The Final

Finishing the Soloist was a big goal of mine because of summer on its way and school being almost over. It was very hard for me to concentrate because of this but in the end I finally finished the book. From the start of the book, it was very interesting but then when I got towards the middle, I thought it was a big repeat that had bore me. When I finally finished the book, I realized that I actually liked the book and it was very glad to have read it. I thought the Soloist had a lot of meaning to it. It was very realistic how life is when it comes to being on your own. I couldn't imagine how Nathaniel had stuck it out in the streets for a long period of time. I guess when you have something to fight for and enjoy that nothing around you really matters. I believe that his music made him sane and that nothing really matters but that. I also believe that he thought he had to give something to the world. I thought it was one of the reasons he lived on the streets was to play to his music. I think he knows that the world out there is bad and him playing for it would atleast make them listin and give them hope.

The Soloist made me also realize the meaning of friendship a lot more. Even though Nathaniel didn't get no better from his disease and that he wasn't cured however he received a friendship for a lifetime. I think Lopez learned a lot from this experience. He learned that be yourself and don't change. In the end a friendship was form that would be treasure forever.

Annoyance & Happiness in One bottle

After reading chapters 13-22 I came to a realization that the book is just a big continuous repeat. Once again Lopez questions why Nathanil stays on the street. He tries to push Nathaniel into a better environment but Nathaniel just wont do it. I can't understand why and how Lopez can put up with someone who's uncooperative. Its been months now Lopez is trying to help Nathaniel and for what he still doesn't fully trust him yet. I wonder if Nathaniel will ever become sane again? Will he understand the meaning of how valuable his life is? To tell you the truth I went to look and read other peoples posts to see what they thought about chapters 13-22 and I came to a realization that many of fellow classmates wrote about his happiness. I think Lopez doesn't quite get the point that Nathaniel is happy where he is at. I think Nathaniel sees different than what Lopez sees. I think Nathaniel sees the outside as his home and the instruments and his music are his family because he knows its always going to be there.
As I read further on I found out the real reason what cause him to become like this. All because his dad left him when he was little. I guess his dad had an big en pact on him which he looked up. I don't think he wants to get close to anyone because he knows people always leave. I really hope the ending of the book changes my thoughts about it because right now I don't like how the book is turning out.

Skid Row

While reading Chapters 7-12 I couldn't help but ask more questions. I was very curious of why would Lopez want to sleep on the streets with Nathaniel for a night? I thought it was very strange how Lopez really went into being the shoes of people living on the street. I knew he couldn't take it laying there next to Nathaniel of how he could possibly sleep. As I did some further reading the book I thought the way Lopez described the streets was very frightening and I couldn't possibly understand how Nathaniel wouldn't want to stay at the Lamp. After all the offerings Lopez had given to Nathaniel, wouldn't he take them? Why didn't Nathanial want a nice warm house to stay at? Did he know that it was dangerous outside on the streets? Does Nathaniel realize that everyone out there in the world inst like Lopez?
While reading these chapters I came across a quote that I really liked and I quite understood Nathaniel point of view. "I'd rather die where I know my way around. I'm out here breathing fresh air and I'm not trapped in some apartment cooped up and unheard of." This quote to me means that Nathaniel wants his music to be heard for the outside world. I think he didn't want to change his ways because hes happy were hes at right now. I can't wait to further read on whats going to happen next.


I want you to check the questions I asked and see if there possible to be answered.

He's Got The World On Two Strings.

Who is Nathaniel Anthony Ayers ? A homeless bum and a Julliard alum? Why is he living on the streets of New York playing a violin with two strings missing? What drove him to insanity? Journalist, Steve Lopez ponders and ask these questions. Out of his curiosity I can't help but wonder myself too. I have questions of my own of how a man who has physiological problems still can produce music. amy theory is I think the sounds he makes from his violin keeps him sane. Every person living on the streets has a story but what makes Nathaniel so special to Lopez? I'm pretty sure that any bum living on the street has an interesting story of how they got to that point in there life. So then why did he choose Nathaniel?

I think this book is very interesting and different from the texts we had throughout the year. The Soloist, is current and is what people are reading today. I really would like to know how the story ends. What if Ayers story of how he got to the point of living on the streets wasnt that good. Would Lopez still post the article? I ponder and questioned if Lopez issues his article will people be aware of Nathaniel? Would they want to help or will people think its foolish and just feel bad for him ? Will issuing the article create an awareness of people living on the streets? These are questions I plan to look for answers when continuing the book.

I would like to finish the book and know the reaction of people who read the article about Ayers.



to be continueddd...

The Catcher and the Rye

I thought The Catcher and the Rye was a really good book. I enjoyed how the book was written mysteriously and different. It was one of those books that has a very good moral to it however you just have no clue what it was. I also liked how J. D. Salinger wrote the book by having Holden Caulfield as first person narrative, where he delivered this story that did not have a beginning ,middle or end. While reading this book, I felt as though I was reading Caulfields diary. I knew every little expect of what he was doing and thinking.

In The Catcher in the Rye,Holden Caulfield tells this adventurous story about his journey to home. He does a lot of reminiscing about his past and how it should be different.In the book Holden Caulfield is a very depressed teenager. He tries to act older than his age and is lonely. His brother Allie, who he was dearly close to,effected him some type of way. I think Caulfield feels that hes not important out of all his brothers and sisters. He doesn't seem to care about life too much because he messes up to much and he knows his parents doesn't expect anything from him. I was very happy in the end of the book he went home but I was still surprise that out through his journey how much he talked about Jane; he never got to see her. Knowing this, it seems like his adventure is never ending.


I would like you to check my grammer and if I stayed talking about one topic instead of jumping from one topic to another.

The Death of a Salesman

Having read The Death of a Salesman before; reading it twice thoroughly made it much better for me to comprehend. Reading the first act first and then watching the movie after made it mush easier to understand. I got very confused when Willy started to reminisce or have hallucinations in the book , but when I watch the movie I started to figure it out and put the pieces together. I thought it was very strange and I didn't quite understand why Willy wanted to get sick and go crazy breathing in the carbon dioxide. While Willy did this I kinda felt bad for his wife and two son especially Biff. The relationship with Willy and Biff seem complicated but understanding. I think what drove Willy to his death was him trying to show Biff an example of what he shouldn't do in life. I think he pushes Biff to the best of his ability because he knows that Biff is a an intelligent young man who can do much more for his life. Also I think that Willy dreams and goals drove him crazy too. He worried too much on the hopes and dreams than what was actually happening in reality. I thought Biff was going to turn out crazy like his father one day , however he stuck in there strong which surprised me. What surprise me the most was how Biff would see and hear how Willy would scream and treat his mother and even caught him cheating on her but he kept his mouth shut. He still treated his father with the same respect and forgave him of all the things he have done.
I think Willy acted the way he acted that lead him to his death because I think he knew that he had nothing else to offer to his family and life.I think he saw how he was tearing his life apart and that he was so messed up from the things he done before that it was better for him to end things now. He wanted to end his death so Biff could have the insurance money to start his career in life.
Reading this book made me realize how it's very stressful to maintain enough money to support yourself and your family. That if you didn't work hard now that in the end you would have to work harder. It also made me realize that all parents have a very tough job. They want there children to have a better life than them and have tons of money to have so. I think Willy did a good job raising Biff because Biff still turned out loving and understanding. He took after his father job when it came to taking care of his mother.
I enjoyed reading Death of a Salesmanbecause it was different and had an unexpected ending. I thought there was a very good moral to it. The book was giving a message out of following your dreams and never give up even when someone is telling you to do so.

Third Quarter Reflections

Using blogger has changed many of my thoughts about English class. I think blogger is a very convenient website to use because it is a way of connecting with both of the classrooms ideas and thoughts on the assignments. I like how we have a head start to use Blogger on Fridays.It gives me an advantage of first jotting down all my ideas and then typing it all out.I think having assignments being typed up on the computer is much better than writing because here blogger has an auto-save where it saves her work automatically however having an assignment written down on a piece of paper may get lost or destroyed. Blogger is very helpful if I'm stuck on writing something or trying to find out the general idea. Reading other fellow classmates assignments help me understands what is going on. Also, having comments from my fellow classmates about my postings help me what Im doing wrong or what I am doing right atleast.

Final-The Great GAstby

“Riches have never fascinated me, unless combined with the greatest charm or distinction.”
–Letter, Aug. 1936, to Ernest Hemingway

I thought this quote was very realistic and true and related a lot to The Great Gatsby. After reading The Great Gatsby,I noticed that F. Scott Fitzgerald has a unique way of writing and introducing his characters in the story. I think that Fitzgerald created Gatsby as an imagine of himself who has the same morals and expects of life. I felt very inspired of Gatsby of how he lived his life. He threw parties every Saturday to bring people together. He wasn't stuck-up with his money when he threw his party. To Gatsby people were just people. It also made me realized that not everything in life is fair. He showed everything from the West Egg to the East Egg was so separated in the story. I would never expected that Gatsby was effected by this because he wanted to be with his love Daisy but the economical and social problems effected this. What inspired me the most was how Gatsby took the blame of killing Myrtle rather than Daisy get punished for it. Even though she didnt wait for him after the war, she was his inspiration to try harder in life. When he received the wealth after hard work he realizes that he is the one who should be happy of all he accomplish, not for someone else.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 1

Main Characters:

Nick
Tom
Daisy
Ms. Baker
Mr. Gatsby

-Nick comes from the East Egg to work in bonds

- Nick fought in the Great War.

-He lives next door to e Gatsby.

-Daisy is his cousin.

-Tom Buchaman is Daisy husband who went to Yale with Nick

In the first chapter, Nick Carraway moves to New York to work in the bond business. He rents a house in the West Egg where supposedly its where the rich live at. He goes to his cousin Daisy's house for dinner where he learns many of things about the past. He hears them mentioning Gatsby, his next door neighbor for a short second. After the party, he goes home where he finally catches a glimpse of his mysterious neighbor Gatsby standing on his lawn with his arms reaching out to the water.

Amy Lowell is a very well known poet during her time. She was born on February 9,1874 in Brookline,Massachusetts. She traveled a lot where she became inspired to study poetry by a European actress Eleonora Duse for her talent and beauty. Later on she begins to write more exotic,imagery and emotional work when she meets the love of her life Ada Dwyer Russells. For being a lesbian she was judged a lot by people during her time. On famouspoemsandpoets.com states that "critics were offended by her lesbianism, by the way she wore men's shirts and smoked cigars, and even by her obesity. They argued that she must not have experienced true passion, reflecting a common prejudice that women who are overweight cannot possibly be sexual beings". Well that didn't stop her from writing poetry.

In her poem Music she uses good imagery of how music can be created. Through out her poem she uses a lot of free verse. She also uses good imagery of the music being played in the different room of the house.I think this is poem was very relaxing and very lay back.

In her other poem "At Night," she gives many examples of imagery. I think it very similar to Music because in Night she refers the wind in the night as music and the sea waves making loud crashing noises as it hits the floor.I really enjoyed reading this poem because it made me want to go and sit outside and hear sounds the night has to offer. While reading and anaylizing i noticed Amy Lowell poems very good descriptive imagery. I don't think her poems are distinctly American because she describes like objects and nature. She describes how things are simply created by simple things. She gives her reader good imagery of certain things and what they create.

Music by Amy Lowell

Music

Amy Lowell

The neighbour sits in his window and plays the flute.
From my bed I can hear him,
And the round notes flutter and tap about the room,
And hit against each other,
Blurring to unexpected chords.
It is very beautiful,
With the little flute-notes all about me,
In the darkness.

In the daytime,
The neighbour eats bread and onions with one hand
And copies music with the other.
He is fat and has a bald head,
So I do not look at him,
But run quickly past his window.
There is always the sky to look at,
Or the water in the well!

But when night comes and he plays his flute,
I think of him as a young man,
With gold seals hanging from his watch,
And a blue coat with silver buttons.
As I lie in my bed
The flute-notes push against my ears and lips,
And I go to sleep, dreaming.

Kate Choplin

In Kate Chopin writings she shows varies examples of American Romantics and American American Realism in her piece "Lilacs" and "A Pair of Silk Stockings". American Romantic is the expression of an individual who innate goodness and eventual perfectibility. In "Lilacs," Chopin brings out the character, Adrienne imagination and feelings towards her love when the lilacs bloom. However in the end she is banned from the convict because of her lies. The theme of her story was if you love something that much you should cherish it forever and it will never die. Everywhere Adrienne would go she would keep and remember the sweet smell of the lilacs.
In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," Chopin uses many examples of American Realism. American Realism is the freedom of choice that was limited by the power of outside forces. In "A Pair of Silk Stocking," women were treated very different from men. Women were expected to dress in high class clothes and had to do all the cooking and cleaning. The theme of the story is motivation. The character Mrs. Sommers showed the reader her actions and views of her desire of clothes she wanted. There's nothing special about a pair of silk stockings but to Mrs.Sommers it meant more than anything in the world. Instead of spending the fifteen dollars on her children she decides to spend it on herself. Another theme I found was selfishness. To treat oneself and find happiness was the goal in this story.I found it little humorous how she was poor and instead of spending it on her children she spends it all on herself. I expected in the ending that she was going to only spend half the money on herself and other for her children;however I was wrong.
I enjoy reading Kate Chopin's work. There very easy to relate especially if your a women. When I read "A Pair of Silk Stockings," I was pretty glad that I didn't have to live in that time because of women being mistreated. I think Kate Chopin gives her readers good imagery as if you were actually there. You also get a feeling of the characters desire and motivation for something. Out of reading both of her stories I find that its all around one character who only cares for themselves. The character's don't really care what the consequence is once they get what they wanted. I thought reading both of her stories were very interesting and amusing.

Does writing have the power to enact social change?

I think writing does have an enactment of social change. When reading someone else piece of work, I think you begin to feel the emotions and thoughts the author is trying to put across. You feel there motivation of trying to reach out and make you understand what they are talking about. I think it can change you socially of how you think, act and feel. It all depends on the way you grasp on to it. In the poem "THE BOMBING OF BAGHDAD",it is a very powerful and emotional to read. It gives you a view on war and how badly it may turn out to be. It makes you wanna just act out now and help the people around you. Poems and other writings can send out deep messages like the one in "THE BOMBING OF BAGHDAD". Its up to the author how meaningful they want there words to be.

Price of a Child

Dear Pryor,
As you are reading this, I have runaway from you and your cruel evil wrong doings. I had to run to find freedom which you will never give me. Being your servant felt like being a prisoner. Every night when you were asleep, I planned on killing you,
but I never had the chance to. You made my life and my children’s life a living hell. I wished you never bought me from the market. I knew from the start you had that evil twitch in your eyes, that I was going to be more than just your servant. I felt violated and utterly disrespected by you.
I knew one day you were going to slip up and give me the advantage to run away. Honestly did you think that leaving me in a hotel room alone would make me want to stay there and wait for you to come back? It was the perfect advantage for me to escape.I have waited to long to get away from you.
I know I left Bennie behind but please take good care of him. Please tell him this was my only opportunity of escaping. I will come back one day for him. I swear if you lay one finger on his head God will severally punish you. He should be in good condition and in good health when I receive him back. You’re probably thinking that you’re not going to hand him over that easy. Well you better because I will come back as a change free woman. I will bring a lot of help. If you decided to runaway and take Bennie away, trust me I will find you. I will hunt you down and when I do find you I will kill you.
Right now as your reading this, your best thought in mind is to come and find me. You’re probably full of anger and hate. Leave me alone. Do not try and attempt searching for me. I’m going to finally find happiness, freedom and civilization. Searching for me would be a big waste of your time. If you dare showing your face, I will kill with my bear hands. The best thing for you is to move on and find another victim because I’m through with you. You did not try giving me a good life at all.
I hope you understand and listen well to my warnings. This isn’t the last of me. I will come back for Bennie,even if it’s not this week, next month or next year. I will come even if it takes forever.
-Ginnie