5/22/08

Well, I haven't blogged in forever, since Jan. when i had to for school assignments and I've recently decided that I should restart my blogging experience. We have been out of school for a week and I have already started working at my "wonderful" job, but i suppose you do what you gotta do to make some green! I decided to take the A.P. English course at my school and well, I already have a "summer" assignment. Which, if it isn't done will affect my first quarter grade greatly, so I suppose that I will have to actually read the book(s)! I will try my best to get that done before the start of school. I hope everyone enjoys their summer while they can becuase it will soon be gone before everyone knows it.

The Red Pony By John Steinbeck

1. physical description of the character- The author doesn’t give a physical description of Alice, but if I had to describe her I would say that she has blonde hair pulled into a long braid that falls over her shoulder, with ocean blue eyes, and a skinny face with high cheek bones. She isn’t supporting a summer tan, but her petite figure makes the red calico dress she wears look flattering.

2. personality of character - Alice Trask is quiet, courteous, and hardly ever shows emotion. She doesn't make decisions for herself and is quite often told what to do.

3. motivation of character - Alice doesn't really have much motivation during the novel because her husband leaves. She goes through trials that don't help motivate her.


4. conflicts the character faces, how that character deals with the conflicts and the outcomes of conflicts - Cyrus, her husband, leaves to go fight

5. changes the character undergoes during the course of the novel. Alice has to deal with her husband leaves for the Army. This stress must have been a great deal because she dies shortly after he leaves.

6. personal connections (or a lack of) you made with the character - I don’t think Alice and I are similar in any way because I’m not quiet, shy, or hardly show emotion. I’m loud, obnoxious, and sarcastic. We are complete opposites.

7. your opinion of the character and his/her/its effectiveness in the novel. I think that Alice wasn't very effective in the novel. She is the second wife to Cyrus Trask and that is probably it. She doesn't have a big role other than just being and understanding wife.

.Night- by Elie Wiesel

Eliezer Wiesel is the main character in the story Night written by Elie (Eliezer) Wiesel. This story is based on events that happened to Elie personally. Elie first experiences Nazis invading his town and then home. Then his mother and sisters are seperated from his father and himself. Later, Elie experiences countless numbers of concentration camps. Shortly after traveling from concentration camp to concentration his father dies. Elie experiences hardship and has to learn to be brave and strong. All of the struggles he encounters in this book make you grateful for how much life has changed. This book is hard to set down once you pick it up, especially if th reader is interested in the Holocaust.

Elie was born in Sighet, a small town in Transylvania. After the war Elie settled in France were he was informed that his two older sisters had survived. For ten years he had a vow of silence and wrote nothing about his war experiences. In 1956 Elie came to America. While in New York he was hit by a taxi-cab and was injured for almost a year. He couldn't leave so while in New York he applied for citizenship. After he recovered he remained in New York and wrote for the The Jewish Daily Forward. Elie was appointed the Chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Council. He and his wife live in New York.

I believe this book is of literary merit because it gives personal occurances during the Holocaust and can open readers eyes to how terribly Jews were treated during WWII. This book is wonderful and will leave the reader thankful for how much better life is.

I was drawn to read Night because it deals with the Holocaust and I am interested in that topic. It is very informational and this book is told from the point of view of someone who has first hand experienced the tradgedy. I think this book would be an informational history guide for students going over the Holocaust. Students who are interested in the Holocaust should consider reading this book. I reccomend this book to students who like the Holocaust or reading about drama and tragedy.

Book Reviews:
http://www.nightthebook.com/home.htm
This site tells about the book, the author, books written after Night, it also gives links to other sites, and The New York Times gives a description of the book. It tells how Wiesel is a nobel prize winner. This site is a great descriptor of the book.

http://www.enotes.com/night-wiesel/?gclid=CIbinOie-Y8CFQwsOAodx0fbMw
This site tells why Wiesel wrote Night. Readers can also publish their own ideas and answer questions about the book. Viewers of this site can also find lesson plans. It is a great site to realize why and how Wiesel wrote this book.

http://www.allreaders.com/Topics/info_5005.asp
This site has a message board and descriptions of other books Wiesel has written. It also gives a plot scheme of the book Night. This site is good if you wish to learn about other book he has written and hopefully will get you interested in reading the rest of the Series for the Night collection.

Cite:
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/wie0bio-1
This site is great if you want to learn more about the author. It is where i got most of my information about why he wrote the book and how his life is dramatically put into an indescribably breath-taking book.

.The Crucible # 2.

1.What was Miller's point in writing The Crucible?
http://www.honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/archive/MillerCrucible.html
This site was composed by Arthur Miller on October 21, 1996. When Miller read a two-volume, thousand page study by the Mayor of Salem, Charles W. Upham, he decided he wanted to write about that period.

2.How are McCarthyism, the Red Scare, Arthur Miller and The Crucible interrelated?
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/SaccoV/redscare.html
I like this site b/c it really describes the Red Scare and McCarthyism. This site is really good if you are confused about what McCarthyism and the Red Scare are. It clears it up nicely.

3.Document other times in American history when 'witch hunts' were conducted and discuss the outcomes of the Salem witch hunt and the other witch hunts you find. What do they all have in common?
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htm
This is another example of witch hunting. White people think that they are supreme and try to elimate the black race, this is similar to the Salem 'Witch Hunts'. Christians in Salem were trying to rid people "possessed" by the Devil. The Ku Klux Klan and Salem witch hunters are similar.

.The Crucible.

1. What was Miller's point in writing The Crucible?
http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/4191/MILLER/millers.html
This site describes exactly why Miller wrote the play and how it relates to the concept of McCarthyism.

2. How are McCarthyism, the Red Scare, Arthur Miller, and the Crucible interrelated?
http://81.255.61.186/us/crucible/Coralie%20and%20Alix/Mc%20Carthyism.html
This site combinies the similarities between McCarthyism, the Red Scare, and the Crucible. It talks a great deal about McCarthyism, somewhat on the Red Scare, and gives character and plot descriptions along with how it relates to McCarthyism for the Crucible.

3. Document other times in American history when 'witch hunts' were conducted and discuss the outcomes of the Salem witch hunt and the other witch hunts you find. What do they all have in common?
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/humanities/Newsletter/Fall%202007/Vargas.htm
The form of witch hunting that is talked about on this site is the Mexican American 'Witch Hunt' during the 1950's during the Red Scare after World War II.