Sunday, December 23, 2007

W5 B(145-190)

Dear Carl Deuker,

Mick has recently begun using sterroids and is hooked upon the wrong path. I really enjoyed the way that you give Mick fierce anger and depression to really make us readers feel his anger and depression. It is clear to me now that sterroids really can harm you in numerous ways, apart from the zits and boobs. The first bieng income. Mick has been spending every last penny that he's earned on the new D-bol and later, "the stack" (which was even more expensive). He has no money at all to really liesurly spend with his friends and have fun with. When Kaylee and the others wanted to enter the volleyball competition for 50 dollars, Mick refused to pay because all of his money is going to the gym trainer for the sterriods.The second way its affecting him apart from the physical traits is he os losing his freinds and social life. He has no time to hang out due to his intense workout plan and gym times, and when he does hang out, he is afraid to even take his shirt off because of his new appearance with the zits and enlarged breasts. Overall, i think you give an excellend viewpoint to readers about Micks new problems without even stating them. Thank you very much for this great read thus far.

Sincerely,

Teen Reader Arman

W5 A (145-190)

Vocab:

1) Augsiliary (pg.167): Additional, supplemental
2) Queer (pg 184): Strange or odd.

Figurative Language:

1)"Mick with these supplements You will progress like a rocket" (pg 150)(similie), compares with like
2)" You need to be the rainmaker Mick, not DeShawn, you!" (pg 167) (personification) People cant make rain.
3)"Mick a coach to an athelete who abuses themselves is a helpless lion tamer..." (pg187)(metaphor) Compares without using as or "like."

Quote

"Look, sooner or later youre gonna' find out so you may as well find out from me, those protien supplements and all will do a bit, but the D-bol is the ticket. Listen to the word, testicle, testostirone, they are born to be together. It wont harm you to add to your body what it is already producing." (pg 178)

This quote shows the gym coaches attitude towards Mick. Clearly he isnt getting the results he wants so the coach puts him on D-Bol, or sterriods.

Theme:

Failure, Mick is going into downfall and depression from taking the sterriod supplements more and more. He wants to get huge, at the cost of zits and man boobs. He is embarrased in public, especially around Kaylee, his crush.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

W4 B (pgs101-145)

Dear Carl Deuker,

I've just finished reading pages 101-145. In your novel Gym Candy, I've begun to realize that ever since Mick turned sixteen, he has really began to mature. I very much enjoy the fact that you allow Mick's Dad to treat him very different after his sixteenth birthday. I first realized that his Dad was going to treat him differently when at his birthday party his Dad said you will get your present from me later. The present was the Jeep taht he had owned for about fifteen years and he'd just taught Mick how to drive it. Then when he took Mick to the shooting range to fire his first gun, I further realized that Mick is no longer a child. The way you have Mick's father treat him really forshadows the kind of situations Mick will soon be getting into. Mick purchased a couple of boxes of expensive protein powders and performance enhancing vitamins and minerals which he will be taking in appropriate amounts along with weight lifting to bulk up for next season considering that he's been bumped to starting running back. Now Mick is beginning to discover that that may not be all he needs to keep up with the other players in the other team. According to some players on his team, many players in other schools are using steroids. I really like the way you've layed out Mick's character thus far. He's much unlike his Dad, he's a very responsible young man that seems to me like he's the kind of guy who knows his limits. It will be interesting to me to find out if he does give into the steroids or not. I really hope he doesn't because he is a good kid and i know he is smarter than that. This novel is quite intriguing thus far and I'm excited to keep on reading.

Sincerely, your reader,

Arman Shahriar

W4 A (pgs101-145)

Vocab:

1) Aspiration (pg. 104): strong desire
2) Omnipotent (pg. 132): almighty in power

Figuraive Language:

1) "Mick would you please gun those passes, i know you're not a qb and all.." (pg 102)(personification) passes cant be gunned
2) "Jesus Christ should I have known that two days sooner i would have kicked the old hags ass like a cougar on a gazelle"(pg133) (similie) compares using word "like."
3) "Shwham went the tv flying down the stairs" (pgs 123-1240 (onomatopoeia) makes sound in real life.

Quote:

"...im tellin ya you can lift all you want, but that ain't gonna do nothin'. This I can guarantee results with just a bit of excersize." (pg 137)

This quote really sums it all up until this point in the book. Mick has movd up to starting running back and needs to bulk up in the offseason. This quote is prettymuch the start of his research and experience with perforacne inhancing things. Now this particular one is talking about protion shakes and capsules. But it will soon get more intense.

My newest emerging theme is strongly DISCIPLINE. mick is getting to the point that he really needs to make the choice between working hard and succeeding or half assing it and takins supplements of enhancers. His discipline will furthermore show throughout the novel.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

W3 B (pgs.68-100)

Dear Carl Deuker,

I am a teenage reader of your novel Gym Candy at Edina High School, and i just finished reading pages 68-100 of the novel. I think the way you portrayed Mick Johnson in these 30 pages was phenominal. He progresed so much in so little time and it was only due to his hard work and effort. Also, i really enjoy the way you include his father in the novel. At the beginning he seemed like this "ultra-cool" dad that no one could ever resist, and a huge sucess with football and life in general. But as the book went on I (even before you layed it out in front of me) realiezed that this guy must have done something wrong in his life, and Mick finds that out as well. He had a major attitude problem that had caused him to get into alot of trouble and eventually booted off the San Diego Chargers. Mick seems to "look down" on his dad for a while after finding that out, but his head pops right back up once he makes the Varsity team at Foothill (which I thought was geneous of you to keep the flow of the book going and not lag about the simple topic of his dad). Mick as you have portrayed him in the last 30 or 40 pages ive read has come across as very different from his dad in that he is an extremely hard worker and wont ever give up/ say what the coach wants him to do is unnecesary. He worked his way up to started (partially due to Drager's problem and the trouble he got into)(Drager is the starting running back). Now around page 90 you made Mick fail in scoring that winning touchdown which is a major turning point. I see the way you are going, you are making us (the readers) feel his pain in not being as strong as the other varsity players, and wanting to get stronger, which in my opinion is going to lead to steriods, but that is only for me to find out.

Great novel thus far...

Yours Truly,

Reader Arman Shahriar

W3 A (pgs.68-100)

Vocab:

1) Agitated (pg 80): excited;disturbed. To move of force into a violent, irregular action.
2) Stingier (pg 93): relictant to give or spend; not generous.

Figurative Language:

1) "Like a lion spots its prey across the sahara, i spotted that endzone." (similie) because it compares two things using the word "like."
2) ""eeehhh", sounded the halftime buzzer and I was in deep shock that this game was still within our reach." (onomatopoeia) the sound eeehhh acutally "sounds like it sounds."
3) "I am the new cheetah and my legs need to work like a cheetahs now that i am starting. If only i had more time to lift a bit more, bulk up..." (metaphor) "i am the new cheetah" human's can't be a cheetah. Comparing without using like or as.

Quote:

"And then I was down. I looked at the ball, looked at my hands stretched out as far as I could reach. I was twelve inches short."

Mick Johnson has worked his way up to starting running back for Foothill high and is appearing at his first start this night. He struggled a bit in the beggining of the game but then caught his groove and eventually broke out for a touchdown. They are playing the best team in the league. Last play of the game, he was tackled right before scoring (12 inches shy) and was humiliated for getting leveled by that linebacker. This quote sums up his feelings after the play.

The most recent emerging theme, I could say right now, is strength. Mick is realizing that he needs to be stronger in order to suceed on this team and without the right strength he'll never be able to do anything in the red zone. He needs that extra bulk and he is starting to look for ways to get it.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Debates

~Trials~
A trial is a structured debate that happens in court rooms that is used to decide weather or not the law was broken and the defendant is guilty. The judge and jury decide if a punishment will be enforced. Because it is structured, both sides have an equal and fair chance at bringing the other down with supporting evidence and methods used in courtrooms.

~Sports Talk Shows/Mid-game shows~
In a Sports talk show or mid game show the members of the show express their opinions as to who they might pick to win the championship for example or many other games, and they argue on whether or not one may be right and they compare who they think will win. This isnt always a fair case because they have a set time limit and if one of the members takes up too much time explaining his predictions then the others dont get as much time to explain theirs. It is much looser and unformal than a courtroom trial. It is semistructured, meaning it has some structure but not entirely complete.

~Political Debates~
Political Debates are structured debates that take place in a formal auditorium most of the time and sometimes on Television as well. The Debate serves the purpose of persuading the american public to vote for your party and making the other party look foolish. It does somewhat help the public come to their senses about their voting decision and have a little more background knowledge on the canidates in the election. This effects once again the publics decision making process only, which can in the long run greatly effect the outcome of the election

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

W2 B (pgs.31-67)

Dear Mick Johnson,

I think you are a very talented football player and thus far you seem to have great work ethic, yet I am a bit concerned about how devoted you are to football. You are spending all of your time either playing football, watching foorball, playing Madden 07, or just talking about football and the team with your dad. Have you ever taken into consideration that there is more to your life than just football. It may be your passion, as soccer is mine, but you need to see another pathway in your life because what if, just what if someday football fails for you, then you are left with nothing. You are entering highschool soon and should really consider balancing out your life with football and school just so that you dont go a whole long way and fail and be left with nothing. You seem to have very good connections with your friend Drew and you two seem like you have fun together quite a bit. You should make sure you keep those good friendships and make sure you are there for him/whoever else it may be, if they need you. Also I wanted to congradulate you on making varsity your freshman year, its tough, and i know you can work your way up to the top with the work ethic you've shown so far.

Yours truly,

Arman Shahriar

W2 A (Pgs.31-67)

Vocab:

1) Prevalent (pg 46): having the superiority over another.
2) Unarbitrary (pg 65): not subject to indivdual determination.

Figurative Language:

1) "My heart stone cold i was afraid to even lay eyes on my dad." (metaphor) because it compares not using like or as
2) "His chest is like his third hand when it comes to catching that goddam pigskin." (similie) compares using like
3) "The team needed me, but I didn't need the team, so i called it quits, and for some odd reason they wouldn't let me back 6 months later when I pleaded and swore my attitude changed..." (irony) he went against his own word...ironic??

Quote:

"How good do you really think Drager is?" "Pretty damn good." (pg.54)

This quote really sums up the portion of the book I just read, because it talks about Micks only competition (after surpassing all the other running backs) at Shilshole High. He needs to surpass Drager in order to gain his starting position.

An emerging theme now I would say is work. The foorball Mick is getting into is hard and in order to maintain his status and #2 running back or possibly move up he needs to work harder and harder.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

W1 B (pgs 1-30)

Response:

This section of the book was mainly establishing the whole concept and focus of the book. Mick Johnson is the main character, a young teenager who loves the game of football. His father was a 3rd round NFL draft pick, and Mick really hopes to fufill his fathers shoes. The only problem is so far, his father was a kind of Randy Moss of his time. A man with a bad attitude who will only play when he wants to play and wont settle for anyone elses orders.His 7th grade coach says, "Youre going to end up just like your father. The talent of an all star, the attitude of a punk." Really here again it shows how others view Mick, just like his father, a big punk with attitude problems, so I am guessing that will be one of the things he will be changing throughout the novel. I also really dislike his mother, because for one thing, she completely opposes football, which is reasonable for a mom, but she constantly cannot stand up for herself in telling Mick that he is spending too much time on football. "Mick dont you think you should try something else for a change...Soccer, Baseball?" then Mick says nope i love football, and his father backs him up, and then his mom says "whatever." The whatever is the part i dont care for. She should (as his mother) stand up for herself and enforce what she wants to enforce because clearly in my eyes he is spending too much time one football.

W1 A (pgs 1-30)

Vocab:

1) churning (pg16): the act of using a churn. Turns milk to butter.
2) flameout (pg 28): the failure of a jet engine due to interuption of fuel supply.

Figurative Language:

1) "His abs are rock and his mind is solid steel, it cannot be interupted" (metaphors) compares without using like or as.
2) "Like the wind was born to blow he was born to run." (similie) compares using "like"
3) "Boom, like a gunshot he was sprinting downfield" (onomatopoeia) "boom" sounds like the acutal thing.

Quote/Significance:

"My favorite memory is of an afternoon in June. I was four years old, and I was in the backyar with my dad. He'd just bought me a purple and gold mini football, my first football."--This quote is really forshadowing the rest of the book. Football will become his passion and he will almost grow up his entire childhood around it.

One emerging theme thus far would be competition. Mick is beginning to see the realities of football and that others want to suceed just as much as he does.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Outside Reading, Quarter 2, November 7th 2007

Title: Gym Candy

Author: Carl Deuker

Published 2007 in Boston

Nonfiction novel

297 pgs long

The book should be challenging for me beacuse of the context. It is about highschool football players who expiriment with drugs, which is right about at a sophmore level of context.

I chose this book mainly because i havent really read a book that I'd "want" to read about in a while, and I really liked the topic of this one so i decided to give it a shot. I am excited to read it bieng that we had no restrictions to choose a book so I chose one id enjoy.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Sea Inside 3

1.) To start the film, there was an Extreme Long, High angle shot on the sea to show where he loves to be. The signifcance was the set the scene and put it out there that the sea portrays a huge role in the film.

2.) There is always an angle a little above eye level (maybe 15 or 20 degrees above eye) when it is showing him in bed, to give us the perspective that he is lover than us and not a capable. The significance of this is to show that Ramon is never going to be like us normal people again and that he is injured and quadrepalegic for life, and will always lie lower and steriotypically less important than us.

3.) When Ramon is telling the story about his accidnet, and it shows him as a young man, the shot is a medium, low angle shot to show that he is more powerful than he is now. The significance is to prove that nowadays he is physically "less" than what he was in his "before the accident" life. It portrays him as a much more powerful human being and gives us the feeling that he is greater and stronger than us and that he is superior to who he is currently.

4.) There is always an eye level, medium shot on Julia when she is talking to Ramon to give us the feeling that we are there and its a normal situation. This was the most common shot in the film, because it gives us sence of real life and makes us feel like we are actually there.

5.) There is an extremely fast Dolly over the span of the ground and forest all the way to the sea when he is "flying." The significance of this is that it shows he is allmighty and powerful when he just lets his spirit fly away in his dreams, and he can do whatever he wants.

The Sea Inside 2

There are many similarities and differences between The Sea Inside and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the main similarity bieng the fact that the two main characters are quadrepalegic, meaning they cant move any part of their arms and legs. In DBATB, Jean-Dominique Bauby uses the bink of his left eye to write the whole book from a specific alphabet code that he developed, Whereas in The Sea Inside, Ramon edits up his old poetry books to for a magnificent book of poetry with the help of a close friend Julia. Another difference is that Bauby is in the hospital during his writing of the book, and dies in the hospital, whereas Ramon is always at home, and he is transported from place to place by his family and close friends. Another similarity is that both are men who set their goals high and work until they achieve them. Bauby set his goal to finishing that whole book, and he died two days after it was published. Ramon set his goal to finishing the book and then commiting scuicide, which he also accomplished. A final difference is that Bauby just died of the failure of his body, whereas Ramon died by commiting Scuicide. Overall i believe that DBATB was much more powerful, just because the man (Bauby) is in a hospital, and sets the analogy to a Diving bell and a Butterfly, which really hit me hard. I thought that was the best metaphor/analogy i had ever heard, and that struck me to be a very powerful statement. To add to the power of the memoir, Bauby wrote a whole book by blinking an eye, whereas Ramon already had his poetry written so all he had to do was edit.

The Sea Inside 1

My reaction to the film is it was a very dramatic film with tons of agony, and there are alot of crucial decisions that take place in the film. In General, I believe that if one should wish to die, and they are in a situation in which they have no way of functioning, their wish shold be granted. But in this case, Ramon is still breathing without oxygen tubes, and functioning in every way except moving. I believe that the courts responce to him was fair, for he should not be granted that wish because it would honestly be commiting scuicide, and Ramon is too good of a person, and too "functioning" to do that to himself. There are people out there who are simply living on the hospitals equipment, and in that case, i would say yes, but in Ramons case, if you ask me, its a capital NO. I think that his freinds that agreed to help him are not trying to be mean, but just simply good friends. If you see a friend in that much trouble, i think i would help them out. Morally its wrong, but ethically, in the situation like with Ramon, there really wouldnt be more you can do but help him die, for he is your friend, and youd want for him what he wants for himself.

Week 6, Post 1 (Summary pt 6)

Sorry Mr. Hatten, once again, our internet has been down over the weekend so ive been using my grandmas computer, and I posted this on friday, but for some reason it didnt go through.

In The final Part of this memoir, Chris Gardner is "in" his internship at Dean Witter, in training to become a Stockbroker. Meanwhile, Christopher Jr. is kicked out of his daycare program because Chris doesn't have enough money to pay the ignorant lady who wont settle for anything unless there is money involved. So Chris has to take Christopher Jr. to Dean Witters office everyday when he leaves for his internship, and Dean Witter kindly lets Christopher Jr. stay with him, actually he seems to like him alot. Chris Gardner keeps working hard and studying to the point that he is exhausted the next day at the office. The big test is the deciding factor as to wether or not he is chosen, and he completely surpasses everyone esle in the class with a score of 98%, and becomes the next new Broker. His life now begins to shine. They purchase an apartment, with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and big living room, etc... Christopher Jr. finally gets a warm bed to sleep in, and Chris has a place to do his work on his new computer at home which he purchased with his rapidly rising salary. He works his way up at Dean Witter, and eventually becomes one of the top brokers, and brings in a huge income. His story is one of the biggest "life-changing" stories ever, as in he started on the street with a son, and became as big as he is by hard work and persistancy.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

W5, P2

~Sorry Mr Hatten that this took so long..we upgraded to high speed internet and something with my Xbox Live messed up our internet connection so it was just fixed last night.

The fifth section of the book starts with Chris and Christopher Junior scared at night all alone sleeping in a dark alleyway because Chris Sr. Has gone broke. All he can say to his helpless son is to never let anyone tell you that you cant do something, you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it. Christopher seems not even too frightened though in the dark, wet alley, he seems to be handling it alot better than the everage 7 year old would be. The next morning is the big morning for Chris Gardner, in which he gets the once in a lifetime chance to be the interviewee of Mr. Dean Witter himself, the founder Of Dean Witter Stock Broking. Chris spends the whole morning getting ready, because he knows if he blows this then he will have to spend a whole new 6 months finding a new job, which will drain the money even quicker and Christopher Jr. might starve. At the interview he introduces himself kindly and they talk for awhile, and Chris seems to be doing very well. Dean Witter offers Chris an internship in which one of the interns will be hired to actully work for the company, and Chris gladly accepts this offer. Not knowing that this intern job does not pay, he goes home happy, and he celebrates with Christopher Jr., and Chris is ready to head to his very first day at "Work" the next day.

REACTION

I strongly feel that Chris Gardner has shaped up so well as a man in this book that it is almost unbelieveable. We, as readers just read the book for pleasure most of the time, but when I really think deeply about his situation, I wonder, how is this possible? The man has come out of poverty, spotted a shining new red ferrari, and now has his heart set on something we would normally say is extremely out of his reach. He is raising a son to top it all off. He is the most wonderful father one could ask for in my opinion. Though he hardly has any money, and cant even afford a house to keep his kid under, he cuddles up with him night after night, and reads him to sleep. He keeps assuring Christopher Jr. that one day it will all be better, and as i said in the previous paragraph, he is constantly telling him not to ever let anyone tell him he cant do something. Chris Gardner has really shaped as a man and a father throughout this memoir, and it will be very interesting to see how the book ends because he is just starting to find his trail in life.

w5, P2

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Week 4, Post 2

Chapter 6:The World Beyond, is so far my favorite chapter of this memoir. It starts with Chris Gardner, taking his first ever trip by plane to boot camp in Hawaii.This is the main changing point in his life, because it is his first real "job" and he is devoted to serving for his country. Little does he know that he would never have to fight in a war, just trained, and he has to find another path to take. Chris Gardner then talks about how much harder it has been living on his own without a constant guardian. He wasnt put n the streets with a semi-decent car and a wallet with a credit card in it, whatever money he makes is all from sctatch and he has no "booster parents" to hoist him up when he falls. In Chapter 7, there are mainly just a ton of picture of "life" as he calls them. Starting with him as a baby, and then his mother (Bettye Jean Triplett). Next is his Boot camp grad. day photo with his full grad class of about 30 men. His Miliatary ID is next, then a beautiful picture of him and his sun on a park bench relaxing, and so on...Until finally there are pictures of grown up Christopher Gardner Jr. and there is even a Picture of Chris Sr. shaking hands with president Clinton. And after the pictures he prettymuch comes right into how hard life is getting with a son and no woman to support them, yet how he has gotten to a good start selling day to day machines that hospitals use.

Week 4, Post 1

1.) "For the next three years I lived what could have been called in some respects a storybook life (pg.157)."--> the author (chris Gardner) most likely used this quote to really show us readers how his life turned around. His life is really beginning to shape up. This quote is very important to the book because it sets the whole scene. As the reader i begin to realize that Chris Gardner is no longer a child but a man and is doing good with his life.

2.) "Over the next thrity days, everything that I was and everything that I hoped to become flew out the window. (pg.172)"--> This quote by Chris Gardner is the exact contradict to the one before, it shows that life can always flip right back over and kick you hard in the ass. All was going well for Chris, until he left his mothers city, and without that backup option, he began to get nervous, and lost his "mentality." Chris Gardner adds the quote to really show us that no human in life is "safe" and that you always have to keep working to achieve. As the reader this impacts me mostly in a way to keep reading because i really wanted to know what happened next, weather a tragedy, or simply he went broke. It really helped me keep focus in the book.

Monday, October 8, 2007

My thoughts

I thought that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a very interesting book overall. I was amazing to me that Jean Dominique-Bauby could write this whole entire book of metaphors and tales all in in head, then blink it to tell the tale to someone else. The main critisicm i had for the book was that there were too many fantasies and dreams, to the point where i couldnt really tell weather it was a dream or it was actually happening to him. I was clear to me throughout the memoir that the author was extremely "locked-into" his own mind, and had nothing to do other than think about his past adventures and fantasize about things he'd deam to do. The whole "locked in syndrome" explains itself. I also thought that Jean Dominique Bauby was an extremely descriptive writer in the sence of similies and metaphors, to the point that sometimes i couldnt even tell if the object he was reffering to was the "metaphorical object" or the actual one. But overall, the book was very interesting. I really enjoyed the small "chapters" or sections because it kept switching it up so just incase i lost track of what he was talking about, I could get right back on in the new section. Overall, i didnt necessarily love his writing and style, but anyone who blinks to tell a story that they have written in their head, i can appreciate.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

W3 P2

Journal

So far, if there were one word i could use to describe this book, it would be miraculous. The book starts with Chris Gardner as a child in his home where he loves the candy that his mother makes him. I realte to that in many ways, one bieng how my grandma always used to make me fruit tarts when I went over to her house, and how id grasp that tart with my hands and enjoy every single bite with every bit of my taste buds, just like Chris explains his candy experiences. The whole candy thing made me see that this author really likes to be descriptive, just like I like to write, because he spent almost a page and a half just talking about the warm goodness of the candy. Some Strengths of the book so far are the descriptions that Chris Gardner (author) uses to place a nice mental picture in my mind at all times. It really helps because the plotline is somewhat difficult, so its makes it alot easier to understand with vivid details. The only weakness about that though it that sometimes its a little too much and I stop paying attention to the little details and when I do I might miss something else, so ive had to re-read a couple times thus far. Another strength in the authors writing style is that he never dwells over a "chapter" like some authors I dont' like do. I mean, at times he might spend too much on details, but they are important, and he knows when to move on when it comes to irrelivant things.

I think that later in this book, Chris's devotion to work and hos effort will pay of, but he will run into some major difficulties once his son (Christopher Jr.) is born. But i believe he will pull through as a broker in the end.

w3 p1. b

Author Background

Chris Gardner was born on February 9th, 1954, who struggles with homelessness about 15 years of his life. Thesedays he is a successful stockbroker and entrepeneur. On his own, directly in the middle of his homeless life, he amazingly raised his son Christopher Gardner Jr., without even letting him know how awful of trouble they are in. Chris has his eye on stockbroking ever since he saw the "life-changing man" who he claims was driving around a couldasack with his Red Ferrari. Ever since then he has been determined to succeeding even more that he did the previous day, and has become one of the most famous "book to movie" authors ever. (The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith was released in 2006.)

Address to image- http://aalbc.com/reviews/chris_32.jpg

Source-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Gardner

w3 p1

Chapter 1 and 2 - Candy /The No-Daddy Blues

Chapter one starts out with Chris Gardner, the main character, in his "home" growing up, and he vividly describes this "maple syrup candy" that his mother always used to make him. How he'd grasp it with joy and how every bite made him tingle with happyness. He also talks about Betteye, his mother, who accomplished everything in life. He says she has always been loved and never has "he" seen one who hates her. He says that she ran away from home in Louisiana because her father didnt pay for her college which she initally promised him. Chris also talks about his "father," not his real father, but the only one he knows. He is an abusive man with an extremely short temper. Chris describes him as rude and crude. He introduces Sharon, his little sister, who is always enthusiastic about everything, and his baby sister Kim.

Chapter 3 and 4- Wheres Momma?/ Bitches Brew

In Where's Momma, Chris talks alot about his mother and how she has been struggling lately to keep the family under controll. Freddia Triplett, Betteyes's hsband, abuses her constantly, and she is not happy with him. Chris explains his discomfort in the household and how he is longing to get "outta here and inta the world." He occasionally visits his uncle archie who takes him in caringly and doesnt let anyone tell him he cant do something in this world. At about the age of 13 in Bitches Brew, Chris is really growing up to become a mature person. Hes already seeing the perspective of life not many kids his age do and that is that childhood ends someday, and youre going to have to live on your own. He is an extremely smart 13 year old. He is saying how between the ages of 10-14 he keeps recieving training from his uncle to become a "professional golfer," which is his uncles dream for him, yet through all the hardships, chris has his eye on only one thing, becoming a broker.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Post 2-Loaded Words

1.) Death- pg 17, this is a very strong word particularly for the book i'm reading because Chris Garnder (author) has seen and felt alot of death within his life, so seeing someone leave is a huge thing to him. He probobly chose this word to show what times he's been through and to give a sad effect.

2.) Daddies- pg 39, this is really showing how as a child in the orphanage, he and him companions were really fond of a dad, and called him a daddy, showing their closeness to them.

3.) Rage- pg 51. This word really shows the abusiveness of the people who took care of him as a child and how they treated him, and so it was passed onto him and he has to get rid of it.

4.) impossible- pg 51, this Word shows the bielef he has in life, and the way he was raised. He probobly chose to use it to show that he never thought he could make it as far as he ended up making it.

5.) customs- pg 69, this word is very strong in the content of this book. It shows how he adapted to many different styles and customs throughout his childhood.

6.) shotgun-pg 69, this is a straight up scary thought, and that is what hes trying to set in your mind to envision his childhood.

7.) bitches-pg 75, this word plain shows the times he grew up in and the level of vocabulary he has at a very young age. He throws it in there to really get to us about his childhood.

8.) colors- pg 82, although it may not seem like much, colors is very very srtong and loaded. It shows that he has respect for all people and their beliefs no matter the color of their skin (its implied in the phrase the word is in)

9.) crime- 99, crime and mischief is all he grew up around, crime, and those who partake in criminal activity. He used this word to show how he overcame this.

10.) motherfucker, pg 107, simply this shows hos anger as a young man growing up was very tough for him.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Post 1: Pgs. 1-35

So Far in The Pursuit of Happyness, The main Character (Chris Gardner) is at an orphanage and is bieng raised to the best of capabilities at the time. The book starts out with the Prolouge, which lasts about 16 pages and opens the book. It prettymuch sums up the whole book without spoiling it. The Prolouge talks about how Chris overcame his early hardships to become a successful stockbroker. I was really intrigued and was much more excited to read te book after reading the prolouge. It showed me a brief glimpse of how the book was going to flow, and how Chris was going to rise above all and succeed even with a son in his hands. The prolouge (in my opinion) followed the movie very closely, but from what I have heard, the book is much, much different, in the aspect of content, and plotline.

Chapter 1 talked mainly about Chriss life as a young orphan. The whole 1st page explained his favorite food at the time, which was a warm candy made with maple syrup, which made him feel like he was on top of the world. It gave me a glimpse of how the author is going to be writing (very, very discriptive), which i happen to enjoy when reading non-fiction books, because it gives me an excellent idea as to what the scenario looks like, sounds like, smells like, and most importantly feels like.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

My Re-Do Assignment

1.) link:

2.) Author: David Gessner

3.) Title: Experiencing a Feeling of Wildness

4.) Belief that widerness is within us, and the wild, in everyday life and within our souls, the urge to be wild.

5.) 1- He has traveled all over in wilderness, and is a nature writer, and noted that Cape Cod has animals with the wildest spirit ever. From jumping whales to soaring eagles.
2- Held his fathers hand when he died, and he felt his fathers wild soul

6.) "When i was observing my own species, my own family, i felt the two most wild things in my life."

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Anxious

One thing i am anxious about this year is having school with Valley View Kids. Most of my friends from soccer went to VV, so now i can see them everyday. I am also anxious about my classes, will they be hard or no? I am excited to find out, and i hope this year's fun.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007