brothers. (I'm sure she wasn't but she doesn't seem to share his intelligence) And then she turns out to be mean to Henry on their little boat trip. I would have been perfectly happy if John had married her, but I was happier when John comes running in, and you think he's all happy because she said "Yes" and then he say that she really didn't!
One thing I didn't realize, but really appreciate is that it's not fictional. I was reading about how John died of lockjaw, which must have been impossible for Henry, and it was strange because it happened in the book. Henry did get a sympathetic illness (lockjaw) after John's death. I also read that he died in Henrys' arms. That must have been hard for him, but meaningful at the same time. I guess Ellen seems a little more impressive after his death, but I still liked John better.
And finally, the time he spends at the Emerson's. I think it must have been amazing for him, considering Emerson was basically his hero, but I thought it might be a little weird for him to show up at his house and ask to be a handyman. "The weeds are at war with the marigolds..." But I hope it was good for the man.
But I really do love this play. It's mostly just the way Henry is, but it's still amazing. Here's another piece I liked. First of all, it made me laugh. Second of all, he becomes serious in a second, and he wants Ellen to be herself, and he ties it in with the meadow!
Ellen: When you go to school, you're supposed to write things down, so you remember what you've been taught.
Henry: Then it's the notebook that does the remembering, not you.
Ellen: You keep a notebook.
Henry: I also wear a ridiculous straw hat. That doesn't mean that you should wear a ridiculous hat. You'd look ridiculous in it. Nature didn't stuff this meadow full of identical blades of grass, each an imitation of another. They're all different! Follow-the-leader is not the game we're playing here! Young lady, BE YOUR OWN MAN!
The weird thing is, I have this really clear image of the set in my head. I can see how it all works, except for the part where he's in the boat with Ellen. That has always been clearer in my mind as in a movie, not sitting on a stage in a boat, which bothers me, because it would seem very pathetic to sit in a boat on the middle of the stage and clunk the oars against the ground every so often, because he obvious isn't going anywhere. So for that part I forgot about the 'play' part of it.
One thing I like about him is, like I sort of mentioned, is that he says and does strange things, and yet it doesn't make you think worse of him. For example, when he has the whole in the shoe, he walks with one shoe on and one shoe in his hand and salutes people with it. Then he takes the order to arrest him and sticks it in his shoe. Everything he does is strange, but at the same time, I accept that as the way he is, and it doesn't bother me at all.
He's brave enough to laugh in even in a bad situation. He can be in trouble, and yet he'll still be calm. That's what makes him better: he defends his opinions well. With the Deacon, he tells him exactly what he thinks, even if the man clearly disagrees. He only gives in to save his job. He even struggles to whip the students in the room! He seems like an almost unreal person. He cares deeply about all people (which gets him in jail), and he stands by that, even when he could get out of it. (I thought that conversation where Bailey asks him why he's in jail was just wonderful, by the way.) He also has these great ideas, and he can say exactly what he means. At the same time, he seems sort of normal. He does things with his brother, he has a sense of humor, he falls in love with Ellen. (Deacon: We've been feeding our souls! Henry: How selfish of you.")
Some of the best things are with his brother, John. He seems to really understand Henry, and accepts his name is backwards, and he sort of shares his sense of humor. They are probably my two favorite people in the play. I actually don't like Ellen that much, she always seems sort of dumb compared to the brothers. (I'm sure she wasn't but she doesn't seem to share his intelligence) And then she turns out to be mean to Henry on their little boat trip. I would have been perfectly happy if John had married her, but I was happier when John comes running in, and you think he's all happy because she said "Yes" and then he say that she really didn't!
One thing I didn't realize, but really appreciate is that it's not fictional. I was reading about how John died of lockjaw, which must have been impossible for Henry, and it was strange because it happened in the book. Henry did get a sympathetic illness (lockjaw) after John's death. I also read that he died in Henrys' arms. That must have been hard for him, but meaningful at the same time. I guess Ellen seems a little more impressive after his death, but I still liked John better.
And finally, the time he spends at the Emerson's. I think it must have been amazing for him, considering Emerson was basically his hero, but I thought it might be a little weird for him to show up at his house and ask to be a handyman. "The weeds are at war with the marigolds..." But I hope it was good for the man.
But I really do love this play. It's mostly just the way Henry is, but it's still amazing. Here's another piece I liked. First of all, it made me laugh. Second of all, he becomes serious in a second, and he wants Ellen to be herself, and he ties it in with the meadow!
Ellen: When you go to school, you're supposed to write things down, so you remember what you've been taught.
Henry: Then it's the notebook that does the remembering, not you.
Ellen: You keep a notebook.
Henry: I also wear a ridiculous straw hat. That doesn't mean that you should wear a ridiculous hat. You'd look ridiculous in it. Nature didn't stuff this meadow full of identical blades of grass, each an imitation of another. They're all different! Follow-the-leader is not the game we're playing here! Young lady, BE YOUR OWN MAN!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Reading for 2010 and 2011
The best thing about the new year so far has been the Google Doodle on December 31st. I guess that's not this year. So I don't know what the best thing is. I have been reading a little this week, which is quite interesting. I read a fascinating book called "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm". While it may be sort of classified as a children's book, I found it in the 'Young Adult' section of the library. Those librarians. I picked it up because of the author, Nancy Farmer, who wrote other books that I likes, one of which was 'The Sea of Trolls' that I read a few years ago. Of course (and it hurts to say it) it was part of a series. Why does this happen to me! The strange thing is I had absolutely no idea that there was even a sequel to this book. So I took the sequel, too. Let me catch up with myself.
'The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm' was interesting for me for multiple reasons. One of them happens to be that it takes place in ZIMBABWE! Let me just ask, has anyone else ever read a book that takes place in Zimbabwe? (Not including non-fiction books) It also turned out to be science fiction, which was hardly surprising since it says on the back it's in 2194 and Ear, Eye, and Arm got special powers from pollution. The cool thing about this book was that it took real things that happened in the twentieth century and farther back, and projected what it would be like, along with the author's own ideas. Basically three children, Tendai (13), Rita (11, I think) and Kuda (Maybe about 4) are kidnapped on a trip to the city and are going to be sold to the gang called the Masks. I takes traditional culture from tribes in Zimbabwe and uses words from their languages, which made it more interesting for me. The three siblings are the children of General Matsika, who is a very famous man who has worked to improve life in Zimbabwe (Like breaking up gangs) While the family is well off and able to hire detectives, it also makes them targets in the city. So the mother hires three detectives, Ear, Eye, and Arm to search for them. These men have powers that go with their names. Ear has exceptional hearing, Eye has exceptional eyesight, and Arm has the amazing ability to feel other people's feelings, which makes them ideal detectives. I was really amazed by this book, and it was thoughtfully printed in large print. (I don't know how I ended up with that copy.
I now am reading a book called 'The Land of the Silver Apples' which is also a book by Nancy Farmer. It's about a boy named Jack and it takes place in the past in a magical world where there are giants and elves and magical creatures. This would be the sequel I was talking about. So far he has found out his sister is actually an elf, seen her taken away along with all the water, explored differences between the old gods and Christianity, and with a slave and an ex-slave with him, he journeys to fix the problems of water and elves. Jack is trained in magic, by the Bard, and has experience with magic and magical creatures. He also is joined by a friend from the previous book, but it all makes much more sense if you've already read the first.
Sorry for the long ramble, but it was quite exciting for me. I can't believe anyone has the patience to read this, anyway. :)
'The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm' was interesting for me for multiple reasons. One of them happens to be that it takes place in ZIMBABWE! Let me just ask, has anyone else ever read a book that takes place in Zimbabwe? (Not including non-fiction books) It also turned out to be science fiction, which was hardly surprising since it says on the back it's in 2194 and Ear, Eye, and Arm got special powers from pollution. The cool thing about this book was that it took real things that happened in the twentieth century and farther back, and projected what it would be like, along with the author's own ideas. Basically three children, Tendai (13), Rita (11, I think) and Kuda (Maybe about 4) are kidnapped on a trip to the city and are going to be sold to the gang called the Masks. I takes traditional culture from tribes in Zimbabwe and uses words from their languages, which made it more interesting for me. The three siblings are the children of General Matsika, who is a very famous man who has worked to improve life in Zimbabwe (Like breaking up gangs) While the family is well off and able to hire detectives, it also makes them targets in the city. So the mother hires three detectives, Ear, Eye, and Arm to search for them. These men have powers that go with their names. Ear has exceptional hearing, Eye has exceptional eyesight, and Arm has the amazing ability to feel other people's feelings, which makes them ideal detectives. I was really amazed by this book, and it was thoughtfully printed in large print. (I don't know how I ended up with that copy.
I now am reading a book called 'The Land of the Silver Apples' which is also a book by Nancy Farmer. It's about a boy named Jack and it takes place in the past in a magical world where there are giants and elves and magical creatures. This would be the sequel I was talking about. So far he has found out his sister is actually an elf, seen her taken away along with all the water, explored differences between the old gods and Christianity, and with a slave and an ex-slave with him, he journeys to fix the problems of water and elves. Jack is trained in magic, by the Bard, and has experience with magic and magical creatures. He also is joined by a friend from the previous book, but it all makes much more sense if you've already read the first.
Sorry for the long ramble, but it was quite exciting for me. I can't believe anyone has the patience to read this, anyway. :)
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