40 Book Challenge 10.14.15

A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer
Prompt:

- If you could talk to the author, what questions would you ask? Why?

- How have your feelings changed as you’ve been reading?
Pages: 1-51

     If I could talk to the author one question I would ask is how did you overcome your mother, especially at a very young age? I would ask that question because The obstacles he faced with his mother were devastating and surprising. I would never expect mother would hit their own child so I wanted to see his viewpoint on the obstacles you face against his mother. In the book it says that David's mother would slam his head against the mirror when he didn't do his chores, which were also a lot for a child. I am very surprised that he survived the brutal beatings by his mother and that is why I asked the question how did you overcome your mother especially at a very young age?

     Another question I would ask the author is what was the trigger for the brutal beatings that your mother has given you? I would ask that question because I do not understand how a mother would hit or hurt their children for no apparent reason. In the book it says that she would make him look for a lot of things she has lost for months. She also did not allow him to eat dinner or breakfast sometimes, The only breakfast he got was leftover cereal from his brothers the day before, so he never really got his own plate. I was very surprised how his mother could brutally beat him like it said in the book so that is why ask what was the trigger for the brutal beatings that your mother has given you?

     My feelings have changed dramatically why I was reading the book. In the first section of the book the author explained how his mother gave them brutal beatings from not doing his chores, not behaving, and she just hit him for the heck of it. I personally felt that the mother was a horrible person because of how the author described her in the book, but as I kept on reading there was a section in the book which stated his mother before the brutal beatings. That that section had showed me that the mother was not a bad person before, she would take her kids out to vacation and do a lot for them and really care for all her children. My feelings have changed dramatically because he went from horrible mother to mother that everyone would want. As I continue reading I want to figure out what was the trigger for the mound doing the brutal beatings her son.

"My Hero"

My father was a hero

to everyone he met.

He knew about life.

He said If you outwork the 

other students and never 

give up, you will win

the race one day.

He said work hard in 

school, and maybe

someday you can

help yourself and 

your family.

He said that the good

thing about words is they 

can also bring life into

our spirits.

He said the poor and ill

are described as beetles, 

but they are heaven's angels.

I have showed him that I 

am a success, his success.

He might still be a hero

tragic and flawed,

but a hero, my hero.

OBAA and AOW Comparison

     In Of Beetles and Angels and in "For many Syrians in Lebanon and Jordan, now it is time to go" some similarities between them are refugees, and organizations trying to help the refugees. In Of Beetles and Angels the refugees are Mawi and Tewolde. They both left Ethiopia and lost their home, friends, possible education, and extended family. In my article "For many Syrians in Lebanon and Jordan, now it is time to go" one specific refugee was Zeid Saad, it azstated, " ...Saad, a refugee expressed concern about the precarious journey through Syria. But he had no other choice, he said as he clutched his wife’s hand.“We either live in dignity or die trying,' he said.'" This shows that many refugees are facing challenges such as leaving home and going through difficult journeys, that they will overcome. 

      In Mawi's story and in my article some similarities are hard working and kind people. In Mawi's story it states, "The other half of the class wouldn't have voted for the cool kids if their life depended on it... the cool kids had made them feel like beetles. I hadn't. And that's how I got elected. I had treated everyone like and angel." This is showing how you are to people, such as being kind and hard-working, which will help in future problems or events. In my article it explained how many people would not give up and will continue to work towards freedom and dignity for their family. Overall both sources show how being a kind and hard working person can get you far.

     War affects individuals and society in many ways. In the book, Of Beetles and Angels it explains how Mawi's father was shaped because of the war. He said, "But you, our children, work hard at school and finish the university, maybe someday you can help yourselves and hero your family too." He learned many great characteristics including not giving up, doing your best, persevering throughout anything you do, and always to be thankful for what you have. In the article it states, '"I am going back into hell,' Zeid Saad, 28, a refugee from the Damascus countryside, said recently as he prepared to enter Syria from Jordan with his wife. After living in Jordan for two years, he said, he had run out of money and hope.'" This is how war affects the society, many people just give up because they have lost everything they once thought was their home.

SUMMER READING - Blog Four

Tales from the Odyssey
By Mary Pope Osborne
Prompt(s) -
* Describe the main character.
* What were some problems the characters faced? How did the character overcome the problems? Explain.
Page: Finished Book

     The main character is Odyssey, he is the king of Ithaca. Ithaca is an island in Ancient Greece. He enjoyed tending his fields and orchards, working as a craftsman, and carpenter. Odyssey was tall. strong, brave, brave, courageous, and clever. He had auburn hair and bright eyes. The twenty years of war he was the only man that lived, all his soldiers died. He was held captive at the Calypso Island and he just wanted to go home to his family and friends. He eventually found his way home after all the hardships he had to face.

     Telemachus, the son of Odyssey problem was he had to get home. His mothers suitors plan to kill him though. He can't sail home because the suitors wait for him on the Island of Samos, which is rights before Ithaca. He sails through the island but cannot be near the shore. The gods then send a wind to speed his ship on a safe port. He then makes it home not killed.

     Odyssey and Telemachus must defeat Penelope's suitors. They asked for the help of Zeus and Athena, and they do help. The next morning Telemachus goes home alone and Odyssey disguises himself as a beggar and travels to the palace. Then Athene whispers to Odyssey that it is time to fight he nods to Telemachus and then they took all the swords, spears, and shields from the hall. Then hide them upstairs in a room.

SUMMER READING - Blog Three

Tales from the Odyssey
By Mary Pope Osborne
Prompt(s) -
* Explain how you have been surprised by what you are reading.
* Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the
character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what
would you do differently?
Page: 0 - 136

    One way I have been surprised by my reading is since Odyssey, the king of Ithaca, has been gone for over two decades there are suitors who invade his home and crops. They want to marry the queen, but she waits till her husband comes home. The suitors slaughter his oxen, cows, horses, and etc. They also drink his best wine and best bread. The servants there are treated horribly by the suitors. The demand to marry the Queen, the suitors come from many lands and try and take his land, money and power. I just find it unbelievable that these men ruin his home and demand to marry his wife after he survived the war and is captive.

    One problem Odyssey had to face was how he was going to defeat Troy, since they were in war. They solved it by him and his workers making a huge wooden horse as a gift to Troy. The people in Troy thought it was a gift and it showed they had won the war, but Odyssey and his best soldiers were in the horse. Later that night they all got out and they defeated Troy. Which was a great idea.

     If I were that character I wouldn't of even thought of an idea like that. He had to find a way in the only way he could was to be unseen and he was unseen in that huge wooden horse. Since Troy was guarded by huge walls they couldn't climb over them so they did what was smart. I probably would of just went through the front doors, I thought it was the only way. 

SUMMER READING - Blog Two

My Side of the Mountain
By Jean Craighead George
Prompt(s) -
* Describe what was either believable or unbelievable about your reading.
Defend your opinion.
*What were some problems the characters faced? How did the character overcome the problems? Explain.
Page: Finished book

His fishhook

   What was unbelievable to me was that Sam had actually survived in the wild for over a year. He used all the resources around him to make a life in a forest. He made fires, fishing rods, pancakes, a home inside a tree, and etc. I don't think just any regular kid can make any of the things Sam Gribley had done on his own. He even tamed a falcon on his own. That falcon got him food and was  a companion, just like a dog. That was unbelievable to me.

     One problem the character faced was the harsh winter. In the fall he was thinking ahead and hunted deer. He got one so out of the skin he made a blanket and clothes so that he would be warm in the winter. He also got another deer and used that to make a door so the wind wouldn't blow in his tree home. What he also did was he gathered a lot of food so that he would have enough food throughout the winter. He made a "fridge" sort of thing so he can store all the fish he got.

   


     Another problem he faced was people hiking and camping in the woods. Many people came in the mountains and if they found Sam their they would call the police to take him back home. He didn't want to do that at all, so he would hide in his tree home when he heard people. Sometimes he wasn't close to his home so he was seen. He just made up lies so the people wouldn't call the police. He did meet this one guy that saw he had made a home in the mountains but they became friends and he visited him a lot.

SUMMER READING - Blog One

My Side of the Mountain
By Jean Craighead George
Prompt(s) -
* Tell me about the main character. What kind of person is he/she?
* Is the setting described well? If so, then describe the setting.
Page: 0 - 90

   The main character is Sam Gribley. He is a teenage boy that leaves his home to live in the forest. He values his privacy and independence since he grew up in a family of eleven in a New York City apartment. When he arrives in the woods he realizes quick that he has to learn a lot in the woods. He is resilient, determined and intelligent. The longer he lives alone in the woods, the more he learns and the more content he is with his isolation on the mountain, living in the natural world. He is also is very friendly even though he is alone in the woods most of the time. He meets several people and greats them in the mountains and overall is a great host.

     I think the setting is well described. The author basically paints a picture in my mind. I can see everything he is describing. This book takes place in the 1950s in the Catskill Mountains of Eastern New York. Sam looks for his great grandfathers farm which is surrounded by mountains, giant trees, meadows, and lots of rivers. He makes his home inside of a tree near a small area of water. The forest he is alone, except for the animals like deer, raccoon, his falcon, weasels, skunks, fish, and many birds.

   

      His home is basically a remote place. The nearest town is several miles away, Delhi. The mountains are not filled with hikers. The summer and spring many hikers, hunters, and campers come in the Catskill Mountains. His tree home is built perfectly and he makes sure it is good enough during the winter. He has a bed, fireplace, and a place for his bird to stay in his home. He makes his door out of deer skin he tanned, smoked, and dried himself.