Column Post

"Something to remember for Thanksgiving"

By: Mary Schmich

 

The writer wants the reader to feel grateful for what you do have but also be generous to those who do not have that many things when reading the poem. Schmich uses a personal story to help compel the feelings that she is trying to hit home with the reader. Overall the whole story makes me feel this way but towards the end it really became apparent. When the author says, " I think that's why the memory surfaced when I was thinking about Thanksgiving." When she talks about Thanksgiving it reminds me about the meaning of the holiday: being thankful for the things you do have, small or big. I think this is why she incorporated the name of the fall holiday in the title.

 

The idea the writer wants the audience to remember the most is when her dad states, "'We don't have money. But we are not poor. Poverty is a state of mind.'" This statement sums up Schmich's story about wanting money to buy a treat even though her dad didn't have that kind of money to buy the luxury with. I have never heard of poverty described in the way her dad describes it so I think that's why it is the most important point of the story that will stick with readers.  I believe her dad is trying to say that even though they may not have as much money as average families they stole have many things to be blessed about.

 

The purpose of the column is to entertain the audience and make them think about their perspective of life differently. Mary Schmich uses playful terms like "Nutty Buddy" and "ice cream man" to help readers visualize their childhood and have a happy tone to engage readers. She also mocks her father behavior and rules forbidding "Curse[ing]. Lie[ing]. Leaving light on in empty rooms or dirty dishes in the sink." I found this amusing because I can some what relate to her father to my father. This also made me want to read on and eventually discover her point she was trying to get across with a personal story.

 

The author uses syntax and diction choices to support her message and purpose by mixing playful language a serious topic and using creative techniques that engage readers. Two syntax choices she used in her column was repetition of the phrase "Nutty Buddy." The paragraph that begins with, "I wanted a Nutty Buddy like I'd never wanted a Nutty Buddy before..." was my favorite paragraph of the whole piece because the repetition really emphasized the delicious treat and made me think that maybe the column would be about it. Another syntax technique I thought was excellently utilized was the fragmented sentences along with punctuation. She used this technique throughout the whole piece. Three words that I thought were good diction choices were "vista," "flip-flop," and "ferocity." The first word I thought was a unique and sophisticated way to describe the house and porch. The second word gave me an emotional connection because instantly when I hear the word flip flop I think of summer and sunshine and happiness. The last word I thought was a very good, elevated word choice to describe her anger. The author's writing craft really made the column more engaging and fun to read.

 

The value of this column is very important to society today because often people are greedy and selfish about their materialistic items and not the opposite: giving. The column reminds society about a very important idea when Schmich puts her dad's philosophy into her own words, "no matter how little you think you have, there's always enough to give some away, and no matter how little you think you've gotten, you may understand later that it was huge." I see this message being carried through by charities collecting items such as food, clothes and books to give to the poor. This is a more literal connection but also kids that are sick in the hospital, homeless people and people who don't have the best jobs always have a positive attitude even though their life isn't as great as some other people on this planet.

 







7th Blog Post

Over spring break I went to California! It was a lot of fun but I didn't have much time to read so I am going to blog about a book I have read in the past its a short book but I really enjoyed it. The name of the short story is Gifts From The Sea by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. I got this book because of the cover. I am totally someone who judges a book by a cover. My philosophy is if the book doesn't look appealing why read it? The cover shows the ocean and a hill with a little white and red house above the sea. The background is a warm peach color that fades into a teal. This cover made me want to read the book.
The short story is about a girl named Quila who has just recently lost her mother. She lives with her father on the hill so he can take care of the lighthouse. One day a baby girl comes a float to their shore and the father and Quila name her Cecelia which means the title of the book Gifts From The Sea. Another person comes float a couple of years later and knows Cecilia. How does this stranger know Cecilia? Will he or she destroy everything that Cecilia has mended between Quila and her Father's lives? Read this book to quench your curiosity, it will take only a couple of hours.

6th Blog: Poem

I am going to blog about a poem I found on the Internet for my blog post this week because I finished    My Sister's Keeper and don't want to give away the end. But I may say the ending exceeded my expectations because it was very different then the movie. I highly recommend this book. It would be a great read over spring break! The poem I choose is called I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud. I couldn't paste the whole poem so the name of the poem has a hyper link connected to it that will take you to the poem. It is written by William Wordsworth. Do you see the irony in his last name?

I choose this poem because when I read it I visualized things that reminded me of spring and since spring break is soon I thought it would be a good topic to talk about. My favorite line in it is the last line. "And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils,"(Wordsworth 4). I think this line makes the theme of the poem apparent and it gives a very pretty visual. Another line I like is "Ten thousand saw I at a glance,"(Wordsworth 2). I think William is really clever when he switches the order of saw and it. After I read the line I re-read it thinking it should be I saw. But I realized that he intended to do that showing his writer's craft. I also like the word jocund he uses. It means "cheerful;merry;glad,"(dictionary.com). I think this poem shows examples of many good writing techniques such as diction, imagery and rhyming. It was fun blogging about something other than a novel, I encourage you to try it!

5th Blog Post

I just finished Fahrenheit 451 by Rad Bradbury so I'm picking up where I left off in My Sister's Keeper. The 6-day PARCC testing has allowed me to have a lot of time on my hands to get far in the book. I am on page 156 and still really enjoying it. It's really engaging because of the different conflicts each character describes in their chapters. Jodi Picoult, the author, writes a very inspiring novel, at least in my opinion it is using a tragic but common disease: cancer. I can sort of relate because one of mine and the rest of my family's really good friends' daughter had a spinal disorder that caused her to have trouble walking and living a normal life. Her name was Paige and was about 5 years younger than me but I still loved to play dress up and Barbies with her. The doctors could never figure out what exactly was causing her disorder but she went to physical therapy and appointments trying to find a way to battle this constraint that was holding her back from being a little girl. In 2010 she very sadly passed away. Even though she was sick her smile and kindness didn't show it. In her honor many people that were special to Paige founded a non profit foundation called Paige's Princess Foundation to raise awareness and money for Children's Hospital so doctors and nurses can help kids with disabilities have technology and equipment in order to reach the goal of living as normal and happy life as possible. Paige may not be able to be with her family and friends physically but her spirit and strength inspires me everyday.

In the book Kate Fitzgerald has leukemia cancer. It takes a toll on her body but she still smiles, plays with her sister and brother, blows bubbles, goes to the beach, goes to prom, goes on dates and lives life to the fullest. Kate in a way reminds me of Paige. I think the theme of the book right now is no matter how hard life may be there is always something happy at the other end that is worth fighting for. Through tough things it makes individual people stronger and cherish life even more.


Here is the website of the foundation for more information there is a 5k run every spring that's a ton of fun: http://www.paigesprincessrun.com/



Dover Beach Post (4th Post)

         I walked away from Montag and Mildred's front door as I wiped my wet cheeks with my silk sleeve. Mrs. Bowles drove away trying to avoid me. I rode with her to Mildred's but I didn't want to now after my emotional scene. My heels clamped the sidewalk as I sped up faster and faster. My heart beat sped up faster and faster. I sat on the lawn of a stranger's home but they would probably be consuming themselves with TV like the rest of our society. Why did I allow Montag to read me that poem? I'm a rule follower. It just makes me feel guilty about my marriages. I miss Pete. Retreating, to the breath of the night wind. What if he doesn't come home I will be all alone. I sobbed harder. This is the only marriage that has worked in a long time. I think I have happiness but what if it is all lies and I'm not seeing something. Mathew Arnold just was married to the love of his life and is already doubting that it will not last. I breathed heavily trying to catch it. Where do me and Pete stand? Retreating, to the breath of the night wind. For all I know he could be dead in combat. Maybe Montag is right: books are insightful pieces of information unlike television. What am I saying? I must be crazy. Books are illegal I am crazy. I closed my eyes and pictured Mathew in a movie of the poem as I recovered. The waves crashed against the sand as the tide brought them all back home. Dover Beach.
2 Weeks Later
"Hello Mildred! How are you?" I say hiding my letter behind my back.
"Good good. Are you okay? I haven't seen you since uh you cried after Montag read us that poem." Mildred sympathized.
"I'm okay. I had a little bit of a panic attack on a nice fellow's lawn but I have made some important decisions lately that I think will make me happy. I'm going to the post office now where are you headed?" I confessed while staring at the edge where the sidewalk and grass met each other.
"I am heading home. Soap Oprah Marathon is on in ten. Got to go! Hope to see you soon." Mildred yelled as she rushed away.
"You too!" I said processing the time of events. As long as the war doesn't get to us.
1 Week Later
            My hands were brown from the rifle but I tore the letter open anyways. It was from my lady. It read:
             Dear Pete,
                    I am sorry we are not together for me to explain this to you. Over the past three weeks I have put a lot of thought into are relationship and don't believe that it is right. I know I am not the expert on marriages and more on divorces but someone and something has taught me that we can never be happy and in love with someone because the world always brings pain and suffering just like waves moving pebbles. I will always love you.
                                                             -Mrs. Phelps

3rd Blog Post- Fahrenheit 451

I am taking a break from reading My Sister's Keeper for now because my honors English class is reading Fahrenheit 451. The book is written by Ray Bradbury and I have liked it so far. The genre is science fiction and my teacher said that it was one of the first futuristic books written but many modern authors today have modeled their own books after Bradbury's. When I started reading the first twenty pages I was a little confused because the author doesn't straight out tell you all the rules of the futuristic society but I actually liked it. Learning about how the society worked engaged me even more in the book. In the short book that Bradbury wrote in 9 days, you meet a fireman named Montag who is married to Mildred. A television addict. The reader also meets a girl named Clarisse that has a wild family and makes Montagu question his relationship along with his point of view of reality.
The houses are also fireproof but it's the fireman's job to burn down any houses with kerosene that have books in them. Books are not allowed in the United States during this time period instead television is consumed by most human beings and is the source of most information. Montag soon realizes that the lack of knowledge that his society has is threatening every aspect of life. Through this journey to revive reading he meets more characters and inspires them to help change the country. One of my favorite quotes in the one hundered eleven pages I have read is, "...and the feeling that the sky might fall upon the city and turn it to chalk dust, and the moon go up in red fire; that was how the night felt"(Bradbury 90). In my opinion, the quote gives a really cool visual to readers and also is a metaphor that is describing the night. Bradbury uses really cool techniques in his writing like illusions, parallels, diction, dramatic irony and metaphors. I am really enjoying the book so far and can't wait to finish it. It really makes me think about society today in a different perspective. Here is a link to a video about Rad Bradbury writing Fahrenheit 451: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzD0YtbViCs

2nd Blog Post: My Sister's Keeper

            I am still reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and I'm on page 116 of the 423 page book. I try to read about 20 pages a night but I'm going to take a break from it this week. Are class is reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury so I'm going to focus on that book so I can really understand it for in class discussions and activities. But so far in my personal reading book Anna Fitzgerald, the sister of Kate who has leukemia, is in the process of talking to an attorney and judge about wanting medical emancipation from her parents. Anna's mom was an attorney so she is familiar with what is going on and is not happy about her daughter's decision. Through out that dilemma the different characters' chapters flashback to the past. Some stories are about Kate being diagnosed with cancer, others are about the effects her cancer had on the family and some more are about how Sara, the mother and Brian, the father decided to make an embryo who now is Anna so that Kate could have a perfect match for organ donations and other medical needs.
            The author Jodi does a great job of using high vocabulary and it isn't just medical words but also elevated diction. I am reading the book on the kindle app on my phone and on there is a feature where you can click on the unfamiliar word and it will bring up a side note. The note gives the definition of the highlighted word. I like it because it is a fast and easy way to look up the meaning of the word. Also, sometimes if I like the word and think I could use it in my future writing there is another feature where you can highlight it with a color so you can always go back and see your highlights. One sentence that I highlighted using a new word is, "In bed that night, Brian is an obelisk, another shape breaking the darkness,"(Picoult 36). I encourage for you to use these features if you are reading something on a Kindle or the Kindle app. Here is a link about more features on the Kindle and how to use them: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/kindle-shortcuts-and-tips.html