making a difference.

in this NBC nightly news segment the nightly news pays homage to thoese people who are truly making a diffeerence in an extrodanary way. like i remeber one about these two women who started up a "sosp kitchen". the reason i put quotaions around soup kitchen  is because they serve more then soup. the place is called love kitchen and every thing is free.


the one i saw that i can remeber best is one about the peace corp. after 15 years of a long civil war in sierra leon, the peace corp has returned. they had to pull out because the war was to much for them to handle. but after 15 years their back to help the people of sierra leon. i think this article is cool because it has alot of information that i didn't know before. i didn't realize there was a civil war in sierra leon. in all i love the segmant in the news.  feel with out it these people who do some much to help others, when they some times themselves don't have alot, wouldn't be known. personally i think these people deserve a meddle of some sort. yeah so i guess that's all i have to say about that for now.

charlotte's

In the book charlotte's web by e.b. white, this idea of wilbur still being a child comes up alot.Like in chapter two there is a picture of Fern pushong wilbur around in a baby cariage. this is back when wilbur was still considered to be a runt and looks like a baby in a cariage.The next time that I saw this come up in was chapter three the escape. In the end of the chapter, after wilbur is put back in his pen, he says, "I'm really too yong to be alone in the world." So, this idea of wilbur still being a child really links into one of the themes in the book birth and new life. Birth and new life is shown in many chapters. in the chapter summer days, seven of goose's eight eggs hatch, in the chapter egg sac, charlotte starts making the egg sac and is coming closer to her death. In the last chapter a warm wind three spiders stay behind and wilbur names them Joy,Nellei,and Arnea. in fact in the end of the book it turns out that wilbur is more of a father figure.

from mother to son

the poem mother to son is truly one of Langston hughs' greatest poems in my opinion. it is great because of the dialect used in it. i love the fact that there is this metaphor that lasts through out. it is the metaphor of life being a stare case this is different for everyone. i like how the mother keeps coming back to this idea of life isn't a crystal. that life has been had for her but she has lasted. i think the poem is kind of a pep talk for Langston. his mother is saying " you can't give up. did you see how hard this was for me. you have no reason to give up.


i love the repetition. the she keeps saying. "now life ain't but you climbin and cralling and working up."

final draft

in the book the giver by Lois Lowery there are many different things that can be focused on for an appreciation essay. there is the idea that the community being a metaphor for Communism. there's the idea of different levels of brain wash in the community. but i don't really understand what is so evil about communism. and i don't really see what it is so extremely cool about brain wash, and i can't really connect to either of those. there is one thing though that i can connect with that isn't necessarily present until mid way through the book. it's the idea of jonas' struggle. his struggle for the truth, during life,and for explanation.

in the beginning of the book Jonas is just like every one else. confused and lied to. he doesn't really care about the truth. he does all the rituals everyone else does. but he still does struggle with every day life. he doesn't really start caring about the truth until the giver starts transmitting the memories to him. the thing is the community doesn't tell it's citizen much. Jonas doesn't know what animals are. the community has a climate controller and so no one in the community has experienced snow. i can't figure out though why the community would do this.

i think through out the book Jonas starts learning about the truth. he learns about colors and about animals. he learns of war and death. he tries to tell his best friend Asher about colors but for some reason Asher can't see them. there is also these things called releases. the community kills people but covers it up and doesn't tell the citizens. the community doctors inject people and some times babies with a poisonous substance. they kill people when they reach a certain age and if babies are not a certain height or weight they "release" said people.

in the final chapter jonas' struggles to face the truth. he realizes there is no reason to stay behind in the community. the gravity of the situation that he been in finally sinks in. he knows if stays behind he will be brought to death. he needs to leave and leave fast.i appreciate the entire final chapter jonas' struggle is totally present. there are planes going after him. he is facing harsh weather conditions he has never faced. with the addition of baby gabriel this is true evidence of jonas' struggle.

in conclusion, this book has many wonderful aspects of it, and is truley one of the only things i remember from fifth grade. i must have read this book so many times, because when i opened it again in eighth grade this year i already knew the first line.i understand jonas' struggle. i can relate, i try to do things right in school, but i just don't and it just starts to pile up. eventually it will fall in the same way it happend to jonas. i really do love this book and i get this feeling every time i open it. thank you for reading this apprecation.

1st Draft Appreciation

  

 In the book The Giver by Lois Lowery the shadow in the book I think is the community. But what I appreciate is that the community is in a way symbolism for Communism.

 In the beginning of the book the main character Jonas, is just like every one else. Confused and lied to. He followed all the rituals the community had. The community to me is very disturbing. There are no personal feelings. They have to talk about dreams, feelings and most thoughts. They really don't have much freedom. And the community didn't tell them anything about the outside world, they just know their small town. I personally like the disturbing undertone of brain wash that flows in and out through the entire book.

 I appreciate that only certain people can see color. It’s like there is no uniqueness in this place and then when someone finds something special about them selves instead of feeling special they feel different. In one point in the book Jonas tries to tell Asher his best friend about colors and he doesn't know how to explain colors. I like the fact that some how the community took out the ability of seeing color. It’s confusing.