State of the Planet

The me first of all say that the movie 'Planet Earth' is amazing! From the one part that I saw. But I'm definitely gonna go buy that soon. I have a few questions about 'State of the Planet'. One of them my friend John brought up. It say's, "It will also tell her that the air- it's likely to say "the troposphere" -has trapped emissions from millions of cars..." He wondered why the troposphere had quotes around it. When someone usually say's something sarcastic or wants to point something out they use quotes, but I can't tell what the author is meaning here. It also say's, "Poetry should be able to comprehend the earth." I wish I could explain what I'm thinking but I don't think I can. I think what it's saying is that when writing or reading poetry, you should be able to realize and appreciate the world. The earth should be apart of poetry maybe. Something very interesting I learned by reading this is that scientist can take a gene from a jellyfish (in this case luminescence which emits a green glow) and put it in a mice embryo and when their born, the mice will have this gene and when their put under a fluorescent light, the mouse's main organs, including skin, emit a green glow! I thought that was really cool. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0111_020111genmice.html. That is the website I went to if you want to know more.
Even though the author started talking about evolution a little, this one part I found quite amusing. He was talking about a single cell, being reproduced and becoming more evolved. "From there to eyes, ears, wings, hands, tongues, armadillos, piano tuners, military interrogation" Ha! Those are two random things...piano tuners and military interrogation. I don't know why but I thought that was funny.
But overall this was one of the more interesting poems I think. Probably because I could understand it more for one, but I also learned to appreciate the earth a little more, not that I haven't in the past. But just to think about what all God has created! It's awesome!

Becky

Becky was the story that we read last week using Lectio Divina. Sorry for those who have never read the story :) But I'm going on anyways. This story made absolute no sense when I first started reading it, but by the 3rd time, I actually got some stuff out of it. First of all, Becky was a white woman with two black children. Nobody knew who gave it to her. And I'm not going to be using the words that are in this story, but just know that their thoughts of her were on the lowest level pretty much. White folks thought she was a "wench" and black folks thought it was a black man with no self respect and thought she was a crazy woman. "White folks and black folks built her cabin". I don't think this meant in a literal sense, even though it did eventually happen later on, but they built it in a sense that they were setting her up to become rejected and an outcast. So they were setting up the cabin being built if that makes sense. Maybe that's wrong, I don't know. Going on. They also "prayed secretly to God who'd put His cross upon her and cast her out." I think what that's saying is they wanted to cast her out, but they still prayed that God would protect her. But they didn't want anyone knowing they were praying that so they prayed secretly I guess?? Maybe? It goes on that nobody wanted to be know for helping her build the cabin but Lonnie Deacon eventually built her the cabin out by the railroad tracks. People dropped off food and letters of prayer while they were on the train and people would occasionally drop some food off. Then after a while, they thought she died. Her boys grew up and went to town to get jobs. And one time someone metioned that they lived along the road, and they killed him! I guess they thought it was payback for outcasting their mother. Then the story ended with the chimney falling on the cabin, which definitely would have killed her. That's it. What is up with these stories with no happy endings. I guess what the author is saying is don't outcast somebody or else you will be taunted by your thoughts on her, no matter if she was dead or alive. That would be a pretty serious moral. So I'm not sure if that's it or not. But if you have any ideas on it...please...go on and share!

An Enemy of the People

So I went to the play on Saturday night. It was pretty good. What they we're saying was kind of confusing though, it's like I had to pay attention to every single sentence that they were saying. Some times I had no idea what was going on, but I kept as much of my focus that I had and I got through it. It had a good point to it. It was between telling the truth and doing the wrong thing. The town's water supply had been infected with something and it was between basically fixing it and not fixing it. The reason why the mayor and everybody in the town didn't want to fix it is because it would have cost too much and they wanted their town to grow, and spreading it in the news that the town has infected water wouldn't really get new people into their town. But there was this one fellow who thought that he should tell the truth. And he was the only one in the town who thought so. And the whole town basically wanted to kill him! No body thought he was right and no body believed in what he was saying about how the water supply being infected. And he said something to the people one time that made the crowd shut up. He was talking about why no body believed him and it came to the point where he said something about Jesus and how no body believed in him. They were basically doing the same thing to him as people did to Jesus. I thought it was pretty stinkin halarious. But that was totally the most powerful line in the story in my opinion. I would quote it but of course I wouldn't remember it. The ending of the play however I wasn't too fond of. It left me hangin so bad! People we're throwing bricks and everything at his house, I mean it was scary! I was scared at least. And his family talked about coming to America to start a new life and just get out of that town cause they could get killed! Then boom! It just ended. I was like...for real...that just happened! I guess it was a pretty nifty thing to do though because it allows you to make up the rest of the story. Their fate lies within your imagination! Which makes the story all the more better!

I am using my first pass :(

Little Jack: The Story

Jack, born in raised in Hoboken, NY, was raised with the hobos in New York. After he was born, his father left him and his mother. And his mother, as hard as it is to say, just couldn't take care of him, so she just left him in an alley in New York. Bob, a homeless man, was loving enough to take care of him at least for a little while to give him some hope and to show him the love of Christ. Now he was 9 and he was always looking for excitement. Entertaining people everywhere on the streets with his humor was what he did for his childhood. There was always a smile on his face and a bible in hand. No matter what the circumstance was, Jack could turn it around and enlighten the mood.

He was average height for his age and was pretty well built. He was one of those kids who didn't have to work out to have a well defined body. The blondness of his hair glistened in the sun and his skin was darker than usual because of standing in the sun all day all week.

New York was his home. It's where he felt comfortable. He loved performing and making people laugh as they walked to and from their stressful jobs. He felt as if he were really making a difference in people's lives. And he was!
Except for one man. This man lived off of 21st street and he was a grumpy man who was about in his 40's. This man, named Tom, thought that Jack was just one annoying little kid. So he finally was fed up with it and on a Sunday night, there was trouble. Tom lured him into a dark alley and beat him up and broke his feelings down. Jack was hurt physically and mentally. Tom said things to him that are not worth repeating, but one thing he said was, "Don't ever try to cheer me or anyone else up again! People are just getting annoyed with you! If you do it again, I will beat your brains out!" That really got in Jacks head a messed with it and he thought about it. He came to realize that he didn't want to get beat up again, so he stopped doing what he was doing.
Now a year had passed and the people of New York wondered where Jack had went. He was sitting in a corner one day eating a corn dog when a man realized who he was. He went over to him and started conversing with him and finally asked, "Where have you been all this time?" So Jack explained everything to him. Well this stranger really cared about him and he spent a lot of time with him going to and from his workplace. He tried to get him motivated again. And little by little, it was working without even realizing it.
Then when the stranger was on his way to work, he didn't see Jack where he had normally been. He wondered where he was. Later down the street though he heard some laughter and just thought, maybe, it was Jack. Sure enough, there he was doing what he had been doing for years and making a difference in other peoples lives. He had been revived! He now had the courage to stand up for what he believed in and not care what other people would think or do to him. So Jack took a risk he was willing to take.
While Jack was doing his act, he saw Tom in the corner of his eye, just watching him, waiting for him to finish his act so he could be him up again for what he was doing. But Jack didn't care. So Jack had an idea, he started speaking about love. And every once in a while, he would shift his eyes over towards Tom and start speaking to him. Tom still seemed very angry and in threatening stance. But as he continued, his stance became more and more relaxed and seemed comfortable. Jack knew something in him was changing. So he continued to be funny and preach just like always and he had a confidence like no one else. Soon he cracked a joke and saw Tom smirk. He saw Tom smirk! For those of you who haven't realized yet, Tom was never the one to smirk. He was always serious and acted like he owned the streets. And yet Jack made him smile a little bit! What he was doing was turning Tom's heart. Jack gave a nod to Tom, and Tom started to gain a smile and nodded at Jack. Tom turned and walked away.

The Catcher In The Rye #2

So I finally figured out what the deal was with the title "The Catcher In The Rye". It's actually in a poem by Robert Burns called 'Comin Thro' The Rye'. And I thought it would be interesting to let yall read it..so here it is...(the word 'draigl't' I looked up and they say it means drag, and a petticoatie is something that is worn with a dress or something)

Comin Thro' The Rye
O, Jenny's a' weet, poor body,
Jenny's seldom dry:
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!

Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!

Gin a body meet a body (or can a person meet a person)
Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need a body cry?

Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need the warl' ken? (or without even knowing)

Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the grain;
Gin a body kiss a body,
The thing's a body's ain

Holden, the main character, is talking to his little sister and she asks Holden what he wants to do in his life. He replies, “If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye.” Holden says that he imagines a gigantic field of rye on a cliff full of children playing. He wants to stand at the edge of the cliff and catch the children when they come too close to falling off—to be “the catcher in the rye. I didn't understand what Holden meant by this so I looked it up and this is what it said...
"The rye field is a symbol of childhood—the rye is so high that the children cannot see over it, just as children are unable to see beyond the borders of their childhood. Standing on the precipice that separates the rye field of childhood from the cliff of adulthood, Holden wants to protect childhood innocence from the fall into disillusionment that necessarily accompanies adulthood. Trapped between states, with his innocence in jeopardy, Holden wants to be a “catcher in the rye,” a savior of the innocence missing in the world around him, a world that has let him fall over the cliff into adulthood alone."

The Catcher In The Rye

First of all this book doesn't have an index for the chapters or it doesn't have a summary on the back or anything. So you pretty much have no idea what's about to happen, which is a really great idea! It keeps you on your toes. All it has is the copyright stuff that's needed or whatever, "To my mother", and then it just starts. And it starts out with the coolest sentence I believe I've ever heard. It say's, "If you really want to hear about it..." For some reason I think that's the coolest line! It sets the story up like whatever is going on, it is not good or not how he's wanting it to go. This is true.
Holden's life so far is not the best life one would dream of. He had a lousy childhood and nice parents, but they were very touchy and emotional as he stated. The story is taking place at around the time he's getting kicked out of school. Pency that is. It's like a private school and suppose to have great kids in the school, but not so true. This book has a lot of cussing and swearing in it. So you have to get past that in order to read it. And by the way, Holden is a very rebellious kid. As he was talking to one of his teachers, he said he was failing 4 out of the 5 classes he was taking! That's pretty bad. His parents haven't known about him getting kicked out of school yet, and he doesn't plan on telling them until he gets home, which isn't too much longer because it's almost christmas break.
Meanwhile I don't have the slightest clue on what this book is about yet. I can only take a guess. Right before he left school, he got into a fight with his roomate about a girl. Holden actually cared about the girl. He used to play checkers with the girl and she always kept her kings on the back row whenever she got kings. And his roomate didn't really care about anything but sex. And his roomate went on a date with her and it doesn't say anything that he didn't do anything with her but Holden just assumed he did. So they got in a fight and he said something funny. He said, "I told him he didn't care if a girl kept all her kings on the back row". I just thought that was kinda funny.
And that is how far I've got into the book. So I will let you know how good it is when I finish it!

Life With Eddy

This is my animation I made about a stick figure named Eddy. I got bored one day and just started messin around and it eventually led into this story. As for character like we have been talking about, there isn't much of that. Sorry, I didn't have that much spare time and I'm not that good. But there is a little plot and moral. What Eddy is trying to do is get to the city of Nineveh, where Jonah spoke to the people after he got spit out by the big fish. It is his "trip to Nineveh!" It starts out all good by getting in his plane and having a nice ride, but unwillingly he gets thrown way off course and the trip wasn't as pleasant as he thought it would be. He got swallowed by a big fish with big problems (and if you didn't catch it, there is a sign that say's, "jonah was here" :) But even through all these disasters, he still made it to his destination. So the mini moral is that even though life will throw you twist and turns, if you are persistent and trust in God, you can do it!!! Also, how we learned about morals in class, we also learned that there doesn't have to necessarily be a moral. I guess you could take this for instance. It's more of the character of Eddy, how he doesn't stop no matter what. So that could be the case as well.

Ethics

Ok so I have tried reading over this alot, but I still kinda don't get it. The main question in this poem is "If there were a fire in a museum which would you save, a Rembrandt painting or an old woman who hadn't many years left anyhow?" The teacher asked this question to the kids in her class every year and every year they had a different answer. By the way I looked up Rembrandt. At first I thought it was a word, but I learned it was a guys name! Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was his full name. He was a pianter and etcher. Anyways it goes on and I think that the little girl who was once in the class, is now an old lady and she is standing in front of a painting in a museum. And she is explaining how beautiful this painting is. She is explaining how it is "darker than autumn, darker even than winter - the browns of the earth". Then she goes on to her answer. She say's, "I know now that woman and painiting and season are almost one and all beyond saving by children." I'm kinda confused on what she means by this. I think what she is saying is that it is beyond a childs capability to figure out who to save either one. I am pretty sure that's 100% wrong but when I read it thats all that I can understand! It's like she puts the painting on the same level as the old woman...life! If anyone has an understanding of this...please let me know! I am soo confused! But anyways going to the museum was really cool. It made me appreciate art a little more cause I was never a huge art fan. The kids art section was the best though. But the huge picture with the guys all around doing random things, I don't know what that was about, but that was probably my most favorite.

Little Jack

Jack, born in raised in Hoboken, NY, was raised with the hobos in New York. After he was born, his father left him and his mother. And his mother, as hard as it is to say, just couldn't take care of him, so she just left him in an alley in New York. Bob, a homeless man, was loving enough to take care of him at least for a little while to give him some hope and to show him the love of Christ. Now he was 9 and he was always looking for excitement. Entertaining people everywhere on the streets with his humor was what he did for his childhood. There was always a smile on his face and a bible in hand. No matter what the circumstance was, Jack could turn it around and enlighten the mood.

He was average height for his age and was pretty well built. He was one of those kids who didn't have to work out to have a well defined body. The blondness of his hair glistened in the sun and his skin was darker than usual because of standing in the sun all day all week.

New York was his home. It's where he felt comfortable. He loved performing and making people laugh as they walked to and from their stressful jobs. He felt as if he were really making a difference in people's lives. And he was!

Character

To be honest, before reading this lesson I had already learned lots about character. But there were a few things that I thought were intersting, so I'm going to share those thoughts with you today. Presenting the character is one thing I never really thought about much. The author uses the word characterization, the technique of creating a sense of character. In the story "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay", Chabon uses a characterization that is 'invisible'. What he means by invisible is that the author doesn't tell us whether they are mean or nice, it's up to us to read and figure out or interpret the character.He lets the characters present their character by using words and actions and whatever else from the charaters. But the author also gives us visual clues to help make their character. For example their clothes, posture, facial expressions, physical size, age, etc... And from that we take our own personal experiences and thoughts and that adds to the making of that character we are reading about. I thought that was intersting. But one thing I didn't understand and question is that the author said, "Our fascination with stories is stongly rooted in our everyday desire to know people, to understand the motives that underlie action or to grasp the feelings that show in words and gestures." First of all, I didn't realize I had an everyday desire to know people. Of course sometimes I wonder what people are thinking, like right now! But I don't really desire it either. And secondly, I honestly don't see how that relates to my fascination with stories.