English Blog Reflection

http://emmagracesopersreadingblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-am-about-midway-through-novel-29-by.html

I am very proud of the work I put into my blog posts this summer. I put a lot of time and effort making each one insightful and interesting. The above link is a post of mine that best exemplifies my ability to analyze complex characters. I analyzed Ellie, Lucy, Frida, and Barbara in great detail. In the book 29, by Adena Halpern, these characters are the characters that I found the most intriguing and fully developed. In my post I stated, "Ellie is seventy-five years, but she is young at heart. She is reckless and carefree and quite hilarious!" To describe Ellie's granddaughter I said, "Lucy is spontaneous, just like her grandmother. Ellie admires Lucy because she is so independent and caring, but has fun at the same time." I described Barbara as "...the complete opposite of her mother! She is a critical, close-minded woman who means well, but can sometimes come off as a little stubborn." To describe Ellie's best friend Frida, I said "Frida is sweet and kind but she never really stands up for herself. She is gullible and lets other people manipulate her." Each character in this book has completely different personalities and interests, so I had lots of fun analyzing each of these characters in more depth!

Next year, I intend to keep on continuing blogging what I read. I want to read at least a ten books in my sophomore year of high school. Over the summer I also want to set a goal of reading at least three books because last summer, I barely read at all! I also want to start reading harder texts and at a more high school appropriate level. As far as my writing goes, I am going to work on incorporating even more quotes into my blogs. I am going to go to the library this weekend to get me lots of new books!

 

I am about midway through the novel 29, by Adena Halpern. In this book so far, there has been many plot twists that have really kept me engaged throughout this book. Ellie, a seventy-five year old grandma, woke up one morning and she is twenty-nine again. She tells her granddaughter, Lucy, who promises Ellie the best day of her life. Ellie even meets a cute, young man named Zach;) Meanwhile... Ellie's daughter, Barbara, and best friend, Frida, are worried sick!

CHARACER ANALYSIS

Yes, Ellie is seventy-five years, but she is young at heart. She is reckless and carefree and quite hilarious! She is very close to her granddaughter Lucy, and cannot wait to spend the day with her going to parties, drinking beer, tanning, flirting, and getting a complete makeover. She is probably the wildest grandma out there!

Lucy is a twenty-five year old fashion designer, managing to create a life on her own. Lucy is spontaneous, just like her grandmother. Ellie admires Lucy because she is so independent and caring, but has fun at the same time.

Barbara, Ellie's daughter, is the complete opposite of her mother! She is a critical, close-minded woman who means well, but can sometimes come off as a little stubborn. I think Barbara needs a vacation! She is always worrying about Elli's health and her daughter's future; she just needs to relax a little.

Frida is a sweet, shy, old woman who has been Ellie's best friend almost all of their lives! Frida is sweet and kind but she never really stands up for herself. She is gullible and lets other people manipulate her. I predict that by the end of the story, Frida will doing something noble to shock the reader! :)

Can't wait to read more!! I will keep you updated!

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I am currently reading 29 by Adena Halpern. This novel reminds me of the movie Freaky Friday because both of the the main plots is waking up in a different body. In Freaky Friday, the daughter wakes up as her mother, and her mother wakes up as her daughter. In 29, Ellie wakes up as a younger version of herself. I have enjoyed this book so far it makes me laugh and is written in good detail. The author's style of writing is very dramatic and lively. Adena Halpern also does a good job of incorporating allusions into her text. For example in this novel Ellie says," 'Let's get this day started. Cinderella goes back at midnight' " (Halpern 50).

In this novel, Ellie, a seventy-five year old grandmother wished to be twenty-nine again for one day. The next day, Ellie wakes up and finds that her wish came true! That morning, Ellie's best friend Frida, and her daughter, Barbara call her. Ellie decides to keep this a secret from them so she tells Frida that she will be with Barbara for the day, and she tells Barbara that she will be with Frida.

Ellie's clothes do not fit her anymore so she goes out shopping, when she returns to her apartment she is shocked and horrified to see her granddaughter, Lucy. Ellie is just a stranger to Lucy though... so Lucy screams at Ellie, asking her where her grandmother is. Ellie gives up and tells Lucy everything. After Lucy calms down, they agree to hang out together the whole day and do things twenty-nine year olds do. They even talk about meeting up with cute boys ;) ;) Meanwhile, Frida and Barbara are discovering that Ellie is not at either of their houses. The message of this book is to be thankful for every moment of your life, and spend each moment to the fullest.

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I have just started reading 29,  by Adena Halpern. It is a comedy/fictional novel about a seventy-five year old woman name Ellie, who hates being old. On Ellie's seventy-fifth birthday her daughter, Barbara takes her out to eat to celebrate. Although this was a kind gesture, Ellie did not want to celebrate her birthday because she didn't want to be reminded of her old age. At the party, Ellie's granddaughter, Lucy comes along who is a beautiful twenty-five old with an amazing life. Ellie envies Lucy because Lucy has a good education, she isn't being pressured to get married, and of course, she is gorgeous. When Ellie was nineteen, her mother made her get married to an older man named Howard whom she didn't even like that much. He recently died to years ago, though. At that time, in the early 1950's, woman were not encouraged to be highly educated. Ellie found this unfair and sexist. She wishes that she could go back in time and re-do everything.

So, can you guess what Ellie's birthday wish is? Her wish is to be twenty-nine again for just one day. When she wakes up the next morning Ellie feels... strange. She notices that her voice is high-pitched, she feels more lively, and her vision is actually clear! When she looks in the mirror she is speechless when she sees her reflection. On page 24 it says, "My face! The skin was smooth, with no wrinkles. The skin around my eyes was tight. There wasn't a crow's foot to be seen." Ellie suddenly gets very worried and tells her daughter and best friend that she cannot see them today. They are very suspicious...

This book is quite hysterical! I recommend it to anyone who wants an easier read and loves to laugh! The author, Adena Halpern does an amazing job using imagery in her writing. For example, when Ellie describes her aged body she says, "I don't know what happened - my body just... sagged. It looks like... oh, you know when you put too much paint on a wall and it starts to drip down? That's what my body looks like" (Halpern 13).I predict that Ellie is going to not return to seventy-five the next day. What will she do if this is the case?

 

Satire

 

McDonalds real slogan is "I'm lovin' it." This slogan wants the audience to believe that their food tastes really good. McDonalds also advertises a really happy and fit Ronald as their mascot who is always playing outside and staying active. The satirical advertisement shows a fat Ronald with a slogan of "still lovin' it?" The purpose of this advertisement is to make the audience realize that eating McDonalds will make you fat because their food is horrible for you. This slogan mocks the original slogan by asking the consumer, "Will you still love McDonalds after your obese?" I know this advertisement is an example of satire because it uses innuendo, stereotype, hyperbole, farce, and burlesque. This is a type of Horatian Satire because it is humorous and produces a wry smile from the audience (not anger, like Juvenalian).

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/06/05/krista-ramsey-shashank-lakhia/10041985/

In A yoga teacher’s gifts: stillness, serenity, peace by Krista Ramsey it talks about a yoga teacher named Shashank, who is a yoga teacher who has been teaching his students about inner peace and relaxation for 13 years. His teachings has had such an impact on all of his students and they even incorporate his lessons outside of the yoga studio. 

In this column Ramsey describes Shan as, "The rescuer who threw us a lifeline to save us from drowning in the shallowness of our culture." This quote uses both diction and syntax. Diction are the words chosen and syntax is the word order. I really liked how Ramsey used a metaphor to describe him. Ramsey could've just said that he was always helping us calm down bit she didn't. I also liked how she called him a rescuer because most people probably just think of Shan as a great man, not a "rescuer".  This word really allows us to captivate just how amazing Shan is. He saved many people from their anxiety and burdens in life. Then, Ramsey goes on to explain that he threw a lifeline out to us. This really helped me realize how much our lives were wrapped up in social media. We could all use someone lime Shan in our lives.

I think Ramsey's writing style is very dramatic and deep and she likes giving descriptions to set up clear pictures in the reader's mind. For example in, For better vision, kids need outdoors, Ramsey says, "Your teenager at the dinner table, waiting for his checkup at the orthodontist's office, sauntering to his car - continually hunched over his smartphone or iPad. " This gives the reader something to visualize and connect to. In Super Bowl QBs score points for great style, is says, "you probably wonder why you keep bothering. Keep bothering." The author does this to be dramatic and add an emphasis on these two words, even though it is not grammatically correct.  In A yoga teacher’s gifts: stillness, serenity, peace it says, "And – oddly, wonderfully – when we stop pursuing the empty goals of self-promotion and consumption, we stop feeling that we ourselves are so pursued." Ramsey uses this quote to make us think.

If I could ask Ramsey three questions I would ask her...
1) What is your favorite thing to write about?
2) Do you enjoy your job?
3) Does writing come naturally to you, or no? 

I have finally finished A Child Called It, by David Pelzer! It was one of the most eye-opening and touching book I might ever read! This book made me cry so hard. My mind just cannot wrap around the idea that a little child can be so abused. This book made me recognize just how grateful I am. I have two loving parents, as much food as I can eat, a bed to sleep in, and more. David did not have any of this. David spent countless hours doing chores, being beaten, starved, anything his mother could think up!

Mother's new form of torture was to order Dave to take off all of his clothes and lay in a bathtub face down for hours. And one time she even forced his head completely below the surface and almost killed the boy. Then after he got done with his "bath," Mother made him sit outside in forty degree weather for hours, while the rest of his family sat inside and shared a meal. David was almost for sure that he would die. But then after a few months of her brutal beatings, she sat Dave down and told him she was sorry. She hugged him and said that everything was going to be okay, and that all the punishments were over. Dave was shocked, and to his surprise Mother stayed true to her promise for a few days. She fed him, let him watch TV, and even let David play with his brothers. But only a few days... until she went back to her evil ways.

David lost all hope. He even wanted to die. He wished that mother would show him mercy and just kill him. David's father (who used to be the only person he could trust), walked out on David and his family. David then started doing things purposefully to agitate Mother. He did his chores sloppily in hopes that Mother would beat him to death afterward. He hated the whole world, and most of all, God. Although, in the very last few lines of the book David says,"I clasped my hands together, bent my head down, closed my eyes and prayed with all my heart... with peace in my heart, I whispered, '...and deliver me from evil. Amen'" (Pelzer 153).

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