Week 16

I read the book We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The book was good although I was expecting more. I wanted to read it in the first place because I had heard a lot of people say it had been good but it was a little too anticlimactic for my taste, although I would still recommend it since it has a good storyline. For my Independent Novel Project, I am choosing to do the timeline.

Week 15 Response post

After finishing The Great Gatsby and watching the movie, I believe that Daisy is the worst character in the book despite many others opinions. Most say that Tom is the worst and he definitely is not a great person, but I would argue that Daisy is worse. After cheating on her husband she felt no remorse. She also clearly signaled to Gatsby that she wanted to be with him, yet defended her husband over him. She hurt both guys and ended up getting Gatsby killed. She also hit Toms mistress without even thinking. Both Tom and Daisy are horrible people. After Myrtle was hit, Tom “comforted” her husband despite the fact that he was with his wife and did not mention this.

Week 14- Response Post

I think that family dynamic is important to a certain extent. I think that when you are a child, it is extremely important to have a healthy relationship with family to ensure growth and health. Children also obviously can not take care of themselves so interactions in family need to be present. Physical touch as a child has also shown to lead to healthier kids so I think this is extremely important. Although, once people age, I do not think that family dynamic is as important. Personally, I value individualism over most things, so I think that staying too close to your parents can sway viewpoints and limit ones ability to actually be themselves. I know so many people who are exactly like their parents by force and are being taught things that maybe they would not chose. I think in order to grow, you need to experience things for yourself and not be forced into them. People need to learn how to survive without being handed what they need. In my opinion, a forced relationship is the worst thing you could have.

News Article Post 13

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210209-the-worlds-most-misunderstood-novel

After writing the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald has said that even the the most enthusiastic of readers did not truly know what the book was about. When the book was first published, people called it a dud. It was not until after his death that it became more popular. This book began to take off when it was selected as a giveaway by the US military at the end of World War Two and close to 155,000 copies were given out. Many people say they report reading it and not completely understanding the meaning of the things happening.

  1. What do you think Fitzgerald’s purpose for writing this book was?
  2. Why do you think the military chose this book to giveaway out of all books?

Week 12

For my Independent Novel Project I chose We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The book has been sitting in my room for months so I am taking this opportunity to finally read it. I’ve heard fixed reviews about it so I am excited to read and see if I enjoy it.

Week 10

I believe that you can control the person you grow up to be completely. You have complete control over the decisions you make (in most situations) and the person you become. Your attitude towards life can influence everything. If you decide that you want to do something, you can set your mind to it and get it done. You can blame your mistakes on other but it wont get you anywhere. Who you grow up to be is completely in your hands. People may influence you, but you have complete control over what you take in and reject.

Week 8- News Article

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/

In class recently, we have been discussing the Salem Witch Trials. This article discusses all the history of them. It talks about how fear had driven people to hysteria just like we had seen in the crucible. As soon as someone did something even slightly different or in any way against Christian ways, they were thought to have been practicing witchcraft and with the devil. People that were accused, which over 200 suffered,  had to either accuse someone else or falsely confess that they were seeing the devil. They had to do this simply in order to live. When given the choice of living for confessing or dying for stating your truth, most just chose to comply for their life.

Week 7 Blog

The end of my book “Little Women” by Alcott was both surprising and happy. I was not expecting the death at the end. I like that the book includes so much information on getting to know their characters and their families as they grow throughout the book. You feel a connection to the March girls as the develop and start their separate lives. We get to see the girls dad come home from war as years pass. Overall I really enjoyed the book.  For my project, I am choosing to do an ABC book.