Harrison Bergeron

    The short story "Harrison Bergeron" is about a society where everyone is made to be equal by handicapping people who are any better off than the lowest member of the society. Those handicaps are things like covering good looks, stopping smart people from thinking by putting crazy sounds in their ears, and making physically strong people carry weights. 

   In the story, Harrison is not only good looking, smart and very strong, he also possesses the ability to fly. In the end of the story Harrison and a girl he chooses are shot dead by the Handicapper General. I thought the story was depressing and weird. I did not enjoy it, it made me angry. It did make me think.

   First, who is handicapping everyone? It tells us the H-G men think up the handicaps. Second, how do they enforce the laws? We know the H-G men took Harrison away. But who decides who the H-G men are and are they handicapped? If they were handicapped, then how would they focus to think of handicaps for other people? Why is everyone supposed to be equal? It tells us its to avoid the dark ages of competing. Hazel also comments that someone did the best with what God gave him. So, do they believe in God? And if it is good to use the best that God gave you, then why the handicaps? 

Week 5 Comments

maryfrancis's 

Charles' Blog

Exceptional Spot

   There once was a boy named John who had a most exceptional dog named Spot. John loved this dog. He had yellow hair on his head and the rest of him was white with black spots. Spot never barked or bit anyone, well, except for that one time.
   It was a typical Sunday, John and Spot were sitting down on the couch enjoying football while John was scratching Spot's belly. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. It was a hairbrush salesman, or he claimed to be anyway. John, being the nice guy he was, let the fella in and offered him a beverage. With his back turned, the "salesman" hit John and headed for John's wallet. Spot, growled and jumped simultaneously with his teeth landing directly on the "salesman's" forearm. A blood vessel burst and the "salesman" dropped the wallet and was out the door to the sidewalk before Spot released him.
   John woke from the hit to find Spot's mouth covered in blood and resting peacefully on the couch.

Week 4 comments

Dear 10 year old

Dear 9-year old

Narratives

Narratives
   The are two parts of the process of writing a personal narrative that I have enjoyed the most. The first is remembering memories about events that happened to me. I remember how I felt at the time and how some of my feelings now are so different. Part of those emotions are that I know how things turned out and at the time I was dealing with the unknown. I think life is like that and it has been interesting for me to look back at the events and how I felt.
   Another part of the process that I have really liked is going over narratives in small groups. I liked learning about my friends narratives. It helps me learn about them, even if I have know them a long time. It is another thing to learn about my friends. Also, I liked having their comments about my narrative. It was helpful for me to see how someone else read what I wrote.

Dear 5-year old

Dear 5-year old, 

Relax. Stop worrying about everything. Enjoy being 5, you only get to be 5 once. Regarding sports, try everything, pick a few sports to play with a team. Regarding baseball, don't let anyone change your switch hitting. Keep on switch hitting. It is ok to strike out. It is ok to just get on base. Stop trying so hard and just have fun. 

Be kind. Keep being nice to everyone. Don't worry about what other people think, just do what you know is right. Kindness is right. 

Chill. Regarding school, just chill. Not everyone makes all A's and eventually you are going to make Bs so chill already. Do your best on you work and stop spending so much time worrying. It is not worth it. Just go be 5 and have some fun! 

Week 3 Comments

911 World Trade Center Attack 

https://rickyenglish1.blogspot.com/2016/09/911-world-trade-center-attack.html

maryfrancis's blog

Tropical Depression 12

     On Wednesday, August 24, 2005 there was a storm, a tropical depression called number 12 forming over the Bahamas. On Thursday number 12 was named Katrina and she hit Florida killing 11 people with 80 mile per hour winds, a category 1 hurricane. On Friday Katrina was category 2 and was in the gulf of Mexico. Saturday Katrina was a category 3 and people were ordered to leave New Orleans immediately and about 18,000 cars per hour of people did that. But not everyone left. Some couldn't, some people just didn't. Some went to shelters. Sunday Katrina reached a category 4 then a 5 hurricane with winds more than 175 miles per hour. Monday Katrina hit Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
     For New Orleans the storm was bad but the horrible devotion came when the levees broke. And the city flooded. And people couldn't get out of their homes so they went to their rooftops. By Wednesday police had to stop rescuing people because there was so much violence and looting. I don't understand how people are sometimes so terrible to each other. It took until Friday for the National Guard to come and bring food and water to people, to really rescue people and get order back. This was a terrible event that happened.

Week 1 and 2 Comments

Week 1
Ricky
Kolin

Week 2
Anna
Ryan

Chasing Vermer by Blue Balliett

     I am currently reading the book Chasing Vermer by Blue Balliett. So far I have only read a few chapters but I can already tell the author writes to make the reader curious and a little confused. He begins the book almost immediately with a letter in it that says, "I would like your help in identifying a crime that is now centuries old. . . . If you wish to help me, you will be amply rewarded for any risks you take. . . . You may not show this letter to anyone." The letter is sent to three people living in the same neighborhood. It kind of makes you curious doesn't it?
     The book goes on to give more information but at the same time not really answering a lot of questions. Sometimes as a reader I start to think, "wait a minute, I'm confused". But I somehow know answers are coming. I think the book is interesting so far and I want to read more of it. It does make me reread parts to clarify what is being said. And when I have to stop reading because I am interrupted I have to reread again. So far I probably haven't made the book sound too good, but trust me it is interesting. Part of the interest is that the author writes questions asking what you the reader are already thinking. When I read more, I will explain more. But for now it is interesting even though it is still filled with questions and confusion.

The Muddy Cabana

When we walked from the Ethan's house back outside to the Cabana I thought the smell would get better. It didn't. It still smelled like mildew and mud. It was hard to walk and not slip. Everything was the same color, the color of mildew and mud. It was a sort of brown but also grey and it was everywhere. It was on everything. When we opened the drawers in the cabinets water poured out and the smell got even worse. We poured water from the sink onto the counter tops to get the mud off. We did it over and over again. There was still mud. I wanted to smell hamburgers cooking on the grill again but when we opened the grill there was just more mud and more smell. I could taste the smell it was so bad. This wasn't right. It is supposed to be like this. This was where my baseball team had parties. This was where we swam and ate and played more ball. The colors of everything was vivid then. It wasn't vivid now. It was just the color of this new brown-gray mud. I want to go back to when  there were colors and the smell was right.

Unleashed by Gordon Korman

Unleashed by Gordon Korman
Reading books from the Gordon Korman series Swindled is easy for me. I enjoy them. By easy I mean it isn't stressful to read them. After all, they are about a kid named Griffin. Griffin Bing isn't really like me except that he has a lot of stress and his name is Griff. This book is the latest in the series and I actually enjoyed reading it. It keeps my interested and I read it knowing everything would turn out alright even though I didn't know how it would end.
There is a dog in the stories and I love dogs. The dog is a great big Doberman, but his owner sees his inside, his true dog self, not the scary outside. So, even when the dog does frightening things or the they are done to him, I always know the dog is going to be ok. Somehow. I just like this book. I like the series. They are books that are easy for me to read and enjoy.