The Great Gatsby Chapters 8 & 9!!!

Chapter 8:
Okay so right when I was beginning to think that nobody was going to die in this book Gatsby goes and gets shot. The saddest part is that he wasn't even the one who ran over Myrtle. Other than this, though, the chapter wasn't all that bad. Another part that kind of angered me was that he had lied to Daisy when the first met so that he would seem worthy enough for her. Well news flash Gatsby, no one likes liars. Nick suggested that he move but Gatsby doesn't want to move because Daisy is the only person he has ever felt close to.I think i would agree with Nick on this one because I don't think Daisy was ever going to marry Gatsby or anything, she is happily married. Also, if he had moved then he wouldn't have gotten murdered. Im just saying that maybe if Gatsby moved, it would have been for the better.

Chapter 9:
This chapter angered me in a way but its also kind of had a happy feeling towards it. There was one sad part at the beginning when no one showed up to Gatsby's funeral except his dad and a few servants and that now that he is gone even more rumors have been coming up about him. Making rumors about a dead person is like picking on someone who has cancer, it's just wrong. There is no reason that it should even happen. I liked that Nick moved back to the midwest because he felt that his life was too fast paced. I wouldn't have stayed there either because everybody else moved away so you have nothing left there. I like how Nick saw Tom in New York and refused to shake his hand. I mean that might be a tad bit childish but Tom basically killed his closest friend so I can understand why he would do that. Overall I thought it was one of the better books that we have read in this class.

The Great Gatsby: Chapters 6 & 7

Chapter 6:

This chapter, to me, was neither happy or sad. I mean there were some parts that were sad but it doesn't make the whole chapter sad. For example, when Gatsby had to do janitorial work just to pay for tuition. That was some what depressing because after 2 weeks of that he dropped out. Although, if it weren't for him dropping out, Gatsby would have never gotten the job at Lake Superior and would have never met Dan Cody. Cody gives Gatsby a job as an assistant. It was Gatsby's job to watch over Cody when he was intoxicated. This humored me a little because he drank so much that he needed a baby sitter for when he drank. When Cody died he left $25,000 to Gatsby but Gatsby never received any of that money because Cody's mistress refused to give it to him. This angered me because if your husband dies and leaves money to someone, I think that certain person had to have been a very important figure in his life. All in all, this chapter seemed more like an informational one because it mainly talked about Gatsby's past and us readers really go to know James Gatz but other than that nothing happened. It was a dull chapter to say the least.

Chapter 7:

I did not like this chapter at all. Tom And Gatsby have some issues with each other and they just need to sit down and work everything out. Why would Tom even car if Daisy and Gatsby are in love? He has Myrtle, or should i say HAD Myrtle. Unfortunately she was hit by a big yellow car. Which just happened to be Gatsby's car. To my surprise, it wasn't Gatsby who was driving. Yes, it was none other than Daisy Buchanan! Oh what a shame. Why did she have to do it? This just upset me. Myrtle was just an innocent women. Then Gatsby comes to the rescue and tells Nick that he will take the blame so that Tom will never know that Daisy was the one who killed his mistress. What irritated me about this chapter was that Tom imitated Gatsby's catch phrase, "old sport." It bothered me enough that Gatsby said it and now Tom is saying it! My word there is just no escaping the old sport! Well thats it for the blog entry and i hope to see you next time where I hope that I would have enjoyed the chapter that I will be reflecting on.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 5!

This chapter didn't appeal to me like chapters 3 & 4 did. The one thing that i did like about it was the Gatsby and Daisy were brought back together. It was 5 years. 5 years this guy waited for her, obviously she must have been special. The thing that I absolutely HATED about this chapter was that he kept bragging about how nice his stuff was, or at least that's what it seemed like to me. I mean the guy never stops talking about his possessions. I do understand that he wanted to show Daisy all that he accomplished but i think he could have let her decide what she wanted to know about. Another thing, why did he make Mr. Kilpspringer play the piano. He obviously said that he couldn't play because he hadn't practiced. Gatsby is just way to pushy if you asked me. Then that phone call he got kind of made me suspicious, especially after he had that weird talk with Nick about a job. My prediction is that the line of work that Gatsby is in isn't really the greatest. As a matter of fact I don't even believe its legal. Did he put someone on a hit list? I sure hope not...

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 4!

So this was by far my favorite chapter that I've read so far. I liked how Gatsby told Nick about his life just so Nicked wouldn't believe the stories he's been hearing. My favorite part about this chapter was when I found out that Gatsby bought his house in the location he did because Daisy is just right across the bay. I felt like he really has a passion for this girl and he's being waiting a long time to see her again. All the parties he threw was really just him trying to get her to come over and thats just really sad but at the same time its sweet. At first i didn't understand why he was taking Nick to lunch but its because Nick was the first person that actually knows Daisy and Gatsby feels like Nick could bring them together. This chapter just made me a lot more excited to read the rest of the novel. One of the reasons being I don't think people will be dying in this book unlike the others we've read. One thing that confused me was the car crash Gatsby was in that took the wheel off the front of his car. Is it the same car crash as the previous chapter? If so then it kind of makes sense but not really. Lastly, another thing i liked about this chapter was the Nick and Jordan are getting closer and that makes me happy because he said that he didn't have a girl like Tom or Gatsby.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 3!!!

I liked this chapter, not because there was a lot going on, but because i feel like its going to set a good basis for the rest of the story. I think that all the characters are still in the process of being introduced and that the story is going to get much more interesting. The one part about this chapter that i am extremely curious about is the guy who crashed his car. What happens when he tried putting it in reverse? I didn't like that he just cut the story off to say this but I have a feeling that its going to come up again later in the story. If not I'm going to be disappointed because it would have just been a waste of time. Another aspect of this chapter that i enjoyed was that they partied a lot. I liked that because in reality there are people that very often hold parties and its being reflected in the novel. What didn't surprise me was that Nick and Gatsby met at one of Gatsby's parties. Another thing that didn't surprise me was that Nick didn't recognize Gatsby while talking to him because the story mentioned that he had been one of the few invited to the party although he hardly knew Gatsby. All in all I really enjoyed reading this chapter and I am overjoyed in reading the rest of the novel.

Free Write 1/18/11

1. Why are you apprehensive about sharing your writing?
- I don't believe that I am shy about sharing my writing because there's no way to improve my own writing without positive and negative feedback.

2. What do you fear about sharing your writing?
- I fear that my writing will not be up to the standards that everyone else's writing is at.

3. What is the best case scenario that could occur today when you share your writing?
- No body laughs or interrupts while I am reading so that i can get the most feedback as possible.

4. What is the worst case scenario that could occur today when you share your writing?
- No body was paying attention long enough to tell me what I should correct.

The cold make me want to....

The cold makes me want to go snowboarding. Its been a while since I last went and it is irritating me. It also makes me want to have a snowball fight only because the snow makes me feel like embracing my inner child. Then when I go inside i will be the pyro my family thinks I am and make a fire. For some reason they always think I am trying to burn the house down. Speaking of fire my dog sat in a fire and didn't notice so we had to pull him out. I still think it's funny because he didn't know what was going on. Hot chocolate is a good thing to have when its cold, I would love some hot chocolate right now but i drank it all.

Free Write 1/6/11

I think that my strength in argumentative writing is the rebuttle because i feel like i always have a good understanding of the opposition's argument and i use that towards my advantage. My weakness' are definately the body paragraphs where i express my argument. I struggle with this because what i write makes sense in my head and i can see the connection but it can be difficult for others to see it. I need to focus on that because if i cannot make those paragraphs clear then i will not get my point across.

Response to The Awakening

The Awakening was a very uninteresting novel. Before I was done read the first half of the book I had already began to grow extremely bored with it. Although I did notice that it sped up at the second half but I still did not enjoy it. It would take too long to get to the point of something. It seemed to be procrastinating a little and with the short attention span that I have, the book just didn’t interest me. Also, parts of the novel were just confusing. For example, when Edna swims out to the ocean. What is that supposed to even mean? Were women not able to swim that far out? The novel, to me, seemed more like a description of a normal person’s life over a period of time. There was no excitement in it so nothing in it really caught my attention. It was just a plain, boring text. It was basically a painting with no color. I wouldn’t recommend it because I don’t see anyone that I know enjoying this type of book because I didn’t enjoy it. There might be some people in the world (I don’t know who) that have and/or will enjoy this novel but it was just not my type of reading. If I were to choose to read this again, I wouldn’t and if I could go back in time and stop myself from reading it, I would.

The Jungle LAST CHAPTER!!!!!

Okay so now that we are done reading this we can finally get on with our lives!(not really cause we have to read two more books) This was a sad chapter in anyones eyes because, even though they are doing what had to be done to survive in that time period it still shouldn't be like that. Marija is a prostitute and this is sad but it gets worse. She feels as if she needs to be one for the rest of her life! What is this saying about that time period? It just really touched me that things had to be this way and im glad that we dont live in a society such as one Jurgis and his family had to live in.

The Jungle Chapter's 29 and 30!!!!!!

Chapter 29:

I didn't really like this chapter; this chapter really confused me. Jurgis' friend is really intelligent but half the time I couldn't follow along with what he was saying. Especially when he started talking about socialism. I doubt Jurgis even know what he is saying, but there is still some meaning to what he says. Like when he said that we live in a "Land of the Free" but don't really stay true to that. I felt like this was true because even thought it seems like they are free, everyone is still be controlled by the government.

Chapter 30:

I liked this chapter a little because his life is getting better. It seems like he has regained his life back. To me, all this means is that something bad is about to happen. I dont think this book is just going to change they way things happen. Like how he is earning $30 a month now. That's a lot better then what he was making earlier in the book, but every time he starts making money, he either goes to jail, gets fired, or spend it all on booze and prostitutes. I do not have a good feeling about the end of the book.


Opener Comma
Coordinating Conjunction 
Semi-Colon

Chapters 27 and 28!

Okay so Jurgis is working as a tramp again. This makes me happy because even though he doesn't have a permanent job he isn't a criminal anymore. Jurgis eventually resulted to digging in the trash for food which is terrible because he cant afford to provide for himself. He heard of a soup kitchen that gives out free soup for the unemployed and that, to me, is how you know your as low as you can get. If i were him i would probably go back to Chicago because at least he was getting paid. Then he met this woman that he knew who also knew where Marija  was. When he met up with Marija it was so crazy. He also found out that most of his family was still alive and i thougt that was pretty cool because know he might go back to the way he used to be.

The Jungle Chapter 26!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I liked this chapter because he keeps his job as a hog trimmer, and he got a different job as a BOSS. This excited me because he is finally in charge of something. Although this chapter was good, I didn't like how he went back to jail; while in jail he also learned that Phil Connor is one of Scully's favorites. This only makes it worse for Jurgis. If i were him i would get out of Chicago, but instead Jurgis just leaves Packingtown. If he were smart he would know that Chicago has little job openings with a large demand for jobs and i don't see it working out for him in the end of the story.

Chapters 23, 24, and 25

Chapter 23:
Okay, the beginning of this made me mad because he is STILL drinking. I mean come on, if you're going to have an addiction at least try to control it. Don't just go out and spend all your money on booze right when you get paid. This chapter was also sad because it said that he had no more affection in his life and that touched me. It was like saying that he had no more heart. It was, again, sad because he spent his Christmas in the hospital and said it was the best one he had in America.

Chapter 24:
I think Freddie is a great friend to Jurgis  even though they just met. The only thing i didn't like about him was that at first he was trying to say Jurgis had a good life, that he didn't need money. I thought it was kind of ironic that Freddie ended up being the son of the man who owned the first factory that Jurgis worked at.

Chapter 25:
I HATED this chapter. Jurgis is a TERRIBLE person now. He is doing anything in his power just to get money. He has turned into a criminal. He used to be this great guy that cared about everything he believed in but now he has turned into an American. I honestly thought he was going to try to change Packingtown but no. Instead he is mugging people and helping in crimes and it is just HORRIBLE.

Response to Chapter's 20-23

Chapter 20:
I like this chapter at first because even though Phil Connor put Jurgis on a blacklist for Packingtown he was still able to find work at a factory that makes harvesting equipment. What i didn't like about this was that the part of the factory he was working in, soon closed so now Jurgis out of work again.

Chapter 21:
This chapter was really sad but, at first it was kind of happy. I thought it was gross how the crippled child had to go to the DUMP to look for food. Also, the beginning was happy because, at the dump one day, he meets a rich woman who finds Jurgis a new job(YAYYY). The only thing bad about this job is that he can't go home during the week. Now onto the sad part. Jurgis' son was in a freak accident and drowned in the mud in the streets. I HATED this because Jurgis had been through so much and his son was the only thing he had left but now Antanas is gone too.

Chapter 22:
This Chapter, at first, gave me a lot of hope for Jurgis. He went to go try and regain himself (i don't know how else to say that) and he was making progress. BUT in the end he ended up drinking, AGAIN!!!!!!! I do not like this because he is spending ALL his money on alcohol and women. If he is going to have this kind of behavior then he is never going to be himself again.

The Jungle Chapters 7-19!!!!!(NOT FUN)

Chapter 7:
In this chapter i felt bad that Ona and Jurgis go into debt, but what made me feel worse is that when the family was struck with illness they weren't allowed a day off work to recover. I believe that since it was the harsh conditions of the factory that caused the illness, the factory should give them time to recover. Also, them being at work handling meat while sick could potentially worsen the conditions of the factory. Another thing that struck me was that the workers lived in poverty and were homeless. Also, a large amount were waiting to take the vacancies at the factory.

Chapter 8:
I didn't really think much about this chapter. The only thing that got to me was that several workers were loosing their jobs, including Marija. Jurgis didn't loose his job, but he works less hours. This made me wonder if the factories were going to get worse because of how little money they had. Will they use more of the bad meat and will the working conditions get worse?

Chapter 9:
I liked this chapter because Jurgis finally learned about the lies that the packaging companies are telling. He also learn about the diseased meats and how other companies treat their labor force. I liked this because i see Jurgis as a man that will go and fight for what he believes in and could possibly change this.

Chapter 10:
I liked that Jurgis figured out that he had a bunch of hidden expenses on their house because now they know everything about their house and know if they can afford it or not. I don't like how Marija regained her job at the can painting company only to loose it again, especially since Ona is expecting Jurgis' child.  Although, i was quite joyful to find out that she had gotten another new job. I liked that Ona had delivered her baby boy but I was sad for Jurgis because he loves his son so much but hardly gets to see him due to his long working hours.

Chapter 11:
This chapter didn't really fill me with any emotions except i did feel a little happy knowing that Marija wants to start saving her money.

Chapter 12:
Due to Jurgis' sprained ankle he cannot go back to work for a while. This i didn't like because this hurts the family more since they are already in debt. Also, I don't like how Jonas disappeared but I have mixed feelings about his because the boys jobs as newspaper sellers.

Chapter 13:
I am relieved that Teta's youngest child died because now Kristoforas doesn't have to suffer any more but i am furious that Jurgis didn't want to help at all with the funeral. I felt that karma got back to Jurgis because now he is unable to find work. He has to settle for the worst job he can find. I think he got what was coming to him.  I think it was a good choice to put the boys back in school because they were picking up bad habits from the streets.

Chapter 14:
I didn't like this chapter because they family is suffering from all sorts of problems. Jurgis is drinking, Ona is pregnant but is ill, their son has been attacked by many illnesses, and Jurgis and Ona have grown apart. It seems as if America has changed everything this family was before they moved. They are finally becoming Americanized and I don't like it one bit!


Chapter 15:
I am outraged about what happened to Ona! I am completely on board with what Jurgis did to her boss, but i also believe that he shouldn't have done it. I mean, as much as that man did deserve it, he didn't have to go and actually do it because now he is in jail and can't see his son anymore.


Chapter 16:
I feel some sorrow for Jurgis because instead of spending Christmas with his family he is in jail with a bunch of criminals. If i were him i would pay the bail because i know i wouldnt be able to handle that kind of pain.


Chapter 17:
I felt so sad during this chapter. That judge did not give that trial a fair look. I guess that why money is power. Since Connor had more money he had more of the power so the judge will believe his side of the story which leaves Jurgis with 30 days in jail. Everyone has lost their jobs while he was in prison, and since Connor doesn't want them to get any jobs they are unable to find new ones. Now their only income is coming from the boys paper route, and them begging people for money. 


Chapter 18:
I feel like Ona going into premature labor is going to negatively affect their lives. They have just been evicted from their house because they have no money, and can barely provide for themselves. If they can't enough afford to buy themselves food what makes you think they can afford a new born? I think they are going down a tough road that they will eventually, fail to travel on.


Chapter 19:
Again, this chapter filled me with so much sorrow. Jurgis finds someone that is willing to help Ona for the dollar and 25 cents but unfortunately both Ona and the baby die. This is heartbreaking for the family as well as us readers. I also noticed that her death has put him right back on his drinking habit. 

My Response to what I have read

Okay so this book is really starting to make me mad. Once he gets to the point of what he is talking about he chanes the subject. Like when his dad was calling and he is about to answer it, then it goes to someone who looses their ability to talk. Who is this person anyways? Is it his dad or his grandpa? Where do some of these picures come from? Then how does his dad's name get in the art store? Mr. J I don't think this book is safe to read because i feel really stupid. Steven Hawkins didn't even write back to him, but he saves the letter. Why can Oskar only wear white shirts? Im hoping that all of this makes more sense towards the end. How does Oskar know that the key even belongs to something? His dad said not everything has to have a reason and maybe thats a clue to what the key means. Maybe it is just a random key that he was supposed to find in his Expedition. The key could represent more then a lock. It could represent his fathers life and now it is up to him to find out where his father is. I mean, his coffin is empty so maybe his dad really isn't dead but he is waiting for Oskar to solve the puzzle.

My Arguement

The topic that I chose was that slavery is dehumanizing towards the slaves and the slaveholders. The centeral aruement of my paper is going to be that during the slavery, it wasn't only the slaves that were dehumanized. The slaveholders were dehumanized by their actions and the slaves were dehumanized by their sufferage and the way the were treated. I can prove this because in his story he gave multiple examples of what the slaveholders would do to them and also an example of his slaveholder stopping his mistress from teaching Douglas how to read. Another thing is that slaves were treated no better than animals on the plantations they lived at if not worse. This shows that they are being treated as something other than human, more along the lines of property. When Douglas was traded to be a littles boy's play toy this shows that he was just property. I chose this argument because I felt that i knew about this topic and that Douglas did an amazing job describing this in his story.

Response to the end of Freddy D's Story

Out of all the chapters in this story, i would believe this one to be the best. Even though i don't live in this time period, nor would i be a slave if i did, this chapter filled me with hope. If he can escape slavery then who knows what we can do today? I really liked this because he went into detail about how he planned out his escape instead of just randomly deciding to run on day. No, Douglas had a well planned out escape with a lot of thought put into it. This is why slaveholders didn't want their slaves to become educated because it gives them a better chance at escaping. Knowledge is power and Douglas had bunch of it. What marveled me was that the slaveholders didn't realize that he was trying to escape because he was asking for more work randomly. Also, im surprised they didn't catch on when he started bringing home $2-$3 more each week. Obviously they weren't the smartest people. The only part about this chapter that i didn't like were the first few paragraphs because he was talking about why he can't express certain details. Overall I am ecstatic that he escaped but a little sad because there isn't more of his story to read about after he is free. 


Question 1: If, at first, the slaveholders were suspicious about him escaping why would they let him go work for some other slaveholder?
Question 2: Why would his slaveholder give him some of the money that Douglas earned for him?


Comment 1: I liked that Douglas was outsmarting the slaveholders by working as much as he can even though they didn't trust him to not run away.
Comment 2: I didn't understand why he would change his name if he is a free man.

Response on Chapter 10

I thought that chapter 10 was not as sad as the previous chapters, it was actually hopeful when he started to escape. Then when he got caught and lost all hope it got sad, but not for long. He returned to Baltimore AGAIN which is sort of a neutral thing because he liked it there but he didn't gain the freedom that he would have liked to. I don't really have much to say about this chapter other than it had a few mixed emotions. Hopefully later on at the end of the book he succeeds in escaping.