REFLECTION

     I think http://makennatemplesreadingblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/setting-there-are-various-settings-in.html is my best blog post because I described why each setting was important and I put a lot of detail into where the setting was located. I think this post stands out among my other post because I put in a lot of detail and description into it and I gave evidence of why I thought it was the setting.
     The goals I have for next trimester in reading are:
1- to be close to finishing one book each month.
2- to keep track of the setting, conflict, characterization, etc. so I don't have to go back in the book to find that.
3- to improve on reading faster.
4- for writing I feel like I should back up my writing with more evidence.
5- record meaningful quotes in the books I will read.
An area of improvement I would like to work on for reading is to be able to read me efficiently and faster, to stay with the book and not give up on it if it gets boring. An area of improvement I would like to work on for writing would be to use more evidence or quotes to back up my writing, and to make the all my claims more detailed and descriptive.

 

THEME

    the theme in the book "It's kind of a funny story" is there is more than what meets the eye. I choose that as my theme because a normal person walking by Noelle would just see her scars and think she self harms and that she's strange or crazy. Craig gets to know Noelle and he says beneath all those scars there is a beautiful personality. In the end of this book It shows how people suffer from mental illnesses and how they are just like the rest of us. It's easy to just make a quick snap judgement if someone does something you think is weird. Once you strip away what you see is odd you start to see the true beauty of the person underneath the mental illness.

CHARACTERIZATION

    In the book "Its kind of a funny story", all the main characters have some kind of mental illness. For example Noelle self harms and Muqtada is terrified of the world. Knowing their condition, Vizzini provides a real look for these people. The reader can see all of they're flaws but also how beautiful the character is and they're personality. The first thing the readers learn abut the characters is their mental illness. The first words that come from Craig in the beginning of the book are "It's hard to speak when you want to kill yourself." Those first words already show that he is suicidle and depressed. Another example is when you first meet Bobby he is screaming about how there is a fire in his bed, showing his schizophrenia. Noelle shows that she's depressed by all the scars she has made on her face. Craig gets to meet the real Noelle and the beauty underneath those scars. Craig was looking past  her condition and looking for her personality. In the mental hospital you learn their flaws and who they really are. 
 

CONFLICT

   The main conflict is Craig's internal conflict. With his depression he feels overwhelmed with what's all happening. He has a hard time dealing with all this stress. He uses phrases such as "Evil things that invade my life." All he's doing is waiting for a change to happen, when he doesn't feel depressed any more and that he is able to cope with life. All these thoughts in his head keep him at constant war with himself. The only thing that keeps him going is the little soldier he made up in his head. He keeps telling Craig that he needs to get back when he falls down, that this hurting doesn't last forever.  Or Craig has bad thoughts like wanting to commit suicide, that all he ever does is fail, he's not good enough, etc. Craig is always at war with himself because one voice in his head is telling her not to go on and the other one is telling him that everything is okay and to stay strong.

SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM

   An important symbol in "Its kind of a funny story" is 'tentacles'. Craig uses this word a lot, it symbolizes the things in his life that hold him back and stress him out. The biggest example would be his difficult school. Mainly in homework, reading, etc. that he is constantly behind on.
   Another important symbol in this book is 'anchors'. When Craig uses this word he is describing the things in his life that he feels like grounds him. when he was little he drew maps and those played as anchors for several years. As his depression worsened he lost all the anchors in his life. When he started to improve he went back to the maps. Once again they began to play as anchors. Craig also considers his parents as anchors.

SETTING:

   There are various setting's in this book, the first one takes place in New York. This setting is important because all the cites represent a number of things for the main character Craig. When he was younger he lived in Manhattan. Back then was a sucess for him.  Currently he lives in Brooklyn, by a bridge. Craig keeps dreaming of when he gets older he will cross that bridge, bothe literally and figuratively. He wants to make his mark on the world. Another setting would be where he attends school, Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School. This setting doesnt last long because all the emotional distress of getting accepted quickly escalates to a suicidal episode, which lands him right in a mental hospital. In the mental hospital he has new neighbors, a girl who has scarred her face with scissors, and President Armelio that was self elected. At the hospital Craig has to face confronting the sources of his anxiety.

Summer Reading

In the book "The Blind Side" a sixteen year old named Michael Oher was an "oversized" African American that grew up in a bad part of town in Memphis. when he was little he got taken away from his house because he mother was a drug addict and he never knew his father. He was put in foster care but he would always run away and find different places to sleep. Michael is accepted into Wingate Christian School, an exclusive private school, despite his low 0.6 GPA. After Michael started attending classes at Wingate, most of his teachers believe he is unteachable, except his science teacher, Mrs. Boswell. He began to understand that he learns in a different way. One day he was walking along the streets alone when Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy passed him in the car. When they had realized that he was homeless they drove back and Leigh invited Michael to stay with them at they're house for one night. That one night turned into several. Michael was treated like family. Leigh is completely understanding Michael as a person, giving him opportunities such as what Coach Cotton initially saw in Michael as a potential left tackle. Leigh showed the coach different ways he could teach Michael because he learns different from other kids. Although his academic level is keeping him from moving on with football. Living in his new home, Michael faces different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Michael works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, he becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. I think the author is trying to tell us that you cant give up on yourself. Even if no one believes in you, you have to believe in yourself. It doesn't matter who you are or what your past is, you can always reach your goal. All you have to do is work hard and you will achieve greatness.