Final Blog Reflection

http://elizabethsreadingblog1.blogspot.com/2015/01/loving-response-to-beloved-coachs-life.html

This post was my best blog because it was well written and in-depth. I explained and analyzed different evidence from the text. I also used direct quotes from the article that I chose to write about. I explained how diction and syntax were used in Krista Ramsey's article as well. For example I wrote, "The word choice strongly suggests that her husband's impacted her in many more ways than one. Ramsey's writing style is mature but playful. She's humorous at some points in her writing but sincere at others". This shows how I analyzed the diction and her tone used throughout the article. I also analyzed her syntax. "This line has good syntax because the words are placed in an order so that the point can be made. It's a longer sentence..." This shows how I analyzed her writing techniques and sentence structures. I also went further and provided questions I would ask the author after reading the article. 

In the future, I would like to read more in general. I tend to spend my rare down time doing things like watching TV, texting my friends, or listening to music. I hope to find time to read a good book instead. I love reading when I get into a book, but I am very lazy and have a lack of motivation when it comes to going out and picking one off the shelf. My goal is to do better about this in the near future. I would also like to be able to write more. I love writing with a passion. I like creative writing more than analytical writing, but I would still like to become better at both. There is always ways to improve. Next year, I am taking Creative Writing 2 so I hope next school year I will learn even more about effective writing techniques. There are many goals I could set for myself, but the main one is just reading and writing more. The best way to improve at anything is simply to keep practicing. I also hope that I will read at a more constant rate. If I find a really great book, I finish it in a day or two but then I don't read anything for a while after that. I hope I can work on actually reading 20 minutes each day instead of playing catch up. I hope you have enjoyed my blogs this year. Till next year! -Elizabeth Soper

The Selection

I just started reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. I have read a lot of books. Probably more than the average teen. However, this book is the best book I have ever read in my entire life. The idea and theme of the book is well-thought out and I love it. The characters fascinate me and the plot twists are so shocking. I would highly recommend it to any teen. Even some adults would really enjoy this book.

This story is set in a dystopian society. The main idea is that there is a caste system. Everyone has a number ranging from 1-8. You are born into your caste and the only way you can change it is to marry a male with a different caste. Royalty are all ones and the poor are eights. However, you might be poor as anything below a four. Eight means you have hit rock bottom. In the book, the main character is a girl named America Singer. She is a five. She has just found out that the prince of Illea (the country) is holding the Selection. It's a competition for any girl in the country to be chosen to stay at the palace and try to win over the prince's heart. Most girls who have won the competition in the past have been of higher castes, but this is a chance for America to become a one and get money for her struggling family.

She might be the only girl in the nation who doesn't want to be Prince Maxon's bride. However, she is convinced by her family and her secret boyfriend (Aspen who is a 6) to sign up for the Selection. Aspen doesn't want her to miss out on such a big opportunity, even though he doesn't want her to go. To her surprise, she makes it into the Selection. At first, she hates it and the first time she meets the prince she is actually very rude to him. But over time they become friends and start to fall in love. If you want to know more pick this book off the shelf. (Please do. You won't regret it.)

Unearthly, Hallowed, and Boundless Trilogy

Over spring break, I completed the trilogy I've been reading. The first book is Unearthly.  The second book is Hallowed and the third book is Boundless. All three books were written by Cynthia Hand. I loved the first book the most. It set up the characters, who I love. It introduced the plot and main conflict that will arise in all three books. It described the setting and theme well too. The first book was a page-turner. It was packed with drama and action so you never get bored and it did not drag on.

However, I was more disappointed with the second book. Hallowed was more of a drag. It was less eventful than the first book and took a little longer to read. Some of the chapters were so slow you wanted to skim through the pages. But eventually it got better and I liked it better by the end. With that said, it did seem to wrap up rather quickly. Hand dragged out the first half of the book, but the second half seemed to go to fast. Overall, this book was good. Great, even. Just not in comparison to its predecessor.

The third book was much better than the second one. Boundless did a very good job at solving the conflicts that were introduced in the second book. It also did a wonderful job at wrapping up the whole series. I was very pleased with the ending. I started to get annoyed at the characters in the second book. But their attitudes changed by the end and I fell in love with them just like in the first book. Overall, I loved this series and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in love triangles, and/or fantasy books.

 

Started Unearthly

I started reading Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. I love this book. I just started and it will be finished by tomorrow. It is a teen romance and fantasy novel. It also has a love triangle which I love in a good trilogy. In this book, there is a girl named Clara. She is an angel who just found out her purpose. Her purpose is a vision that angel's have when they have grown old enough. This vision shows them the purpose they were put on earth for. In her vision, is a guy named Christian and he's in a fire. She thinks that her purpose might be to save him. She feels as if her destiny is to be with him, until she meets a guy named Tucker, who she falls in love with while Christian is out of town.

On the night her purpose is supposed to be revealed, she has to save Tucker from the fire before she can save Christian, but it turns out that saving Christian wasn't her purpose because he has a secret of his own. By fighting destiny and choosing Tucker over her purpose, she is now confused because she doesn't know her real reason for being an angel anymore. Her purpose might actually last longer that just one night and it may turn into something bigger and more dangerous than she thought. If you are interested in this genre of book, I would definitely recommend it. It is a page-turner and has a good theme. The theme is about finding your purpose and realizing that you might be headed down a different road than what you were expecting. Change is good and embrace the unexpected...

Satire

The purpose of this cartoon is to show how new voter ID laws have become so complicated that it's getting harder and harder to be eligible to vote. This is definitely an example of satire. The type of satire that is being used in this cartoon is juvenalian satire. I know this because after reading this cartoon, it might stir up some anger with the audience. It might cause them to see that it's true and they might want to provoke change in the government because of it. I also know it's juvenalian because it targets and attacks the government and their laws, and because the mood of this cartoon is angry and pessimistic.

"Loving response to beloved coach's life lost to suicide" by Krista Ramsey

This article describes a loving husband and father named Jim Miller who ended his own life. It talks about his wife, Nancy, is using her husband's death to help others and to raise money for suicide prevention programs. "The word itself moves people away, like the friends who, upon seeing Nancy in the grocery store, suddenly realized what they were looking for was in a different aisle". This line from the post impacts the readers because it gives a perfect but simple example of how a persons life can be changed when they are associated with the word: suicide. This line has good syntax because the words are placed in an order so that the point can be made. It's a longer sentence that describes a lot about how Nancy's life has changed. Her friends are now more distant and people are avoiding her even at the store. The word choice strongly suggests that her husband's impacted her in many more ways than one. Ramsey's writing style is mature but playful. She's humorous at some points in her writing but sincere at others. Her humor side is shown when she says, "Funny, loud, goofy, magnetic". This shows how she uses good descriptive words. She also says, "The guy people are drawn to, who draws energy into a room. The guy who's always 'on,' who is somehow larger than life". This shows her sarcasm and how she uses incomplete sentences. She also writes, "He drove two hours to a hotel in Chillicothe and ended his life". This shows her sincerity with her description and complete sentence. She was very specific with the details of what happened that shows her seriousness. After I read this article some questions I would ask Ramsey are: How did her husband's death emotionally affect Nancy and her kids? What is your writing style like on less serious topics? Why/When did you decide to become a writer?

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/08/14/krista-ramsey-helping-families-deal-suicide/14093989/

Catching Fire

          I started reading Catching Fire. It is the second book of The Hunger Games series by Duzanna Collins. I have also already read this book. But I wanted to read this series again so I can better visualize it now that I have seen the movies. I really liked this series. In this particular book, I loved meeting Finnick.

          Finnick starts out as a shady character who everyone thinks is against Peeta and Katniss. But they all end up becoming allies in the arena and they ultimately become friends. Finnick is good-looking and kind. He saved Peeta's life which showed that he truly is on their side. I also met Beetee and Johanna Mason.

         These are also characters that Katniss meets and befriends while she's in the arena for The Hunger Games. Beetee is a middle-aged man who is extremely intelligent and very good with technology. He won the Games in the past because of his brains. Johanna is a girl who hates the Capitol and wants to fight them. She is loud and speaks outwardly. She is a fun and well-written character.



http://www.celebuzz.com/photos/meet-the-hunger-games-tributes/josh-hutcherson-peeta-district12/