Fiona+C

** Get Away from this Page **




=Classwork Questions 6.3= a. What are three things that you liked about the character in your novel. Be specific by giving examples. -Three things i like about my character in the novel (Parvati) were her silent strength, that didn't give in to the icy glares of her environment, the devotion and passion she showed for her dancing, and the honesty in which she lived within, never hiding or trying to lie to herself about anything. b. What were the three most important events? -Three of the most important events in Shiva's Fire was Parvati's birth and the cyclone that followed it, her admission to the guru's academy, where most of her life unfolded, and her meeting with Rama, the Yuvuraja. c. In what ways are you different from the main character? Be specific. -I think I am differnt from the main character mentally. I have not gone through the mental hardships that Parvati has gone through, and until now, I do not have a passion as strong and fiery as Parvati's. I also do not know myself, but Parvati seems to know so much about herself already. d. List five things about the setting of the story. - The story is set in India, about 4-60 years after the independence of India. Parvati was born on one of India's most devastating cyclone/storms of all time. This cyclone destoryed the village of Nandipuram and other smaller villages as well, totally wiping out the population and the rich, bustling land it once was. During Parvati's teange years, India was full of many rebel groups like Mayappan's. e. What do you think are three major themes (messages that the author is trying to get across) in the story? Why? -Three major themes in this book are, I think, the thought that anything is possible, of believing in yourself and tehe people around you, and about accepting the challenges in front of you. f. What are three good things you could say about this book? -One good thing I could say about this book are 1. The setting and characters are new and interesting-I learned a lot about India and the devadashi's culture, 2. also, I thought that the scenes that described how Parvati and her family were treated made me think again about humans and how we think and why we fear the people that are different from us, and that 3. The passion and honesty of Parvati, as well as the last line of the book, really moved me.

=Poetry Warmup 6/2/2009=

= = =Poetry Warmup 5.29.2009= 88%

=Rachel+Fiona's Poem Presentation=

=5. 22= ==

= = =Poetry PP NOTES 5. 27.2009= -twelve lines with ten syllables per line -lots of themes, various rhyme schemes -usually serious, sometimes sung -uses lyrics from europe -means little song -long poems, famous person was william shakespeare -14 lines, ten syllables, iambic pentameter (emphasized and unempasized beats) -curtail, pushkin, etc etc. (TYPES) Tercet** -short type of poem -4 lines or so COUPLET** -two lines -usually rhyming -combination- can become bigger poem Quatrain** - four lines -alternate rhyme -ex: iambic pentameter (5 pairs of unstressed and stressed) B.O.P.** -recent form -argument, 3 stanza -conversation between 2 people (argument) -after one stanza refrain ,then another line (like a chorus) Ballads** -narrative story+music - long long long -sometimes about a person or thin (used in Britain and Europe a lot) five units 5-7-5-7-7 syllable form japanese poem older than haiku
 * Elliot and Seewon's Group**
 * SONNET**
 * Julia and Anna and Penelope**
 * SONNETS**
 * Seung's Group
 * Yoonha's Group
 * David Chang, Mike Park
 * Robby and Colin
 * Johnny Park and Michael Suh
 * Tanka by Sujin + Stacy**

=GENE's HAIKU= 1. the first poem was about the seasons and how they feel 2. the third poem was about flying in the sky, a bird, and how he wants to be able to fly like the bird 3 The second poem was about the sun rising and setting.

=Funbrain Quiz Results 5/20=

= = = Shiva’s Fire = =SETTING= This book is divided up into twenty one chapters, with about 12 pages per chapter. As it is, not much is explained about the plot or the characters yet. I think that you could say that this chapter (and probably a few chapters after this too) are a sort of unofficial prologue. The story is set in India, 40 years after the independence of India was announced, in around the 1980s, I think,on a humid, hot summer’s day. Meenakshi is expecting her child soon, and she knows that it is a girl. Unlike all her other carriages, Meenakshi has been possessed with ectasy and happiness all through out her pregnancy, sweet signs of a lovely, beautiful baby girl for her. Today is also the festival for the Maharaja’s birthday, this year being particularly special because the Maharaja, like Meenakshi, is expecting a child, and a male child at that. A hot humid day, India is in danger of heavy rain and the air is already wet, making walking hard for Meenakshi ( being pregnant in the summer must not be a good feeling). In the midst of this heavy, hot weather, Parvati is about to be born, without anyone knowing what disasters she will bring.
 * Chapter One 5/19**

**Plot**
The plot goes downward from here. Parvarti has been born; her mother leaning heavily against the tree, with great drops of rain splattering around her. Meenakshi has yet to know what disasters have followed Parvarti's birth, however, oblivious of the enormous storm to follow her footsteps. Wrapping her sari around the baby and using a banna leaf as an umbrella, Meenakshi head home, while the drops of rain turn abruptly into a full-on rainstorm. When Meenakshi arrives at her house, where her family and the old ayah, Priya greet her, the sky has turned an ominous color, not the usual color of a normal monsoon rain, but of something more serious. Priya looks into the baby's eyes and feels, knows, that the baby is not an ordinary one. "Her life will either be terrible or incredible." These words would follow Parvarti until her death. Everyone is in a bustle, Sathya, her brother-in-law, even her two songs, all because of the unnatural and surprisingly strong storm that threatens to blow them away. Meenakshi shoos the boys away to sleep, a dread seeping through her veins while the storm rages outside. Meanwhile, Sundar is still with his elephants. The elephants are restless, and a mother elephant breaks through, disrupting the others. In a swift movement, Sundar is caught between the furious mother and her companions, and is crushed to pieces. This is the dread that Meenakshi felt, and now the children will now have to live without a father, something that Meenakshi realizes as Sathya comes running,bringing news of the tragic death. This is just the start of Parvati and Meenakshi's troubles, and of the fate that t they and their village must persevere through.


 * Chapter Three 5/21**

Characters
In this chapter, it is all about Meenakshi and her family getting ready to leave their beloved house due to the heavy storming, a godly rage brought upon by the devils of Earth itself. Floods like whole oceans are sweeping across the land, and Meenakshi, her children, Parvati, Sathya and his wife, Auntie, must flee their house before they become water-ridden corpses. Meenakshi packs slowly, methodically, calmly, as if she cannot hear anything outside, no matter how Sathya shouts through the cry of the wind that they must go. Blank eyes and mechanical hands, Meenakshi brings Auntie's unfavorable attention. How could Meenakshi be like this? Why? In this chapter, I plan to talk about the characters. Although not much is known about Parvati yet, I have the feeling that she will go through many difficulties as a child and as an adult. Meenakshi and Parvati seem to have a hard time in front of them, but I think that since they are strong and silent, they will be able to tread through those difficulties. Parvati seems to be a strong, eccentric baby, and her auspicious birth is sure to bring hate and scrutination from others as she grows up. Meenakshi seems like a cool, strong person, but maybe a little reclusive and keep-to-herself at times. She loved Sundar very much, and I think that his death rattled her a lot, sort of dislodging her soul from it's rightful, safe place. Sathya seems like a gentle, nice, kind brother-in-law, not betraying Meenakshi and caring for her and genuinely worrying about her. But the bond between Meenakshi and Parvati is very strong, stronger maybe because Parvati has a little of Sundar in her, and because Parvati was the sun and the unwavering smile for Meenakshi.

Theme
I think the theme in this chapter, and perhaps the next chapters after this, is about ostracism, and exclusion in a small, religious village. People in smaller, more religious and perhaps of the older generation are prone to be wary and even ostracize certain people when they are different from themselves, or have different features. In this case, Meenakshi and her family, mainly Parvati, are shunned and looked upon as devilish creatures by their villagers, all because of Parvati's unusual behavoir and the strange, miraculous happenings around her, her birth, and the gossip and hatred that were borne from her jealous, bitter aunt. I have noticed that people tend to call someone a devil or a blood-sucking something when they are deeply engaged with religion. Of course, those type of things have dwindled now that we are more worldly and a little more global, but in any case, I think the author was trying to show how humans, no matter how pure or kind, tend to regard people that are different than themselves as someone who is weird, or strange. I think that that consciousness makes a thin wall between people, and it then depends on the future and yourself if you will dissolve that wall and really touch that person, or if you will turn away and block it up even more. In chapter 4, the people of Parvati's village both turned and scrutinized Parvati's family. They pretended not to see, but they also were watching them like tourists at a zoo.I think that this sort of thing will continue forever, this discrimination and wariness of people who are different. That is what makes humans human, and how we evolve. However,that doesn't exactly justify it. Parvati and her family were, in short, a victim of the older type of discrimination, in a veiled form.

Plot
This chapter was more of a continuation of the previous chapter. The people of Parvati's village grew tenser and tenser by the day, the pressure of hungry and ravenous tigers creeping closer to their borders weighing down their shoulders. Finally, they ask the Raja for permission to hold a tiger-hunt. These tigers were usually protected by the goovernment, to try and preserve their decreasing population, except in cases like these, where people were in grave danger from the tigers. The Raja approves, and the tiger-hunt begins. Before the storm on Parvati's birthday, these hunts were like huge festivals, with people from all over India coming to gawk. Now, the casualties are too large and the tiger-hunters come in as swiftly and without ceremony like the mist. They killed the poor tiger, bone-thin and desperate, and disappeared. I think that part of the chapter shows how large the storm and the disappointment of the sickly Maharaja heir was to the population of India, probably like the Depression in America. After the tiger-hunt, Meenakshi reminsicnes the better days when life was simple and sometimes tiring, but always happy, when she and the other women would walk down to the river to wash their clothes, singing together. Now the women shuffle to the river and wash silently, Meenakshi shunned, a sullena and dismal sort of One woman, a woman Meenakshi has known for a long time, directly confronts her, calling her a witch and accusing her of cursing the village. As the woman stalks away, Meenakshi wonders, "How will my family and I survive in such a dark neighborhood?"Even with this, Meenakshi and her family, with Sathya and Auntie, are getting through, especially now that Sathya has a job in the city.

PLOT
From here, Parvati's true colors show through. The after-effects of the storm have worn down, and Nandipuram has begun to turn green again, recovering it's old environment, and Parvati grew up. She grew up to be a girl like her father, tall and willowy, with a good personality and of charm and intelligence, all the qualities of a good child. However, she was still shunned by her playmates, and was content to play by herself. She was transfixed by the sandalwood statue of Shiva, his slim legs gracefully raised, and practiced many times outside, trying to get it just right, trying to see the fire Shiva whirled up. She was different from others, with her love for dancing and for Shiva. The boys of the village, along with her cousins, would tease her, guiling her to dance, dance, dance. her brothers could not stand for this, and although Venkat stood up for Parvati, he was the one that got bullied as well. FInally, he summoned the courage to reprimand his cousins at the meal table, and although they did not tease Parvati anymore, they did not defend her, either. The Maharaja then had a festival, a happy day out of all those sad ones. A jumble of colors and sounds and people, Parvati found her fate. A forest green sari with silver borders, a twirling girl with form like a lily. The dancing girl had the fire, and Parvati wanted it too. One day, when Meenakshi was gone and the fire was burning, Parvati was seized with a want. She wanted the fire, to dance like Shiva. Jumping into the fire, she started to dance, shocking Meenakshi when she came back. When PAravati was plucked out of the fire, saying that she was dancing like Shiva, Meenakshi realized that her daughter was no ordinary daughter- or dancer. Parvati wasn't scarred, or even licked by the fire, her skin and hair was smooth as it was before. Parvati was not ordinary.

Characters
Parvati Parvati is one of those silent heroines, I think. She is beautiful, talented, and kind, but she is ostracized by the community for something absurd. but she does not want revenge, she just accepts it and lives her own life in the way that she can, the best she can. I Think, even though she is rather quiet, that she possesses a ifire in her soul, a fire called dancing. Many great things await her, I think, and it is her differentness that sets her apart and makes her someone, someone big. However, I do not think that this is the end of her loneliness. aFter all, she has the uncanny ability to dance, and natural love, for animals and fish all alike, flock to her when she is near, like she is a goddess. Parvati seems to be very pensive and observant, a special baby and a special child, a loyal and steadfast friend, I think.

Setting
The story of Parvati happens in the rural village of Nandipuram, a tight, religion-conscious and somehow conservative society of Indians. It was the village that was struck the hardest by the storm (the "Parvati" storm). It is comprised of women and families that have known each other for many years, and gorow tigheter in times of need. Tehe women, especially, seem to have become vicious after te storm, using Parvati nad ehr mother, meenakshi, as a substitute, a thing to blame their troubles upon. In this way, Nandipuram seems like the typical clanny society, breoken apart by disaster and brought together underneath one enemy; Meenakshi and Parvati.

Plot
In this chapter, Parvati arrives at the guru's dancing academy and meets the girls, Kamala, Rukmani, and other girls, all who would play a large part in Parvati's way to becoming a devadashi. Although life is very different from before and Parvati is rather lonely and impatient for new lessons, she is accepted into the academy and she accepts it. Everything is very strict in the academy, from dinner and the rule of silence, as well as prayer times, Parvati finds a god in the statue of Shiva.

Plot
Life in the academy is as usual, and Parvati follows through her lessons smoothly, still impatient for "real dancing", not the exercises that they do. The teacher notices Parvati's extraordinary skill at dancing, how her limbs are like water and her body a song. Later on, in the night, Kamala creeps into Parvati's room, and they start talking about Parvati's birth. Kamala doesn't believe what Parvati says, and although Parvati gets angry at her, and she backs down, the next day, Kamala and Rukshami both laugh behind Parvati's back, calling her a possessed child. Nalini reaches out for Parvati, and they start ot become friends with each other, sharing a secret friendship. Parvati becomes a woman, and although she was confused and frightened at first, and reassured by Nalini's words, she feels rather miffed that her mother did not tel her. However, she remembers what her mother said" Truth is light and light is the absecnce of darkness", and understands. I liked this quote, because it made you think about how you odn't need to know everything from the start, and that how being ignorant isn't bad, because it means that there is that much oppurtunity and space to light up with the truth.

=Chapter 11 = =Character = =NALINI =  Nalini played a large role in this chapter, because it was mostly about her, her history, and the relationships she shared with Parvati, her family, and Mayappan. I think that she feels like the academy was her ticket to freedom, being the third out of four duahgters, two of them already amrried. Nalini's family was poor, typical of the lower classes of India at that time, and with four daughters, Nalini and her little sister would have had to care for their parents for the rest of their lives, if it had not been for Nalini's skill at dancing. Somehow, I don't think Nalini is as serious about dancing as Parvati or her teachers would expect of her, because she wants love and a life out of the academy and her family more than dancing, as she explained to Parvati during one of their midnight rendezvous. Somehow, the stuffy and restricting atmosphere of her family probably eliminated whatever love she had for her parents and siblings. Nalini expresses her relief that she was sent to the academy, leaving her little sister to have the responsibility of caring for her hard to please, complaining mother, because she does not seem to feel sorry or pity for her sister, just relief for herself, and she certainly doesn't speak with any particular affection for her mother. With all of this, I think Nalini was starved for love and affection, for someone to tell her that she is important, somebody, that she is beautiful and that they love her, which probably played a part in her falling head over heels for Mayappan, the only man who had told her that she was beautiful, and who actually seemed to believe it. Starved for love and with a bitter childhood, Nalini found a paradise to relax in in Mayappan. As well as this, I think Nalini was caring and bold, reaching out a hand for Parvati, who was also deprived from lauggter and a true friend, although all her fellow students shunned Parvati.

=Chapter 12 = =Setting =  The setting is about 40-50 years after the independence of India, and I think that it was the still fresh feeling of being released from a prison that caused such part-guerilla, in some way terrorist groups like Mayappan's. Mayappan's group was like a more...negatively percieved version of Robin Hood. My theory to why these groups started popping up is because maybe after the independence of India was announced and the force that had been binding the Indians down (The English forces) were ripped away, it planted a sort of thought, an idea that people can do anything. I think that the young people of India grouped together, eager to raise another age, to become heroes, which ultimately meant trying to condemn the rich and feeding the poor, exactly like Robin Hood. However, I don't think that Mayappan really succeeded, because he stole and vandalized innocent people, just taking what was of abundance and planting fear in the hearts of the citizens of India. I suppose you could say that the uprisal of Mayappan's group who "fought for the good of the poor" was like the aftershock of a huge bomb (The huge bomb being the independence of India.)

=Chapter 13 = =Plot =  With Nalini gone, Parvati has no choice but to immerse herself in her studies. Everything was hollow and the only way Parvati could chase off the empitness was to immerse herself wholly in her studies. The music from her flute sang out into the forest, her dancing was as beautiful and impeccable as before, but she still felt lonely inside. Impatient to get to "real" dancing, she was eager to meet the Guru on the day of her review. The Guru and Parvati talked about many things, and after Parvati asked him impatiently when she was going to be able to dance with real music, the Guru first tells that girls of her age were still not ready, but reconsiders, and decides. Parvati would have her first public dancing ritual, and would start advanced lessons with the Guru and Kalpana. Overjoyed, Parvati became to rely more and more on dancing and the lessons that the Guru taught her every day as her source of energy to keep on going. Dancing, learning, and music seemed to dominate her life, although she was by herself, still. She recieves her first dancing sari, a lovely green-blue like the one of the dancer in her childhood, and when she returns, something huge awaits her. The Raja of Nandipuram, her hometown, wishes to see her in three months to dance!

=Chapter 14 = =Plot =  Parvati was overjoyed and nervous to meet the Raja, such a person with such a high position! The visit to the Raja also meant that she would be able to spend some time with her family, the people that she had not seen and missed for over a year. On the trip to the Raja, the Guru informs Parvati that after they return to the academy, Parvati will start ot teach some of the younger children, because now she is walking the path of master, with larger responsibiliites ahead. At the grandiose palace of the Raja, Parvati, the Guru, and Kalpana are greeted by the Raja himself, a kind, jolly man that praises Parvati and expects the best of dancing from her. Parvati, while talking to the Raja also meets the Yuvaraja, now a young man, but with the same dramatic eye makeup and empty, lonely expression less face. After leaving the palace, Parvati heads to her mother's house, where she is greeted by a flurry of children and the welcome faces of Ven,her mother, aged a little but still beautiful, Venkat and his shy, kind wife who would become Parvati's friend later on. Parvati finally feels at ease, comforted and loved as she fits into the daily schedule of her family just as if she had never left, feeling joy at the happiness that followed her family around ever since she left the house. The house is happy and content, and Parvati makes friends with Venkat's wife, who accepts the little strange things around Parvati, laughing it off and smiling with Parvati.

=Chapter 15 = =Plot = <span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);"> Parvati is still at her mother's house, feeling happy with how her life is so simple and loving. During one of their weekly trips to the bazaar, Parvati is unnerved by a glimpse of a familiar face-Nalini's face, changed, to be sure, her eyes now dark and wary, like that of a Gypsy, but Nalini's face nevertheless. The face haunts her for days, until Parvati forces herself to believe that she just imagined it. With Sumitra pregnant and weak, Parvati goes out to the river to fish, spotting a man, barechested, also fishing in the river with a net. Although it is a face she has never seen before, Parvati stares, until she realizes with a jolt- it was the Yuvaraja. To be sure, he was alone in this country, with no royal cloth and none of his eye makeup, but it was the Yuvaraja in any case. Parvati hurries away after the Yuvaraja turns his head, nearly spotting her. THe next time Parvati went fishing, the Yuvaraja grabs her, telling her that he needs to talk to her. Parvati tries to refuse- a devadashi, seen with a man, and the yuvaraja, to top it off? Impossible. Rama (The Yuvaraja) follows her to the house, and asks her to not tell anyone that he was in Nandipuram, and although he leaves as quickly as he came, he smiles at Parvati, who unknowingly smiles back. This could be the start of something...but that will have to wait. The next day is the last day for Parvati at Nandipuram. Amongst suspicoiusly wet eyes, Parvati says farewell to the leisurely days of sheer happiness that wrapped her during those few days, and turns her mind back to dancing to numb the pain of leaving.

=<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Chapter 16. = =<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Rama = <span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);"> Although not much is known about Rama yet, I have the feeling that he has started to feel something for Parvati and Parvati towards him also. He lives a sort of double life, a life like a doll, silent and seemingly bored and expressionless, but outside, he is bold and impish, persistent and like a monkey, swift and always one step ahead of humans. I think Parvati is captivated and attracted to Rama, maybe not romantically YET, but in a humanly, curious way, because he is so different from all the people that she has met before. He does not care for her past, only for what she is now, and somehow, I think that Parvati is surprised by the honest way that he talks and acts towards her, probably because she has never had anyone treat her like an equal so much. Some more facts about Rama would be interesting, like how his life inside the palace is.

=<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Chapter 17 = =<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Plot = <span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);"> Parvati still misses her family, and Rama is still occupying a small part of her brain. When Parvati tells Kalpana her worries and sadness about leaving her family, Kalpana assures her that she has a gift, and that rejecting it would be rejecting her life. Parvati returns to her room, only to find Rama waiting there. First she was angry, at the shameless fact that he intruded into a woman devadashi's room by himself by his own decision. Protesting violently, Parvati starts to raise her voice, only to be hurriedly shushed by Rama, checking to see if anyone was in the corridor. Parvati was still happy to see him, even if it wasn't proper, and calmed down to talk to Rama. Rama suddenly starts to talk about the cyclone that killed Parvati's father, the very cyclone in which Parvati was born in and was accused of causing. It turned out Rama was born on the same day as her, and with extraordinary powers that he claims caused the cyclone. However Parvati rejects this and says it was her fault. They start to learn more about each other and how much they are alike, even if they are so different outwardly. He tells her about the father she never knew, the magical deeds that he seemed to possess with animals, the kindess and modesty of him. After a long talk where they both grow closer together, Rama starts to leave, Parvati shyly tells him that he can come anytime. A smile and a surprise for tomorrow, and then Rama is gone.

=<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Chapter 18 = =<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Plot = <span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);"> This was a chapter where the relationship betwee Rama and Parvati took large steps. Falling asleep with thoughts of Rama flitting around in her mind, Parvati woke up to a new day full of things to do. Kalpana presented Parvati with her new sari, tight and lovely, the dress she would wear to dance, with Lakshami's jewels, beautiful delicate pieces of jewelry. Today was a day full of expectations, with a party in the evening. Kalpana took the dress off of Parvati, only wanting to see if it fit, and for nearly the rest of the day, she practiced with a vigor, sweat dropping off her body like raindrops. Kalpana unhooked the jewelry from Parvati, pinning it to the inside of her blouse, warning Parvati to protect it with her life. Parvati returns to her room to find Rama there, to her surprise. Rama tells her that he has something to show her-the palace. Although Parvati hesitates, with all the preparations for this evening, she eventually gives up and agrees to go on a tour with him. Rama talks about how Parvati was the first person that looked at him as a person, recognizing him at the river and treating him fairly. A man that has never been believed in and a girl who has grown up with unbelievable things happening around her, against her will. Rama leaves, with promises of a grand tour, and I think Parvati said goodbye with her heart beating with anticipation, Kalpana enters shortly after, helping Parvati dress for the evening party, dressing Parvati like a goddess. Parvati herself is taken aback at the beautiful, elegant woman in the brilliant sari and glittering jewelry. Entering the party hall, her eyes meet Rama's and they both grow warm, although both try to hide it. This is the first step to their love, I think.

=<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Chapter 19 = =<span style="color: rgb(96, 98, 96);">Plot = After the party, Kalpana and Parvati walk back to their rooms, Parvati still wondering if her relationship with Rama is safe. She returns to her room silently, realizing that Kalpana knows that something is up with Parvati. Beofre Rama comes, she dresses up and looks at herself in the mirror, reveling in her reflection, so similar to Lakshima. When Rama comes, she tells him that she is a devadashi, devoted to dance and only to dance.


 * Chapter Two**

= = =5/14 Quiz Results=

== ==

=Poetry Project= Responsible Topics: Naturalistic, Spatial, Body, and Intrapersonal Partner: Julia Kim Naturalistic and Intrapersonal are on paper BODY-BLAHBLAH SPATIAL is too big to be inserted All projects of mine are in your drop box, Mr. Schwagler

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 189, 31);"> I Once Caught a Rhyme 5.13.2009 = Once upon a time I caught a little rhyme I set it on a little rock but it ran away into the crock I chased it down the drain but it hid itself in the rain I scooped it up and shook my finger but it just rolled off and jeered "Don't you linger!" I caught it fast and caught it swiftly, vowing never to let go but it was wily and it was strong; it twisted my finger in a bow I followed it down to Ellington Way but it was nowhere to go, for it had become gray When I fed it some strawberries and cream it became a gurgling baby and started to beam Then it grew into a kite and flew far out of sight... =<span style="display: block; text-align: center; color: rgb(83, 149, 253);">Wish Poem 5.13.2009 = I wish I had some money, I wish I had a head full of genius, I wish I hada cloak of invisibility, I wish I had the speed of time. I wish I had the power to fix the world. I wish I had a vacation soon. I wish I had cleaner shoes. I wish I had a magic wand to make all my wishes come true. =<span style="color: rgb(255, 132, 0);"> = =<span style="color: rgb(125, 126, 124);">Rhetorical Poem 5.13.2009 = I wonder if they like being snails? I suppose they do They always slither around slowly, always content They never have any reason for stress Some people say that they are boring and slow They make the world a little more richer

= = =<span style="color: rgb(255, 132, 0);">Haiku 5. 1 1 . = The sky is crying tiny rain-diamonds falling a poignant present

Leaves dance gracefully a ballerina of green a tale of the days

=<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"> Evaulations 5. 11. = =<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"> = David C Word Choice: 3/5 Despite a few successes, the writing is marked by passive words. Elliot Word Choice: 3/5 the words and phrases are functional with only one or two fine moments/ language looks more like the first thing that popped into writer's mind.

=<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 210, 0);">Spring <span style="color: rgb(253, 135, 135);">Haikus 5.7 = The flowers are blooming singing a gentle sweet song of warm winds and love

A spring breeze whispers in a voice like an angel "Yes, spring time has come"

=<span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(138, 199, 255); background-color: rgb(128, 128, 128);">Reading Assignment 5.6= -I think Ellen went with Lochinvar because Lochinvar was far more gallant and charming to her, and because she loved him best, more than the "dastard" that she was set to marry. I have the feeling that she did not want to marry the nameless dastard, but was forced through her parents. -The female characters in the ballad are rather smitten with Lochinvar, and think highly of him, whispering that he is the best match for their fair cousin, while the male characters seem to be in the 'baddies' category, protesting against Lochinvar and Ellen's true love, and chasing after him after they elope, so I think they have some animosity against him, or if not personal feelings, duties as a man in the hall (I think it was more like etiquette to try and catch Lochinvar, being a "man", and being in the hall and the site of a scandalous love affair) -Lochinvar's behavior at the wedding reveals that he values love and gallantry/gentlemanship above etiquette, and is very brave and rather reckless, as well. Do you think Lochinvar’s actions were justified? Why or why not? [Evaluate]** -I'm not sure if Lochinvar's actions were justified, because there are two sides to it. His actions could be seen as justified because he was protecting his true love, and as they say, love always prevails, and love is lord. He was also "saving a damsel in distress", which is awfully righteous-sounding. However, on the other hand, Lochinvar may have been just thinking that he was doing something right by himself, and he was, technically, disrupting two people in their path to love. However dastardly one may be, there is always something lovable, and Ellen and the supposedly dastardly dastard may have fallen in love later on. In some ways, Lochinvar was rather selfish. But I suppose I lean more towards the justified side(the poem is biased), so I would have to say that Lochinvar's actions were justified by the power of love. :D -The poem illustrates the classic characteristics of knightly behavior with Lochinvar's character, who is "brave in war", a quality that is a necessity for a gallant knight. The drama and recklessness, the true and loyal love for one woman all illustrate a chivalrious knight that is Lochinvar.
 * Interpret**
 * Why do you think Ellen went with Lochinvar, even though she’d agreed to marry another? [Interpret]**
 * How do the female characters and male characters differ in their response to Lochinvar? [Compare and Contrast]**
 * What does Lochinvar’s behavior at the wedding reveal about his values? [Infer]**
 * Evaluate
 * Apply**
 * 5. In literature, knightly behavior is characterized by bravery and a romantic attitude toward women. How does this poem illustrate such characteristics?**

=__<span style="color: rgb(247, 115, 115); background-color: rgb(211, 211, 207);">I Don't Understand Poem 4. 30. 2009 __=

I don't understand why x is x and y is y if the world is real or if we are just a snow globe in the hands of a bigger being why colors exist why people hate and love and keep on going

But most of all I don't understand where the soul is why the heart hurts why people hurt to love why I am here and not there

But i do understand that even though hurt there is always love and friendship that I am here to do something in the world that even though the world may be fake me and my life is very real that we are a flower in the chaos

=<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 0, 130); color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Blues Song Recording 4. 29. 2009 <span style="color: rgb(26, 145, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> = =media type="file" key="My Song 6.mp3"=

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(26, 145, 255);">Blues Song 4.28 <span style="color: rgb(255, 189, 31);"> = = =

I want my money back Stolen from my by an old cheat-bag I want my money back baby crying, no food for the hag No food no clothes no nothing Come back, you old cat

Trusted him, I did Said he'd only borrow it Trusted him I did Then i started to suspect, bit by bit when he never came back not one year, not two years Now he's gone with my money

Come back you darn cheater gimme my money and nevver come back come back you darn cheater come back with my money home You took my money, you took my pride i want my money back

= = = = =<span style="color: rgb(255, 189, 31);">Middle Matters Poem by FIONA CHU<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> __4.28__ = A candy box, once full, now dusty and empty remnants of days long gone days lost through blindness why couldn't we see what was in front of us? why are we dead, now? why is the earth shriveling up? why are we drowning ourselves in our greed? A question haunting too little people A question left hanging, ignored But hopeful, waiting That is our life, our Earth at this moment We can answer the question and we can love the Earth. A love for the green, rekindled Save the Earth and you save yourself Think of the future Live the present We are the Earth The Earth is us

=<span style="color: rgb(138, 199, 255);">Earth Day Poem Podcast 4.27<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> = =media type="file" key="My Song 5 2.mp3"=

= = =<span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Earth Day Poem (Edited) 4.27 = A candy box, once full, now dusty and empty remnants of days long gone days lost through blindness why couldn't we see what was in front of us? why are we dead, now? why is the earth shriveling up? why are we drowning ourselves in our greed? A question haunting too little people A question left hanging, ignored But hopeful, waiting That is our life, our Earth at this moment We can answer the question and we can love the Earth. A love for the green, rekindled Save the Earth and you save yourself Think of the future Live the present We are the Earth The Earth is us

= = = = =<span style="color: rgb(253, 135, 135);">Maya Angelou Movie Response (Late) 4.23 = -I think the poet chose the title because she believes that we are all a family. A family are not a group of identical people, but people who care and have compassionate feelings. No matter how we think we are different, we are more alike and connected than unalike and indifferent, like how we are different from our mother and father but still are connected. I also think that her titles is the essence of her idea and message; that we are all connected, some connections stronger and some thinner and almost invisible but still there. however distant and unalike we assume ourselves to be. I personally don't really like the idea that everyone is connected, because that seems a little too forced to me. However, i do believe that there is nothing such as "I'm from a different world", "I'm different from the likes of you", and so n. We are all from the same shell and will all die in the same form, and go through the same emotions and experiences that millions other unknown individuals will go through. I believe in the destroying of the clear barrier between people, that has formulated out of our own desire to levitate one to a higher place for heaven or for self-satisfaction, and I think that maybe the author was talking about this too, in her own way. = = =<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">Colors (List Poem) 4.20= orange pink purple yellow bright green give flavor to the world a splash of paint a funfair laughter in the form of dots of a rainbow =<span style="color: rgb(128, 128, 0);"> = = = =<span style="color: rgb(128, 128, 0);">Shape Poem 4. 20 = =<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Acoustic Poem 4. 20 =

= = =<span style="color: rgb(86, 200, 200);">Diamante Poem 4.20 =



=<span style="color: rgb(0, 255, 255);">Short Story Essays = -A Chapter from the Joy Luck Club**
 * Two Kinds by Amy Tan

Everyone has fought with their mother before. Whether it be about grades, about pressure, about unfair conditions, or, in this case, a fight between two tigers, one young and full of rebel with fiery pride, the other wise, old, using her own maternal pride and envy as her weapon. Two Kinds, by Amy Tan, is a tale of how a young Chinese-borne girl deals with the problems of a dream thrust upon her, rebel, and of maternal love mixed with the want for something bigger for her daughter. The main character, Jung Mei, is the daughter of a fiercely “Chinese” mother, who wants her daughter to become a prodigy, someone she can be proud and humbly brag about like her friend’s daughter, Waverly, a “genius” child chess-player. Jung-Mei secretly hates having her mother’s dreams thrusts and forced upon her, and although she follows obediently along with her mother’s wishes,from becoming a Chinese Shirley Temple to trying to memorize the capitals all over the world, although these attempts all end in failure. Jung-Mei is happy at first, as well, with this possibility of becoming a prodigy, a genius, but this happiness is frequently dampened by a voice that says “If you fail, you’ll become nothing”, a worry that affects everyone of us. After numerous trials and her mother’s disappointment, Jung-Mei starts to feel a rebellion in her soul. Those forced tests, failed expectations and aspirations that flew too high, all those broken dreams that weren’t even hers anger her, and to discourage her. She sees herself as a dreamless, hopeless girl with no trace of the genius in her that she had seen before in the mirror.After crying, she sees her face again in the mirror and sees the real genius in her. A willful, strong girl who vows not to be anything she isn’t, not to be her mother’s doll. This strengthens her, and even though her mother’s lessons continue, Jung-Mei focuses now on making her mother give up, instead of giving up herself. And at last, her mother does start to give up. Jung-Mei is elated when two months go by without any mention of becoming a prodigy, but of course, when her mother and she see a Chinese girl, around Jung-Mei’s age, playing the piano with beautiful quality, a girl that had everything that her mother wanted. Genius, Chinese-upbringing, the attitude of Shirley Temple, and the confidence of a proud tiger. Jung-Mei isn’t threatened with this, for her family doesn’t have enough money to support this dream, but her mother finds a teacher for her, the deaf but talented Old Chong. Jung-Mei follows her mother’s instructions, but cheats her way out of lessons. Old Chong was too deaf to hear her mistakes and the caterwauling that she made up as her pieces, and his eyes too old to keep up with her hands to see if she was playing the correct notes or rhythms. Although Old Chong taught her how to play the piano correctly, it was only the physical things that he was able to teach, like how to shape your hands when you play. With all these things, Jung-Mei pretended to play-in an awful way. Later on, she reflects that maybe she could have been a great player if it hadn’t been for her pride and her wish to be “herself” and to not follow her mother’s wishes. She played like this for a year without any particular problems or conflicts, until she heard her mother bragging to her friend about her piano skills, trying to out-brag Linda Jong, whose daughter, Waverly, was a chess prodigy. Jung-Mei then resolved to put an abrupt end to her mother’s useless pride. One day, Jung-Mei was to perform in a talent show. When her turn came, Jung-Mei played with the vigor of Mozart-but her fruitless practices showed. Her performance was a disaster, she and her mother were shamed in front of a horde of people. Her mother was drained, devastated to the point that she couldn’t do or say anything. Their walk back home was gloomy and disappointing with no chance for Jung-Mei to say anything, to blame her mother and get back. When a few days later, her mother told her to go to Old Chong’s again, even after the performance, Jung-Mei finally had her chance. She shouted,her mother shouted, Jung-Mei blamed her mother and shrieked that she would never be the person her mother wanted her to be. Her mother shouted back that only obedient would be able to live with her. And then Jung-Mei, with her childish lack of tact and with heir childish ability to point out the deepest, most hurtful and raw parts of us, shouted “I wish I were dead then! Like them.” By them, she meant the babies that had died back in China. Her mother’s face went blank, and Jung-Mei had won the fight, eventually, but this fight wasn’t ever forgiven, and was left festering like a deep, invisible but stinging cut. After many years pass, Jung-Mei becomes an adult and her mother an old woman, and both have not forgetten their fight from long ago, that was much more than just a squabble about a ruined performance or obedience. On Jung-Mei’ birthday, she is given that very piano that caused her and her mother so much pain and anger. It was a gesture of forgiveness, and for Jung-Mei, wiser and sadder than before, it was more than enough that her mother had offered to her. Later, Jung-Mei tries playing the piece she performed on that awful talent show, and realizes that “Pleading Child” had another side to it, “Perfectly Contented”, where she realizes that these two different themed songs are one song together. I think that many people have gone through a time when they felt like they were worth nothing, that they were useless, or felt the pressure of the expectations around you. I know I have. People are always surrounded by the wishes and the expectations of their parents, their peers, or of just the society. Parents always want the best for their children, but seldom know that these expectations can lead to the children feeling trapped and controlled. We are so often told to be ourselves, but at that stage, we don’t know what “ourself” is. I think the case with Jung-Mei was that she had gone through so many disappointments that she gradually became to think of herself as someone who couldn’t do anything. Sometimes, we have to try things to become ourselves, because I think it is our experiences, failures, and successes that make us us. It’s like middle-child syndrome, or having an elite older/younger sister/brother in the house. You’re immediately surrounded by high expectations for something, and you want to break free and contradict those, just for the sake of it. In this case, Jung-Mei was rebelling against the fact that her mother was using her, sort of, to brag about, and she wanted to destroy that. I personally don’t like it that Jung-Mei’s mother was so braggy about her daughter, and wanted to "win" over Linda Jong in the eternal, never-ending cycle of mother-daughter brags. It’s hard to say WHO was the antagonist and the protagonist here. Both Jung-mei and her mother are protagonists and antagonists. I would say the protagonists are Jung-Mei and her mother, and that the antagonist is pride. It was pride that caused her mother to force all those expectations, some too big to actually come true, upon her daughter, pride that caused Jung-Mei to go against her mother, and it was pride that created such conflicts. Her mother wanted the best for her daughter, and she wanted Jung-Mei to accomplish everything and anything that she wanted because it was AMERICA. But Chinese instinct and maternal love and pride that twisted her wishes into something that her child was pressured into. So you could say that it was pride (in Jung-mei’s case, she didn’t want to lose to her mother) that caused the conflict. There are many examples of symbolism in this story, and I will pick the piano. The piano, at first, symbolized the last and the most stubborn wish of her mother, to make her child into a piano prodigy, a dream that seemed close enough after she saw the young Chinese child with the graceful dress and the Peter-Pan haircut so much like her own daughter perform with such beauty. To Jung-mei, I think it also symbolized her own willpower, how she would play it with her own power and will, her silent and secretive rebellion, and later on, it became a truce offering between she and her mother.

How would you feel if you were going to die? Scared, probably. You would feel that life was so precious, wouldn’t you. That’s how it was for the main character, the un-name “Boy” in the story of “A Day’s Wait” by Ernest Hemingway. Struck with the awful thought and realization that “Oh my god, I’m going to die.”, this is a story of courage, of caring, and...of a huge misunderstanding. The story starts off when a young boy, presumably the son of the “Man” comes in with a high fever. Although he says that he is all right, his father calls the doctor who announces that he has a fever or 102 degrees. This is where it all starts. After the boy lies down, his father notices that he seems rather...out of it, detached. After reading him a book, the boy tells him that he doesn’t need to be there if it bothers or will bother him. Although the father denies this, the boy keeps insisting, which is strange. His father eventually leaves after giving him his pills to hunt for quail with the Irish setter. When he gets back home, he is surprised to find out that his son isn’t letting him into his room. When he asks why, the boy surprises the man saying that he mustn’t get what he has. The father goes in anyway, and when he measures the boy’s temperature, it is still around the 100s. The boy then says something surprising. “How long will it take for me to die, do you think?” The father is surprised, and assures him that he wasn’t going to die, but the boy argues that he heard the doctor say his fever was 102 degrees. The father again assures him that people don’t die of a fever of 102 degrees, where the boys argues that he knows that he will, because someone at school told him that you can’t live with a fever of 44 degrees, and what was he going to do with a fever of 102 degrees. Here, the father realizes everything, how the boy kept asking if he was okay, that he was actually being brave for his father. The father again assures him, this time knowing everything, that French schools, which was where he had heard of it, use different degree units, and that he was going to be all right. The boy relaxes, and falls to sleep, where the next day, he starts getting upset about very trivial things. This story was very cute, actually. I can’t really relate to this, because for one, I’ve never thought that I was going to die, or have had my temperature taken. However, I think people can relate to the point of being brave for someone other than yourself. I’ve also been sick, and it’s hard to remain happy and seemingly un-affected when you have a fever, because it drains out your energy, but agitates you enough that you can’t sleep peacefully either. Add the weight of death upon you, and I think that it was pretty strong-minded and nice of the boy to keep all those feelings inside and be brave for someone else. I remember when there was a small bushfire in the national park in front of my house (my house was on a hill overlooking the park) and I thought we were going to burn up. That situation is similar to the story, of mistaking something small for something else much bigger, except I put up a huge fuss and show about it, while the boy kept silent. The fever and the thermometer represent, I think, the boy’s wish to protect his father’s feeling, and was worried about his father’s feelings more than his, and that it symbolizes how other people sometimes suppress their own feelings, happy or sad, for the sake of others. In this story, the protagonist is the boy and the father, together, while the antagonist is, I think, the metric and US system of units. Frankly, some stories don’t have a set protagonist or antagonist. Like this story, for example. There is no trouble-maker and there is no set “Main character”. The story is told by the father with some details about him, and he is active in this story. The story revolves around the son and the father’s misunderstandings and strangely normal and oblivious mood. The metric system is what mixed up the boy, and made him think wrongly that he was going to die, and in that day too. The boy and the father were both affected by this, although it was the father that solved the problem caused by the antagonist.
 * A Day’s Wait by Ernest Hemingway**


 * Seventh Grade by Gary Soto**

Seventh grade looks promising for Victor. Nothing too bad has happened, and to top it off, he has French class with Teresa, the girl he has liked ever since they went to catechism class together. Seventh grade is when you want to impress the people around you, especially the people you like. However, trying too hard can actually cause you trouble and un-impress your target. Seventh Grade by Gary Soto is a story like this. The story starts off with the anticipation you feel on the first day of school, when you actually are looking forward to school. Victor is feeling great, partly because his crush, Teresa is in his French class. He vows to himself that she will be “his girl” this year, for sure, where he runs into his friend Michael, who is making...a face. Michael explains that this is his GQ model scowl, which he is wearing to impress the ladies. Although Victor doesn’t really understand, this affects him unknowingly in French class. After embarrassing himself in English class by answering “Teresa” to his teacher when he asked Victor for a name ( as an example for a noun). Class after class drags on, until lunch, where he spots Teresa and smiles at her and she at him. In French class, finally, he gets to see his goddess, although he is forced to sit far away from her. When the teacher asks if anyone could speak French, Victor, wanting to impress Teresa, raises his hand, but is in a pickle when Mr. Bueller, the French teacher, actually speaks to him in French and he is expected to answer. Victor mumbles out some made-up bits and piece of French, and is reduced to piece of shame and embarrassment, AGAIN. Mr. Bueller, remembering the days when he, too, lied to impress a girl at college, lets him pass. When the class ends, Teresa comes up to Victor and compliments him on his French. Victor, embarrassed and shamed, throws in a white-lie and passes, while Mr. Bueller tactfully keeps silent. The story ends, with Victor learning something about how to impress someone. I was looking forward to seventh grade, too, and was a little scared of it too, because the uniform, set class of 6th grade was disappearing, and it felt like I was losing my chance to really get to know people. Although I made great friends, I was also disappointed by seventh grade, and I now don’t feel the urge or excitement to go to school. I’m pretty sad about that, because I used to really enjoy school with all my might, and now, it’s just become...funless. And I’m also mad at the people and the things that happened that made me this way. I wish I could enjoy school like Victor is right now. In any case, I have, too, lied or made something up or exaggerated to impress someone, which isn’t a good feeling, because then you’re tested for it, or you just feel bad about it, which is what Victor felt and what I think everyone feels when they lie like that, because they’re also cheating the person that they want to impress, and that is a sure way NOT to impress someone. The antagonist in this story is again, a feeling, not a person. The antagonist in this story, I believe, is Victor’s want to impress someone. Pride, I suppose? Or just to feel better, or maybe it’s just the feeling that he isn’t good enough for her as he is. Because Victor thought that he needed something more, that he wasn’t good enough for Teresa to like him as himself, he lied and failed miserably, and ended up shaming himself and letting down some of his peers. The protagonist? Obviously Victor. Victor is a typical 7th grader boy, I think, curious and a little too full of himself, but not enough to be arrogant...much. He also seems to learn from his mistakes very well, which is a plus for me. Symbolism wasn’t a huge theme here in this story I think, but one symbol did intrigue me. The model scowl of Michael’s. I think that scowl represented a normal boy and girl’s wish to be someone else, someone bigger and better and more good-looking and smarter, so they borrow something from them. An element that makes those better beings them, and in this case, it was the seductive scowl of a male model. To Michael, that scowl means something like a charm to make himself better. To fool girls and to play with their hearts, to become a handsomer, more popular being than he thinks he is, and I think that also affected what Victor did in French class, too.

Boxing is a sport that can mesmerize many people, including young boys. This story by Piri Thomas is a story of two great boxers-who are incidentally also the best friends ever. This story tells of their friendship, their champion match against each other, and how they get through it. The plot is simple; Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas are best friends, and the best pair of boxers in their gym. Their qualities are like two halves of a puzzle piece; put them together and you’d have the best boxer in the world. Antonio is lean and he has a long reach, making him perfect for boxing, while Felix is short and has fists of iron. They know each other inside out, back to front. They had both been raising their dream of becoming a lightweight boxing champion together, and had protected it fiercely too. They were acknowledged as the best boxers, the ones to look out for and to watch carefully. Then, they were informed that they would be fighting against each other to pick the representative for their gym, the Boys Club. This meant trouble, awkwardness, and both of them trying to act normal when something was obviously out of order. They sat down eventually and talked about what they needed to clear-the match. They promised to each other that they would play fair, that on the ring-they would be strangers, strangers just trying their best for the best. It was hard for both of them, especially since they had the pressure of how good their friend was against them. Finally, the match came, with lots of anticipation and excitement for what would happen between the two. Felix and Antonio stepped up onto the ring. The match began, and it was the hottest and most action-packed match of that contest. Each knew each other too well, so it was too hard to win or lose. Antonio attacked. Felix dodged. Felix tried to get a punch in. Antonio was too good for that. Antonio tried to get into Felix’s face. It didn’t work. Finally, at the last round, each contestant was beat up and was even. When the bell rang-Gong-the crowd gasped as Felix and Antonio raced up to each other and...embraced. The match hadn’t changed anything, just their respect for one another. No hard feelings, just some good times. I think that these kind of friends are really great to have, friends that are equally good at something, but when they “lose”, they can take it without feeling negative about anything, even if it is something that they both wanted. Now, that is too personal to write, and I don’t particularly want to tell anyway, but I think that those times are when you feel like a friend is a real friend. You never compete with friends. You just see who is the better man for it, and it isn’t about losing and winning, that she’s better and I suck. It’s just...that. I think the championship and the hug that they shared at the end symbolized the everlasting clue to their friendship. They believed in each so much that they didn’t care about the championship. They were still friends, and each person was proud of the other and of himself. I think that was a very rewarding match for Felix and Antonio, and that maybe, they were better friends afterwards. It's hard to say who or what the antagonist is in this story, because for sure Felix and Antonio are the protagonists. I think that the antagonist was the championship. The weight of the championship and their mutual want for it, and the fact that they would have to pummel their friend 100% was what weakened their friendship and made it harder for them to look at each other and talk naturally. The championship, at the end, actually improved their friendship, so I guess the championship was the angel of the story, as well. Felix and Antonio were the perfect people, the perfect friends to have, and their trust and love for one another and their mutual respect for one another as a boxer, person, and dear friend was what made them so enlightening.
 * The Amigo Brothers by Piri Thomas**

The Luckiest Time of All by Lucille

=<span style="color: rgb(247, 115, 115);"> = =<span style="color: rgb(247, 115, 115);"> = =<span style="color: rgb(255, 157, 26);">Figurative Language Terms 4.16.2009 = Alliteration: Sally Sickler slid into the slippery silky surface of the silly sickle. Metaphor: I fell into a pit of darkness when my mother told me carefully, cautiously, that I had been rejected by my dream school. Assonance: The bitty little pretty bird Onomatopoeia: The bird chirped while the pan sizzled with oil. Simile: Her dress was like a spring daisy-fresh and pretty with a homely, endearing touch to it. Imagery: The hat was tall, black, and a little worn out-but with the nobleness of a gentleman to it, not unlike a stove-pipe, actually. Hyperbole: Her makeup was so thick, her face threatened to fall off her head with all the weight on it. Personification: The flowers seemed to dance in the wind like little children do in the summer. Allusion: The shark was as big and scary and out-of-this-world as Jaws, except it was about 10 times scarier seeing it in person. Synecdoche: I counted 39 heads of cows-Betsy and Daisy were missing from the herd, which worried me. Conceit: The affectionate mother abandoned her children in the desert. Paradox: Sometimes, knowing nothing is knowing more. Symbolism: The diary meant, to Lisa, her childhood. It was a testament and proof of the tragedies and crimes she had done and been victim of-it was an epic of her life. Antithesis: The girl was friends with everyone, but trusted or liked anyone.

=<span style="color: rgb(206, 255, 31);">English Poet Notes Date Unknown = rita dove=became an author and a poet because she loved writing =won pulitzer prize for thomas and the beaulah -took 2 years to write -takes time to write -poetry is like the short form of the human -give expression to thoughts -you can relate to it -poems can relate to what is larger than life, smaller than it means -history and poems are together-because it is the main strand of humans -not just history but what we have done and gone through

Part 2 Poems have rhythm (pattern of sound) makes a certain mood and deepens the meaning -sounds and rhythms can also inspire you for something else -rhyming words and other repeptitive sounds make a sound or rhythm

= = = = = = =<span style="color: rgb(26, 145, 255);">Deedadee's Self-Portrait Song 4.16.2009 = Her disposition is like a swing always changing for the best or the worst Her reflexes are like lightning (although the lightning misses sometimes) She excels in sports (an example: volleyball and basketball), with catching and throwing balls Her appetite is like a black hole I do not know their depth or limit Her hand is like a machine always doing different things at the wrong or right times Her heart holds silence that is as multicolored as a chameleon She lives in an apartment high up and eats like the wind.

= = = = = = =<span style="color: rgb(247, 115, 115);">How to Write a Blues Song 4.14.2009 = -most blues are sad, with repeating words -have a certain theme -uses metaphors -sad or melancholy -or just full of emotion -usually rhymes -have a simple beat, usually 12 bar blues -uses wordplay and figurative language -doesn't need proper grammar, wrong grammar is more typical

=<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Poetry Notes = English Notes "Poems" rita dove=became an author and a poet because she loved writing =won pulitzer prize for thomas and the beaulah -took 2 years to write -takes time to write -poetry is like the short form of the human -give expression to thoughts -you can relate to it -poems can relate to what is larger than life, smaller than it means -history and poems are together-because it is the main strand of humans -not just history but what we have done and gone through

Part 2 Poems have rhythm (pattern of sound) makes a certain mood and deepens the meaning -sounds and rhythms can also inspire you for something else -rhyming words and other repeptitive sounds make a sound or rhythm -

=<span style="color: rgb(36, 179, 188);"> Fiona's Self-Portrait Poem = My eyebrow is like a caterpillar thick and black, constantly moving My feet are like a cow toiling, hard, grueling, but dependable and firm My eye is like a hummingbird always darting around, never stopping My heart holds laughter that is as yellow as the feathers of a new-born chick I live in my own bubble

=<span style="color: rgb(26, 145, 255);"> Mary Had a Little Lamb Poem = Jane had an awful anteater Its spleen was brown as blackboard And everywhere that Jane went the anteater was sure to go

It followed her to Montana one day Which was against the fules It made the children race and spray to see an anteater at Montana

= = =Term Definitions = <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> 1 pers on point of view 3rd person point of view; alliteration; allusion; biography; character trait; climax of a novel; fable; fiction; flashback; foreshadowing; free-verse

=Fridge Poem (collab with Anna) = Diamonds are mean A storm repulsively cooks up a black-red mist honey peaches moan for life (so gorgeous but so deadly creating a storm of jealousy)

= = =Rhyming Words = Word: dimple -pimple -simple

=Word Choice Evaluation - _ - Michael Suh= 3/5 = The words are functional but don't have any energy or imagination in them. They are not interesting nor creative, and is very mundane and boring. The message is evident, but too boring. Example: I was seeing the usual dinosaurs but I saw a extraordinary and grumpy looking dinosaur, it's called an Elliosauraus.

**<span style="color: rgb(255, 122, 122); font-size: 120%;"> Mundane/Striking Word Comparisons **
[| BOOYA.zip]



"Madelaine, something-something very big- is wrong with me, and it's not my sinuses." Let's rewind, a little, shall we? The birds cheeped outside my window, sunlight washed through the room, lighting everything up with the delicate, golden, dappled texture Saturday morning sunlight always gives. Curtains flutter, and the smell of breakfast and...mmm, bacon and eggs wafts through the slightly open door, slipping in and winding itself tantalizingly around the sleeping girl's nose. She sniffs, a perfectly innocent sniff, caused by the slight cold she caught last night from the strangely cold Friday afternoon coming home from school without her scarf. She sniffs again, the scent of breakfast, blessed, blessed breakfast, disappearing up through her nostrils. She smiled involuntarily, a small grin tugging at the sides of her mouth. she turns around in her bed, her long tumbled red hair making bold waves and patterns of color against the white pillow. 'Saturday morning breakfast...mmmm...love you Mom' she thinks, hugging her blanket closer towards her. It is still early morning, and she doesn't need to get up for a little longer. Perfect story, huh? Birds cheeping, sunlight washing through dainty, pretty rooms and the smell of breakfast teasing the tip of your nose. Oh, come on. That's in the books. That wishy-washy passage up there? I made it up. Thank you, thank you, I hold for applause. I know. Amazing, isn't it, that I concocted this masterpiece. Now I don't know anything about American houses, probably since my parents are too stingy to let me go to America anyway, but really. When your living in Korea, you don't HAVE any birds cheeping outside your window and sunlight washing in through the glass in early April. First of all. There are practically NO HOUSES in this place, and besides, you open your windows in early April? You risk being frozen to death, or at least slowly chilling your shoulders and any part of your body that is left sticking out of your blanket. Slowly. And it makes a difference, oh yeah.
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(26, 145, 255);"> WRITING GYM STATION 2: <span style="color: rgb(255, 132, 0);"> NARRATIVE WRITING 3/31/2009 ** TOPIC #7: Write a story about what it would be like if you woke up one morning with wings.

<span style="color: rgb(135, 23, 23); font-size: 110%;"> **VOiCE Shopping List** -Nail Polish Remover
-Chocolate -Orange Juice


 * Nail Polish Remover** : Better go to a drugstore or to a cosmetics store. Faceshop should be best, just a routine, familiar thing. Get the one with the pink liquid that's supposed to smell like strawberries, but smells like nail polish and those fake strawberry products. Isn't a great smell, but it's okay. I need the remover for my computer again, it's getting dirty from my hands and various other sticky things. God, I hate the way my computer gets so dirty and UGLY compared to my friend's. Anyway, get it. Fast. I don't have the time and will probably forget to get it on the way home, so please?
 * Chocolate** : I never cared much for chocolate before, too sweet and somehow the taste lasted too long on your tongue, but maybe it was because of my brother's addiction to chocolate that affected me. Mountains and mountains of Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar wrappers encased and enveloped my brother's desk, chocolate-stained silvery paper littering the floor and flowing out of the trash can. Hmm. I don't remember how I got addicted to chocolate. Maybe it was because of my love of almond chocolate, which led to peppero, which led to Ghana Chocolate frozen to a hard block, cool and less sweet than chocolate at room temperature. Or it could be when I started stealing my brother's chocolate, but in any case, the result is inevitable; I love chocolate. More than any other confection, and it's in my Top 5 sweets. Get the chocolate, and I'd like the small Hershey's Milk Chocolate or Almond Chocolate Bars or the Hershey's Kisses. :D
 * Orange Juice** : One of the drinks that my family cannot live without. WE are orange juice devourers, and I think we get through a one and a half 1.5 liters of orange juice a day. Of course, when my college-borne brother comes home for vacation, we get through two and a half cartons. I think we have serious water deprivement, because it's very, very rare that any of our family drinks water. Well, it's usually me or my brother, and sometimes my father at breakfast. Get the big NHC cartons, my tongue has gotten too used to that so I can't drink anything else. Go to the supermarket behind the Nonghyup Bank, they sell it cheaper than the bigger market down the street.

<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 255);"> **VOiCE EVALUATION** 3/20
Grade 9-12 "It's a Boy!" 4/5 -interesting object, and it was an unique topic, however, it did not engage as well as it could have, and it did not seem personal enough for it to be a really good piece of 'personal writing' //"We finally got a table, and the waiter, not knowing I was carrying a doll, asked me if I needed a high chair. I told him it was just a doll, but a high chair would be good. He thought it was funny that I actually dared to bring a doll into the restaurant, so he brought a high chair, plus a red balloon for the little one. "// This part could have been funnier, more descriptive, but it failed to do that, and the words seemed vague and rather indifferent. Grade 9-12 "Internet Plagiarism" 5/5 -Although it is simple, the writer has a clear point and objective to writing. Interesting details and personal thoughts were also added in, and the introduction and conclusion was interesting and memorable. Grade 9-12: Pet Peeve 5/5 - A and C. The author has some suspense in the story, and it clearly expresses her hate of mosquitoes. The conclusion is funny and personal, as well.

Juan de Pareja 3 Page Paper: Option 3 3/20 [| Elizabeth Trevino.zip]

David Chang Voice: 5/5 -interesting voice and it was very engaging and unique EXAMPLE:** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> KREEEEEK. Uh oh. He's getting out. SLAM. He's placing us on a table... and another farmer is coming by! Why is he coming toward me? Hey! WAIT! I see his wide mouth opening up. Oh no. Crunch. -had a good mix of simple and long sentences, varied length, but his sentences were sometimes they were too long and complicated. EXAMPLE: It was more of a collaboration than a unchanging beat, but that wasn't problem right now. Well, it could be if it was pumping too fast and my blood was flowing too fast and my veins exploded...But then one day the farmer (also known as the mass murder of carrots) came, washed me with some dirty water, and put me into the bag, soggy and unclean...
 * Peer Evaluation Sheet 3/18
 * Sentence Fluency:** 4.5/5

What would a jealous mom do in a grocery store? "Line up! Line up! 1 hour sale, today, right now! Don't miss the 70% sale,here in Things-R-Us" The boisterous voice of the manager pierced through the customary noise of the supermarket, cutting short any other noise in the store. All heads turned towards the manager slowly, an ominous light sparking in their eyes. Children flinched and started to whimper at the new, beastly, lusting-for-cheap-products, hoarse breaths of their mothers, and the older children, already hardened and trained from previous experience, edged slowly away as one body until they bumped into the sanitary napkin shelves and gently slid to the floor, huddling together like a herd of frightened, cold deer might on a winter's day, vulnerable to the greater forces of nature, in this case, their mothers and aunts. The age of the sales had begun. Now we turn our interest to a certain family, near the cereal corner, inspecting and comparing Kellog's Brand K Cereal and Original Cornflakes. The family is new to this neighborhood, having moved here a mere month ago due to the husband (John)'s transfer to Connecticut from New York. The mother is slight, lithe and blond, an English major from California. She is unexpectedly fiery though, and easily excited, and has a bit of a jealous streak in her, which her husband, John, thinks is her 'charming point'. Pssh. John is a typical suburban dad. Brown-haired, blue-eyed, smiling and loud, with an embarrassing habit of cracking lame jokes in the most inappropriate situations and of calling his children his "sweetie-kins" in front of their teachers and bus drivers. And who am I? I'm their only son, Hugo. I know. Hugo. Yes. Hugo. H.U.G.O. I don't like my name either. But I have to live with it anyway, so no matter. Anyway, back to my mom and the supermarket. Hugo. Yes. Can we get past the name? Thank you. Ehhem. Anyway. My mom. Cereal. Sales. Crazy moms. Anyway, it wasn't too long until my mom noticed the hoarse breaths coming out from all corners of the supermarket. She turned. and soon. she became one of THEM.**
 * Writing Gym 3/16
 * I have changed the grocery store to a supermarket*
 * Lusting, panting, grabbing, ferorcious. They could explode when someone else took their 'prey', jealousy erupting out of their signature medium-length bob and comfortable shoes.**

Voice: 3 of 4/5 -Evidence: I got very into writing the essay, but I'm not sure if other people would be compelled to keep on reading it, as it may be a subject that many people of my age do not enjoy reading about. I'm not sure if I thought about my audience (which I take are my classmates) well enough. Word Choice: 4/5 -I'm not satisfied with my word choice sometimes, and I'm not sure if my message was delivered through well enough. I think that I used easier words to understand, though Sentence Fluency: 4/5 or 5/5 -I think that I did pretty well on my sentences because they're not choppy or the same length.
 * Classwork March 13th**

Whiny, take-pity-on-me, babbling people really do annoy me to no end. I hate it when people go on and on about their problems, especially if the problem is something trivial and something easily solved, like your hair or something. I get impatient with them when they go on about their hair instead of actually fixing it. I think that it is stupid and whiny, and that all they want is me to assure them that they are beautiful, or that that it is okay, or that yes, that person is a total doodoo head and that they should be expelled, etc, etc. (no real-life examples here;) When people do go on like that, I have to try very hard not to be **cynical** or **insolent** towards them, because I know that it's just not how you do things in middle school. It's hard and I usually emit the aura of "I'm getting tired here, you know", but they usually continue **fervently** about their small issue. One thing that annoys me is people complaining about their **rotundness** when they're actually really skinny. I guess it's manners, like you should never say "i'm really skinny" in front of people. What are you supposed to say to that, except "Don't joke around with me, you're SO skinny! *add hint of annoyance here : ) *". Of course, that also means that I may have a lack of **amiableness** towards people, because most people can stand that pretty well. It's just that I believe that if you've got a problem, and a small problem like your hair, you should either 1. get over it or 2. actually start trying to fix it.
 * Whiny People**

New Rules for School! 3/9 1. I think that older upperclassmen should talk to people younger than them amiably 2. During a physical convalescence, students should be able to use the elevator and have some leeway on tardies 3. No cynical or insolent remarks made by teachers or students, please 4. I think that teachers should possess a fervor for their subject, be it math or science, english or history. 5. Proxy teachers should listen to the students well - _ - 6. No teasing about weight or rotund people. 7. Even if someone is somberly, that doesn't mean that they are boring or moody :) 8. Teachers. should. never. be. in. an. alcoholic. stupor - _ -x 3

Introductory Sentences 3/9

=
I dropped out of school 1. I am a high school dropout 2. Dropping out of school was like an introduction to a new life; a new life full of discrimination and failed job interviews. 3. What would you say if I told you that I was a high school dropout? 4. Though 1/3 of the American population has dropped out of school, people fail to recognize this problem and change it. 5. Who is looked down upon, has the least probability of getting a job, and has a hard time getting recognized in this society? That's right, a high school dropout. 6. I was the kind of high school dropout who had to dropout because of money issues. 7. You may be surprised to know that 1/3 of the population are dropouts. 8. Troublesome, shady, and a threat to society, even; this is the image that sometimes forms in people's mind at the word "school dropout"======

Essay 3/9/2009
<span style="font-size: 160%; color: rgb(53, 151, 99);"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> **Reasons Why Students Drop out of School and What to Do with Them** “I dropped out of school.” What do you think when someone introduces themselves as a “dropout”? Many people form an instant image of a dropout, someone incompetent, a delinquent, or maybe just a troublemaker. We think that they have some problem, some physical or emotional disability that sets them apart from the proud, someone that you want to keep away from your company and hope that you do not see them in jail the next year for mugging or robbery. But we seldom think why they dropped out of school, and what we can do to prevent the flood of youths that are dropping out of school. There is less hope for dropouts to find jobs in the teetering economy right now, and 1/3 of the people in America are dropouts. The three main reasons why students drop out of school are because of personal reasons, such as pregnancy or bullying, a negative school environment that fails to motivate it’s students, and because of economical reasons.

Students who drop out of school due to personal reasons have a large range of their reasons. It could be because peer pressure, bullying, ostracizing, physical or mental disabilities, pregnancy (for girls), because they need to become parents (this applies to both males and females), because of stress, or because of post-traumatic events in and out of school. I think the largest problem is bullying, because it covers so many other problems as well. I think, at least, that middle school and high school can be related to a lion’s den. It is ruthless, fine-on-the-outside but weak and manipulative on the inside. Teachers and parents seldom know what happens inside the minds of their students, and what has happened to them that causes them pain and hurt. It is a time when we cannot trust anybody except for ourselves and the few people we cling close to. We are possessed by a want to become adults and to create a society that revolves around us. We are weak and easily hurt and elated. We want to be acknowledged by our peers for our own self-esteem and pride. We are so easily manipulated and swayed, because we do not have an idea of who we are. ( Now, there are strong people in their middle and high school years that have a certain amount of maturity that is higher than their peers, but I believe that there is a larger amount of people that are similar to the people that I am describing. ) That is why bullying and ostracism, criticism and insults hit us so badly. We are suddenly addressed as unworthy of living in the world, that we are not a person but a thing that would do the world no good, so why don’t you disappear and do the world some charity? Students are driven to bullying and insults by the fact that it makes them feel like they are in power, and that they have some impact on somebody’s life. We all want to feel wanted, needed, powerful, capable of some sort of impact. Where else can young students vent this want? On their peers. It is also this want of someone saying “I need you. The world needs you. You have the right to live.”, that makes students more vulnerable to bullying and insults, as well as ostracism. We might also bully because of envy. We think that by bullying a gifted person, or someone that is different and has maybe higher standards makes them less gifted, or because we want them to feel alienated. This does not justify bullying however. Students are hit hard by insults and the continued lashings of you-shouldn’t-be-here-no-one-is-on-your-side-you’re-ugly-you-have-no-concept-of-life-whatsoever-just-disappear-i-hate-your-face-it-makes-me-puke, and so on. Continued bullying can cause the victim to accept this fact, and it can make the victim believe that there is something wrong with him or herself, and they will try for hours to fix whatever is wrong with them. They seldom realize that nothing is wrong with them, and the thought of unworthiness and ignorance, of loneliness and the confusion typical of a teenager weighs them down with the increasing bullying until they withdraw into their own little shell and become either depressed or antisocial. How this is related to dropping out of school? People want a solution to their problems, especially large problems that are associated with themselves (because, come on, we are important to ourselves). And that is no different with students. But what are we supposed to do when the problem is all around us, with no loophole to escape from? Victims of bullying are pelted with this problem everyday, because we are chained to the obligation of going to school for 7 hours (or more, depending on the country). So we escape from the problem by running away, i.e. Dropping out of school. But then the trauma from the bullying still haunts many people, and they form a sort of distrust for their student peers, or the trauma may be so large and hurtful that they cannot set a foot inside school grounds again. This is a problem that will persist until people seek a new philosophy of who we are and how other people can affect who we are for ourselves and to other people. Discrimination against the different or the better or worse-off is a worldwide problem that sometimes seems like it is programmed into our minds, but I believe that we should seek to stop it, at an extent. Other problems can be trauma caused in school, e.g. Humilation, sexual trauma, ect.

The next reason is economical causes. This is a comparatively simple cause, but a cause that affects many people. Many students are forced to drop out of school because of their economical reasons, or because of family issues. Parents may not have the money to support their children’s education, which causes many gifted students to drop out of school. Other reasons are because they need to take care of their siblings early, and do not have time to spend in school, and need to find a job to support their family and parents at an early age, or to take care of an ailing parent or guardian. I think that we should develop a system where they offer help towards these people. It is a sad, sad thing when people that have all the potential in the world are forced to give up their dreams and lives because of money, and I think that we need to support and help these people. Instead of money, wouldn’t a world full of people that know what the bottom is and are educated properly help the world more? Many students feel the impact of the world and the need of money on their shoulders, especially if they are living under an unbalanced roof, are living in poverty or with government assistance, or with many family members to support. If the duty of young people are to go to school and learn, then I think that the higher ups of the society, (that means the adults) should help us sustain that duty and let students learn and live their student life to their extent. Becoming an adult too soon is a tragedy, for what can you reminisce about in your old days about if you have lost your childhood and student life so soon?

The last reason that sets the line between dropouts and successful school dropouts is the school environment. High school dropouts often say that they would have continued school if it had motivated them more, or if they had expected more of them and lead them to a brighter future. In an underachiever-type school, students lose their will to learn, and to challenge school, and then school turns into a boring, of-no-use place for them to fritter their lives away in. Many students want a challenging but gentle school environment where they can freely learn and express themselves as they are, young and spontaneous. Students are sensitive towards what is interesting or not, to expectations and to their environment, and to what people they are surrounded by. That is why it is so easy for students to mold themselves after the people that they are surrounded by and why students seem to transform their thoughts to match the thoughts of their peers, for the good or bad. Some people drop out of school because they feel no ‘connection’ with their school, no expectation for the future, no anticipation or motivation, no urge to learn, because their school is ‘irrelevant’ to their future, is of ‘no use’. This is a serious problem. Schools were meant to prevent people from an uneducated life, but if the school itself is causing people to quit, then that is a huge problem that needs to be fixed. Some people drop out of school for chase their own dream that the school cannot support or help with. Students can also lose their motivation for learning and continuing school if they form animosity towards their school, caused by the student body, discrimination against themselves, or because of the teachers. If the teachers tend to deal with problems with punishments rather than listening to the students and thus making students feel worthwhile and appreciated, then it is obvious that students will start to rebel against the school and think of school as a burden to their life, and drop out. I think that this means a revolution and renovation of schools and their programs, and also upon teachers. Teachers make or break a student’s school life, and if they are concentrating more on themselves and grades, and on fast punishment to ‘whip people into shape’ other than trying to see if their students really understand and grasp the ideas, and what is wrong with their student’s life that they can help with.

Thus, I conclude my theory upon why students drop out of school and what we can do to prevent this. The main reasons that students drop out of school are because of personal reasons, more importantly, bullying and discrimination, economical reasons where they need to support a large family, and because of a negative or unproductive school environment. I also want to include that not all dropouts are dangerous, incompetent, stupid people. They all have their own reasons and personal situations that caused them to drop out of school. There are many fine people out there that have dropped out, and I think that we should throw away the stereotype that the word “high school/college dropout” creates, and learn to accept people as they are.


 * Juan De Pareja Chapter 8 3/2**

=
-As their life in Italy progresses on, Don Diego formed a new apprentice, a handsome man called Juan Bautista, who fell in love with Diego's daughter, Paquita, and her with him. Juan is pulled into their secret affair, to his dismay, but when Diego finds out, Paquita, Baustita, and Juan are cast into worriment. however, in the end, Diego agrees to the marriage and the lovely romance between Paquita and Baustita has finally bloomed :)======

=
-My favorite teacher was my 2nd grade homeroom teacher in Australia. She was a new teacher, and we were her first class, too. But, in spite of that, she lead us on confidently and with smiles and laughter. I'm not sure why I liked her the most, or why I remember her as clear as day, 5, 6 years later. Maybe it was because of her effect on me, or maybe because of the way she treated our class. She was outgoing and all for bush-walking and nature, so we often went on field trips to the national park near our school, or walked through the forests that surrounded our school. After those nature walks, we would flop down on the carpeted floor of our stilt-house classroom (more like class-house), breathing heavily from exercise and red-faced. As children, and as children of 2-Coved our teacher, because she treated us like we wanted to be treated, and listened to our problems properly. She never expected the world out of us, and yet we all tried so hard to please her. She would read us books in fascinating voices, and it was those few afternoons before school let out that our class looked forward to so much. She was kind and nice, funny and interested, all the best that we could want from a teacher======

=
I like fall, or early, early summer/winter. I like it when it's relatively cool but warm enough that you can wear a light jacket and maybe at-the-knee pants. I like the weather when school starts, because it's cool enough to relieve you of the stuffiness of summer but not cold enough that you have to bundle up. I used to like summer, but in Korea, you have no choice but to hate it. Humid summers are the worst, because the whole stickiness makes the weather seem hotter than it actually is, and makes people irritable and annoyed.======

=
Not something you want, really. I think, for now, I like the weather...inside my house. Outside, I prefer early summer or fall. Not too cool but not too hot either, but I think I'm more for warm weather than cool weather. I don't like wearing a whole lot of coats, and lots of layers just makes me hot and heavy. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I like to be light and warm-ish, although cold weather is nice for a nap inside the house or just resting inside. But when it's warm, I feel more like going outside and playing with my friends or just walking around the neighborhood, which freshens up my mood as well. Having warm weather also means that 1) the days are longer, so I won't feel as sleepy or hurried when the days are short and when night falls quickly and 2) that summer vacation is coming near. ======

=
I think that there are a lot of reasons why students drop out of school. It could be because of their economic status, that they cannot afford to spend money on the school, or maybe that they have family problems. It could be problems with the school itself, the students in it, traumatic affairs, teachers, or the feeling of not fitting in. Being an adult is so much easier than it seems to be a young person, to have youth brimmiing inside of you. It's a time of uncertain waverings and of many paths open, but none clear. It's a time when you lean heavily on the people around you, and where you're tryiing to find out if you're worth living-or not. Students may drop out of school because of the school population; it could be ostracism, or just plain disgust of their same generation. It could be because school poses a readily-available army, THEM against YOU. It could be peer-pressure, rumours, or the dread of seeing a hated person's face, a lost one, someone loved and lost, or a betrayed friend. It could be because of traumatic affairs with students or with teachers. There are cases when teachers pick on a sutdent to the point where the studnet is scarred for life, or wuntil she/he is driven to suicide. We lean upon the adults around us, and (excluding parents) we lean on our teachers the most. It comes as a shock and can easily bring tears to your eyes when teachers pick on you, because it's so unexpected. We expect teachers to teach and love us, but a harsh word from them can hurt more than a harsh word from your parents. Teachers have control over you. They can make or break your future. There are hundreds of cases around the world where teachers abuse students-physically, sexually, and emotionally. How can the weak souls, not yet fully-grown souls and hearts of a child heal itself after being assaulted by the person who is supposed to love and teach and guide you through your life? The person that you will see every day of your life in school, be it 5, 3, or 4 years.======

=
Place them in the oven and let them rise for 75 minutes, or less, according to the amount. Stick a chopstick or toothpick in the cookies to check if they are done. If the chopstick/toothpick is clean, take them out.======