Blog #7

One of the books I read over summer was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

In my opinion one of Kidd's arguments was forgiveness. Lily is left with just her father and she seems to blame herself and her mother for her predicament. Lily runs away to escape her father and ends up in another place with memories of her mother. She was told that her mother had left her behind with her father. What she wasn't told was that her mother would eventually be coming back to take her away from her dad. She has this small hint of hate for her mother but a strong longing and love. I think Kidd was really trying to show that you can't just hold a grudge with someone forever. Lily ends up not only forgiving her mom but also forgiving herself. You need to eventually forgive, because in the end being upset will only cause yourself more pain.

Blog#6

I walk into third period and take a breath: Orchestra. I walk to my chair, grab my violin, and just talk to friends. The familiar faces is something that makes me feel just that bit better about being at school. No one judges, we're all just there, doing something we've dedicated time to. I've known most of the students since elementary school and it's somewhere I enjoy to be.

A lot of kids in school think people in music programs at school are weirdo's and all we do is play music. It's not like that at all. I'm in the class because why quit in high school just because people thinks it's "weird". For me the class is a place where I can keep friends I've had since I was a kid. Music isn't something I'll be pursuing when I'm older I just want to have a familiar place in the always changing Vaca High environment.

Blog #5:Questions

The only thing that I questioned in The Box Man was how did the writer know how the box man actually felt. How would any of us know exactly whether or not a homeless person was more a less happy than i was. Just curious.

Blog #4: Compare and Contrast.

Even though this has absolutley nothing to do with literature or anything but this is what I came up with.
Two things that are ironically similar but different are...brains. In a sense when you look at two brains they look 100% the same. (usually, not including brain defects and things like that). All brains include the same parts and they have the same function. But mentally they're different. Different thoughts run through them and are used differently.
I know I might not be hitting the nail on the head with this one but I tried. :)

Blog #3: Critical Review

"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd was really a fantastic book. A big part of the book was the underlying theme of countering racism. The narrator Lily Owens' life in the book stars out quite rocky: her learning she killed her mother accidentally, and a not so fantastic father T.Ray. Lily's idea of racism is very different that others, adn she overcomes it towards the end of the book. "The Secret Life of Bees" really opened my eyes and made me look at things from another point of view.
Definitely a book I could read again.

Blog #2:

So far my non-fiction history includes: "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank and "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. Out of these two books the themes I remember were from "Fast Food Nation", and it was basically the truth about our country's fast food. It really told it like it is and showed people the "behind the scenes" of the food we all eat, whether we eat it everyday or every once in a while. It was quite a shocker. Now, "The Diary of a Young Girl" was a completely different thing. This book, from what I remember, was quite intense. (Given that I read it in the sixth grade.) The major themes were really about Anne growing up in such a stressful time in history and really about the person she was and how the events in her life made her who she was. Also, the theme of acceptance for others unlike yourself was obviously very strong.
The book that had more influence on me was Anne Frank's book. It really showed me to be optimistic about people that are different than me. A way to describe it for me was not judging a book by its cover. Its definitely cheesy but that's how it seems to me. Ever since I read the book I definitely had a different outlook on things. I wasn't so close-minded any more. You don't really understand how a book like that changes you opinions till you really think about it.
But both were great books!

Introduction: Yours Truely

Basically I am just your normal and somewhat average 16 year old girl.  I tend to have a blunt and honest personality, and I’m ready for just about anything. I have a close group of friends and I’m not into cliques. I’m just ready to legitimately start living my life.