Poetry Out Loud.

For Poetry Out Loud I initially chose the poem "Catch a Little Ryhme". The reason I chose that poem beacuse every line ryhmed in the stanza. Also it had a really catchy rhythm to it when I would say it out loud. After I got feedback about the poem and how I would not a very good grade in the competition if I used it I decided to change my poem to "Mother to Son". This peom is really a very nice peom. It is about a mother telling her son about her life and how she does not want him to give up no matter what.I really like how it is written and the diction of the poem. Also the message of the poem is a very stong one.

On the other hand, I am really nervous about the competition on Monday. I am afraid that I will forget parts of my peom or freeze up in front of the whole class. What I am doing to prevent that from happening is I am going to recite my peom every night like two times and practice how I am going to say it by putting meaning into it. I have maked up my poem according to how I want to say it so I am prepared. i think this will be a new and exciting experience!

How the book impacted me.

Honestly I think I have a changed a little from reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I have changed by thinking about other people in situations or in just gereral. When I see someone I think to myself like I wonder what their life is like or I wonder what is somthing tough things they have gone through. I am also more open to things and more understanding to little things. How I changed is based on a lesson that Atticus teaches Scout, that you don't really know a person until you step into thier shoes and walk around a little.

High school so far has changed me a ton already. Even in english, from reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I have changed. I try not to judge people so much. I will be able to keep it to myself of catch myself maybe saying something that has no meaning at all but still stop myself. I am glad that we reald the book. It truly opened my eyes up to a lot things!

The Road Not Taken.

The Road Not Taken by, Robert Frost is a poem about different choices. Some of these choices or desicions you can't make again. One road may be the one that everyone has traveled on and the other one nobody has. The road less traveled by could either be good or bad but you will never know until you take it, "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." After you pick which road you want to take, you are stuck for good.

This, in a way is like choosing what classes you want to take or what sports you want to play. Say you decided to do winter drill team and you already signed up but then after you make the decision you can't rewind and decide to play basketball even you you really, really want too. Or when you have the chance to get into honors english but you choose not to give yourself the chance to get accepted but, when the school year starts you think to yourself I really wish I tried to get into honors english but now, it's to late.

The Movie.

The scene that I am going to talk about is the whole court case. Mostly the court was very similar to what I imagined. At the court in the movie Mayella looked really nervous and I didn't picture her that being that nervous and the book because the book didn't make hre sound nervous so I didn't picture her that way . She also seemed like she had more to say in the book. Same with Tom Robinson, in the book he talked a little more then in the move. Also Atticus was a lot nicer in the court room in the movie then in the book. In the book some of the things he said were not very nice so I pictured him differently. Scout, Jem and Dill were all were exactly what I pictured in the court room. I my head I could see Jem clenching on the the rail with his eyes locked on everything going on. I also pictured Scout looking through the railing and Dill sitting my Reverend Sykes.

I thought that a lot of the actors did a good job protraying their roles in the movie and came out how I pictured it from the book. Bob Ewell was one that I didn't picture in my head how he was played in the movie. He seemed like he was a violent person and he always seemed drunk. I could picture him being drunk form some descriptions in the book but never that drunk. To wrap it up I really liked the book and I am looking forward to watching the rest of the movie.

Life Lessons.

We are coming to the end of the book To Kill a Mockingbird and Scout and Jem have learned many life lessons from the adults around them. I think that a big life lesson in the book is taught by Aunt Alexandra to Scout about being a lady. Scout is always around Jem, Dill and Atticus and without a mother she teds to pick up on their habbits. In chapter 13 Aunt Alexandra comes to town and she tells Sout why she is here, "We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence.." (pg. 127). I think what she is saying to Scout is that she is going to start to teach her how to become more lady and more feminine.
Also on page 229 Aunt Alexandra says to Scout, " Stay with us, Jean Louise," and inside her head Scout was thinking, "This was a part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady." Having Scout stay with all of the ladies Aunt Alexandra is teaching Scout to be lady like and being surrounded by other ladies helped. This was a big life lesson in the book for Scout. When I was a kid my mom would tell me if I was doing something that was not "lady like" because that was not cool to act like a boy and so I would listen to her because I wanted to stay cool and do what my mom told me to do.

EXTRA CREDIT :)

The first six weeks of school have been great! I have enjoyed every minute of everyday! Mrs. Gilman's class is the cherry on top of my sunday everyday, I love to be in that class! To Kill a Mockingbird is a really good book and I am glad that we are reading it. The test and assignments are reasonable and easy beacause you know the information that you need to study in order to suceed. I understand things that we are learning and I am picking up things that I never really knew about because I am interested in what we are learning about unlike recent classes that were not fun, or interesting where I just dozed off and didn't really care.

English has also always been my favorite subject becasue I love to write. I expecially like creative writting, like stories. I think that this year we will hopefully be doing a lot of writting like that. Mrs. Gilman seems like a really cool teacher who knows what she is doing and she is open and helpful. I can't wait for the rest of the year! GO ENGILSH:) Haha.

Themes.

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird there are many themes that are shown. The one theme that stands out a lot in the book is the racism/ prejudice theme. The book was also set in the south and the time when racism was common in the United States. There is always at least one example on the page showing a raciest comment or saying. One that stands out all the time in the book is when people are talking, they are constantly saying things like N-word, N-word lover and so on. A clear example is on pg. 180 where Mayella Ewell said, "I said come here, nigger, and bust off this chiffarobe for me, I gotta nickel for you." This shows that white people are still considered better then black people.
Another way racism is show is in the Tom Robinson case. The colored people have there own section and seperated from the white people. Also people side with the white folk when Tom Robinson was convicted of rape even though there was plenty of evidence proving that he wasn't guilty. This proves that white people still think they are better then colored people and have more right to mostly everything.

Atticus as a father.

I think that Atticus is a very loving, kind father but he does not show his kids that he loves them by just saying I love you but by teaching them lessons and things for life. Right now Atticus has a lot on him mind especially the case that he is deffending. It does not really bug Jem and Scout that much though, "I said that Atticus didn't worry about anything. Besides, the case never bothered us except about once a week and then it didn't last"(pg 138). I still think that Atticus is a true caring father and right now he is just going though a hard time with the case and Jem and scout know that. Also it was very smart of Atticus when he was having a conversation with Uncle Jack because he wanted Scout to listen. He talked about how she needs to be more lady like and he was also trying to get the message across that she should not judge people by the first impression. Atticus didn't need to Jem all of this because he is growing up and he is learning these things.

Atticus is not like my parents at all. My mom and dad are more direct with me and will tell me to my face about things. My dad is also a laywer and he still trys to find time to talk to me and my brothers even if he is going though a big case at the moment. My parents are also more involved with things I do unlike Atticus who lets Jem and Scout doing activities on their own instead of doing something with them. I would not want a father like that.

Stereotyping and Racism.

Clearly in the first couple of chapters racism was a common talk or brought up in many conversations. On pg. 37 was a clear example of this: "Don't you believe a word he says, Dill" I said. "Calpurnia says thats nigger-talk."
Jem scowled darkly at me, but said, " Well are we going to play anything or not?"
The term "nigger-talk" probably something that Scout have never heard before so when she said it Jem gave her a look even though Scout didn't know why.
I think Scout is an inocent kid. She is in the first grade and is in an enviroment around her where racist comments and trems are used in a conversation. She does not know any better so from the things she has heard and she is picking up asuming that they are okay just becasue she does not know any better. So I don't blame Scout for repeating something that she heard even though it is not right.

This is my first post! Hahaa, Best thing about English.

Hello.
So far, I think that the best thing that we have done in english is writing a letter to Mrs. Gilman about our selvs and lives. Having us write those was a good and different way for her to get to know us better. I enjoy to writting about myself and it is easy and fun! This assignment was also was my favorite because we were able to tell her about what we did this summer and about things that we like to do in our spare time. I hope we get another chance to write a story or something fun and interesting!
-Alessa

Boo Radley.

My first impression of Boo Radley what that he was a little on the creppy side and he likes children. I think the reason that Boo likes little kids is because he has never really be exposed to them. He has been locked up in his house so that is also why he is considered crazy. He also stabbed his dad in the leg just as he was walking by and then returned to his scapbooking, "Boo drove the scissors into the parent's legs, pulled them out, and wiped them on his p ants, and resumed his activites" (pg.11). I am not really sure if he even knows what to do with himself. I feel a a tiny bit bad fro Boo but also I would be a scarred of him and all of these stories would help keep all the kids away from the Radley's all together.
I think that I am more like Scout because she makes her first impressions by stories she has heard and by the things that she sees and asumes. I am not really like that but in her position I think I would be.