a) strong, sweet, flawless, love, ripe, planned, otherwise,
b) elevation: simple, transparent
concrete: fair, straight
c) The humble transparency of Jane Kenyon's diction in Otherwise emphasizes her peerless love of unforeseeable life.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
I Am Number Four, pgs 1-39
by Pittacus Lore
So far I have found the story to be quite entertaining. The story is about a race that fled from their home planet, Lorien, to Earth. There are two type of citizens of Lorien, one type develops Legacies which are powers and the powers can be almost anything. These citizens are called the Garde, while the others are called Cepan, or Keepers. Every Garde is assigned to Cepan and they help develop the Garde's powers. There were nine Gardes that came to Earth to preserve their race but they are being hunted by Mogadorians. There is charm that made it so that they would have to be killed in order and already the first three have been found and killed. Each time one is killed a scar is burned into the others to show how many of them have died.
The fourth is living in Florida when he gets the scar and realizes that he will be the next one to be hunted. He runs home as quick as he can to inform his Keeper, Henri. As they have done countless times before to avoid detection they back up their things to move and start a different life under another name. Henri decides that they will move to Ohio and number four decides that his new name will be John Smith. They rent a house in Paradise, Ohio which is a small rural town. The house small and dirty but is isolated from other people.
The next day after arriving in Ohio, John goes to his new high school where he will do his best to blend in as a normal kid. Right when he arrives at the school he notices the usual cliques and is greeted by a girl named Sarah Hart. John then goes to the principal where he gets his schedule of classes and finds out that his first class is Astronomy. While in this class he began to shake slightly and his hands started to glow. John became worried and texted Henri to come help him. He became more and more dizzy and after the class he headed to an dark empty room and locked himself in. Eventually his hands lite up the entire room and John rocks back and forth in pain on floor waiting for help. The door handle starts to shake and John feels relief at the sound of Henri's voice.
This book has already caught my interest in the first few chapters. It is an easy read and already had established an interesting story that I am curious to see develop as I read further. It will be interesting to see how or if John will be able to stay under the radar and not be detected by the Mogadorians. Also this book has been made into a movie so I will also be curious to see the differences in the movie and the book. Hopefully the book is able to keep me interested.
So far I have found the story to be quite entertaining. The story is about a race that fled from their home planet, Lorien, to Earth. There are two type of citizens of Lorien, one type develops Legacies which are powers and the powers can be almost anything. These citizens are called the Garde, while the others are called Cepan, or Keepers. Every Garde is assigned to Cepan and they help develop the Garde's powers. There were nine Gardes that came to Earth to preserve their race but they are being hunted by Mogadorians. There is charm that made it so that they would have to be killed in order and already the first three have been found and killed. Each time one is killed a scar is burned into the others to show how many of them have died.
The fourth is living in Florida when he gets the scar and realizes that he will be the next one to be hunted. He runs home as quick as he can to inform his Keeper, Henri. As they have done countless times before to avoid detection they back up their things to move and start a different life under another name. Henri decides that they will move to Ohio and number four decides that his new name will be John Smith. They rent a house in Paradise, Ohio which is a small rural town. The house small and dirty but is isolated from other people.
The next day after arriving in Ohio, John goes to his new high school where he will do his best to blend in as a normal kid. Right when he arrives at the school he notices the usual cliques and is greeted by a girl named Sarah Hart. John then goes to the principal where he gets his schedule of classes and finds out that his first class is Astronomy. While in this class he began to shake slightly and his hands started to glow. John became worried and texted Henri to come help him. He became more and more dizzy and after the class he headed to an dark empty room and locked himself in. Eventually his hands lite up the entire room and John rocks back and forth in pain on floor waiting for help. The door handle starts to shake and John feels relief at the sound of Henri's voice.
This book has already caught my interest in the first few chapters. It is an easy read and already had established an interesting story that I am curious to see develop as I read further. It will be interesting to see how or if John will be able to stay under the radar and not be detected by the Mogadorians. Also this book has been made into a movie so I will also be curious to see the differences in the movie and the book. Hopefully the book is able to keep me interested.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
2.23 Diction Exercise
a) dark slate, treacherously, stocky, taciturn, hewn, sharply, amidst, lean
b) Elevation: intelligible, unequivocal
Connotation: literal, methodical
Sound: monotone, dryness
Concreteness: objective, definite
c) Neil Gaiman's diction in "Stardust" is intelligibly methodical with objective dryness conveying the seriousness of the informative passage.
b) Elevation: intelligible, unequivocal
Connotation: literal, methodical
Sound: monotone, dryness
Concreteness: objective, definite
c) Neil Gaiman's diction in "Stardust" is intelligibly methodical with objective dryness conveying the seriousness of the informative passage.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Ship Breaker, pgs 296-326 (end of the book)
The crew of the Dauntless reached the Pole Star and started to board the ship ready to battle. Captain Candless (captain of the Dauntless) was able to throw the other captain over the side of the ship. Suddenly, half-men came from under deck and started to shooting. Captain Candless was shot and hit feel bloody to the ground. Nailer quickly headed under deck to start to search for Nita. He ran all over and had no success in finding her. Out of no where Nailer's dad shows up carrying Nita who was bounded up.
Nailer's dad dropped Nita and started to try and kill his son with a machete. Nailer only had a small knife so his only option was to to run away from his father. As he ran through the ship the storm was beginning to sink the wrecked ship. Eventually they ended up in a mechanical room that was similar to the one on the Dauntless where Nailer had worked. Nailer began to climb on the gears hoping that his father would not be able to follow him. He was wrong and when his father was about to reach him he saw a level that he knew would start up the gears so he pulled it and then fell to the floor. When Nailer looked up he saw his father caught in the gears bleedy and close to dieing. He asked for help but Nailer ignored him and went to get Nita.
The ship was completly upside down now and Nita and Nailer needed to find a way out of the ship. Luckly they found an opening that led out of the ship. They then began to swim towards the Dauntless which was anchored in the bay. Once they arrived to the ship they were pulled up and Nailer was rejoined with Sadna and Pima. Later, the Dauntless began loading with supplies to head back north and return Nita back to her father. The book then ended with Pima joking with Nailer in whether he would be lucky enough to end up with such a pretty girl as Nita.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fairly unexpected throughout but I could tell that Nailer would eventually have to face or kill his father. The book also had pretty good message that anybody could be your family and they did not have to be related with blood. Sadna and Pima were more family to Nailer than his own dad. All in all, it is a quick read book that I think anyone would enjoy reading.
Nailer's dad dropped Nita and started to try and kill his son with a machete. Nailer only had a small knife so his only option was to to run away from his father. As he ran through the ship the storm was beginning to sink the wrecked ship. Eventually they ended up in a mechanical room that was similar to the one on the Dauntless where Nailer had worked. Nailer began to climb on the gears hoping that his father would not be able to follow him. He was wrong and when his father was about to reach him he saw a level that he knew would start up the gears so he pulled it and then fell to the floor. When Nailer looked up he saw his father caught in the gears bleedy and close to dieing. He asked for help but Nailer ignored him and went to get Nita.
The ship was completly upside down now and Nita and Nailer needed to find a way out of the ship. Luckly they found an opening that led out of the ship. They then began to swim towards the Dauntless which was anchored in the bay. Once they arrived to the ship they were pulled up and Nailer was rejoined with Sadna and Pima. Later, the Dauntless began loading with supplies to head back north and return Nita back to her father. The book then ended with Pima joking with Nailer in whether he would be lucky enough to end up with such a pretty girl as Nita.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fairly unexpected throughout but I could tell that Nailer would eventually have to face or kill his father. The book also had pretty good message that anybody could be your family and they did not have to be related with blood. Sadna and Pima were more family to Nailer than his own dad. All in all, it is a quick read book that I think anyone would enjoy reading.
2 huge wins!!!!
Purdue is looking amazing of late with 2 huge victories in the past week. They started off with a win over #10 Wisconsin and then today won an even larger game against #3 Ohio State. Today was revenge game against OSU after they got spanked in Columbus and with Moore's 38 points, which was half of Purdue's total, the Boilermakers pulled out a 13 point victory. Purdue has a couple tricky games left in the regular season including heading to East Lansing where Michigan State will be looking for a must win. They also have to go to Indiana which is always a huge rivalry and Assembly Hall will be as loud as ever. I am hoping Purdue can make it these last four games unblemished and enter the BigTen tournament ready to dominate.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Ship Breaker, pgs 262-296
The Dauntless headed out to sea and started to look for the ship carrying Nita. While waiting to spot the ship Nailer was put to work on the ship and one of the half-men helped him learn how to read and write. After about a week they spotted the ship they believed that Nita was on. The ship was called the Ray and it was smaller ship that they could easily take over. The Dauntless was able to quickly catch the ship and the crew boarded and started to hunt for Nita. Unfortunately after looking everywhere Nita could not be found. It was soon realized that it was actually a trap and the real ship with Nita, the Pole Star, was coming to battle with the Dauntless.
The Pole Star was a larger and more equipped ship for battle. The captain knew that it would be a worthless battle to enter because they would be no match for the ship. To avoid being captured they began to run away from the Pole Star. The captain of the Dauntless was in search for a way to escape from the other ship and Nailer came up with a plan. His plan was to lead the Pole Star through a place called the Teeth which was located where he grew up at Bright Sands Beach. The Teeth was a city of buildings that was now under the ocean and during high tide the buildings were hidden from sight. Knowing that the other ship was larger and that the other captain was unaware of the Teeth they thought it would be a great way to cause them to wreck
The Pole Star was close to catching them when they were barley able to make it through the Teeth and they sat and watching hoping that the Pole Star. At first it seemed the ship was going to make it through unscathed and at the last moment it wrecked it the Teeth. Nailer was excited that his plan had worked and the crew of the Dauntless headed to board the Pole Star.
It looks like Nita will be rescued but you never know what Nailer's father could have done to her. The chase was exciting and it was interesting how Nailer came up with a plan that involved heading back to where he grew up and where he did not want to return. Nailer will probably have to retrieve Nita but I think there will be an obstacle for him first, like his dad. I really hope that Nita was able to survive the wreck and that she is not hurt.
The Pole Star was a larger and more equipped ship for battle. The captain knew that it would be a worthless battle to enter because they would be no match for the ship. To avoid being captured they began to run away from the Pole Star. The captain of the Dauntless was in search for a way to escape from the other ship and Nailer came up with a plan. His plan was to lead the Pole Star through a place called the Teeth which was located where he grew up at Bright Sands Beach. The Teeth was a city of buildings that was now under the ocean and during high tide the buildings were hidden from sight. Knowing that the other ship was larger and that the other captain was unaware of the Teeth they thought it would be a great way to cause them to wreck
The Pole Star was close to catching them when they were barley able to make it through the Teeth and they sat and watching hoping that the Pole Star. At first it seemed the ship was going to make it through unscathed and at the last moment it wrecked it the Teeth. Nailer was excited that his plan had worked and the crew of the Dauntless headed to board the Pole Star.
It looks like Nita will be rescued but you never know what Nailer's father could have done to her. The chase was exciting and it was interesting how Nailer came up with a plan that involved heading back to where he grew up and where he did not want to return. Nailer will probably have to retrieve Nita but I think there will be an obstacle for him first, like his dad. I really hope that Nita was able to survive the wreck and that she is not hurt.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Ship Breaker, 217-262
It was easy for them to find work but they pay was not excellent. When Nailer was heading away from the docks to deliver a message for someone he spotted his father and some half-men who were searching for him. He did not want to be spotted so he jumped into the water and hid under the docks. After this Nailer went to find Nita and when he found her they headed to an abandoned to meet up with Tool. After awhile it was obvious Tool was late so they headed out to find him.
They were in the city when they finally spotted Tool. As he was walking they also noticed the half-men that were with Nailer's dad earlier. The half-men began to go after Tool and they watched was he was attacked. Nailer and Nita knew it was a fight that they could not win and left the scene before they were spotted. The two headed to the beach where they thought what to do next. There was a ship, Dauntless, in the docks that Nita believed was still a loyal ship to her father but Nailer was worried that it had been taken over by his father. Realizing that there was no other option Nailer decided that he would go check if the ship was people looking for Nita or his father who wanted to capture Nita. While Nailer went to the ship, Nita was to head to the abandoned mansion and wait for him.
When Nailer arrived at the ship it took awhile to convince them that he was with Nita and that he knew where she was. Finally they believed him and they went into the city to collect the rest of their crew before they went to get Nita. Finally they had everyone so they headed to the mansion to get Nita. Sadly when they arrived there Nita was no where to be found but a beat up Tool appeared and let them know that Nailer's father and his crew had taken Nita.
Nailer and the captain of the Dauntless figured that Nailer's fathers ship had to be somewhere close and they went to sea to find it. Tool decided that his job of protecting Nailer was finished and did not come on the clipper ship with Nailer.
They story is getting pretty intense and almost coming to an end. My prediction for the ending is that they will have to battle the other ship for Nita and in a deadly fight they will win. Once they get Nita back they will take her back to her father. Nailer will then stay with Nita and I think they will start a relationship with each other. Also I am sure that Nailer will have to come face to face with his father again which could be scary and even deadly. I really hope that Nita is rescued safely.
They were in the city when they finally spotted Tool. As he was walking they also noticed the half-men that were with Nailer's dad earlier. The half-men began to go after Tool and they watched was he was attacked. Nailer and Nita knew it was a fight that they could not win and left the scene before they were spotted. The two headed to the beach where they thought what to do next. There was a ship, Dauntless, in the docks that Nita believed was still a loyal ship to her father but Nailer was worried that it had been taken over by his father. Realizing that there was no other option Nailer decided that he would go check if the ship was people looking for Nita or his father who wanted to capture Nita. While Nailer went to the ship, Nita was to head to the abandoned mansion and wait for him.
When Nailer arrived at the ship it took awhile to convince them that he was with Nita and that he knew where she was. Finally they believed him and they went into the city to collect the rest of their crew before they went to get Nita. Finally they had everyone so they headed to the mansion to get Nita. Sadly when they arrived there Nita was no where to be found but a beat up Tool appeared and let them know that Nailer's father and his crew had taken Nita.
Nailer and the captain of the Dauntless figured that Nailer's fathers ship had to be somewhere close and they went to sea to find it. Tool decided that his job of protecting Nailer was finished and did not come on the clipper ship with Nailer.
They story is getting pretty intense and almost coming to an end. My prediction for the ending is that they will have to battle the other ship for Nita and in a deadly fight they will win. Once they get Nita back they will take her back to her father. Nailer will then stay with Nita and I think they will start a relationship with each other. Also I am sure that Nailer will have to come face to face with his father again which could be scary and even deadly. I really hope that Nita is rescued safely.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Close win!
Ship Breaker, pgs 189-216
As Nailer, Tool, and Nita ride on the train to Orleans they realize how unprepared that they were. They had to spend the long ride without any food and almost no water. They eventually enter into the many cities of Orleans which includes Orleans II, Orleans III, and New Orleans. They are considered the drowned cities because of all the hurricanes that have destroyed most of the cities. When the train begins to slow down to a stop the three jump off and start to walk towards the docks. Nita hopes that she will be able to find a clipper ship there that belongs to her father.
To get to the docking ships they have to walk waste deep in water, which Nita does not agree with. When they finally reach to docking area they find that none of the ships belong to Nita's father. As a group they are not too disappointed and head back to town to find food and water. They spend the rest of their money that night and in the morning they will need to find work to pay for food. Hopefully a clipper ship will eventually arrive for Nita.
In my opinion, Paolo Bacigalupi, the author, criticizes the current ways of humans. In the book it is described that people did not learn from the past and move away from New Orleans when the storms repeatedly destroyed the city. I am interested to find out whether Nita will ever return to her family but i think that it will take quite a bit of time to find them. In the meantime they will live in the city and try to make some money.
To get to the docking ships they have to walk waste deep in water, which Nita does not agree with. When they finally reach to docking area they find that none of the ships belong to Nita's father. As a group they are not too disappointed and head back to town to find food and water. They spend the rest of their money that night and in the morning they will need to find work to pay for food. Hopefully a clipper ship will eventually arrive for Nita.
In my opinion, Paolo Bacigalupi, the author, criticizes the current ways of humans. In the book it is described that people did not learn from the past and move away from New Orleans when the storms repeatedly destroyed the city. I am interested to find out whether Nita will ever return to her family but i think that it will take quite a bit of time to find them. In the meantime they will live in the city and try to make some money.
Borodino
In Walton Ford's "Borodino," the testy quarrelsomeness of the animals reflects the frustrated desperation of the painting. Desperation is shown by the three disgruntled wolves fighting over a worthless blanket as a hopeful bird watches with eagerness, looking for anything of interest. In the distance, giddy animals search the meek remains of human existence for food .Meanwhile, above, birds circle disheartened as they search for anything useful in the barren wilderness. The combination of the dismal snowy weather and the lethargic animals shows the bleak future of their existence. Without the necessities to survive the animals lives will end in cruel frustration.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Procrastination
Unfortunately I happen to suffer from a drastic case of procrastination. This goes back since middle school but it has only gotten worse the closer I come to graduation. Yes, I still have a while to go until I graduate but it seems to keep getting harder and harder to open my book bag every night. There just seems to be more entertaining and interesting things I could spend my time doing. Watching basketball, facebook, fantasy football, sleeping, video games, checking the college basket rankings, hoping Purdue wins, going to friends houses, playing golf, thinking about golf, wishing it was warm enough to play golf, and countless other things just happen to be higher on my list of priorities. Even though I delay my work as much as I can I am somehow able to end up with some pretty good grades. So I don't see a problem with it at all. Now I need to stop typing and do some history homework....probably end up doing it in the morning.
Ship Breaker, pgs 156-189
Nita reveals to Nailer that she lied and people will not know where she is. She is apart of a rich family but people in her father's business have become enemies and they wanted to use Nita as leverage against her father. Nita was fleeing from these people and entered into the storm to escape from them. Nita's crew also threw the GPS locating system overboard. Pima and Nailer realize that she would be worthless if the other people found out and they would most likely kill her.
Nailer is the only one of the three not in shackles and while their guards are sleeping Nailer tries to kill the one with the key to the shackles so they could escape. As he was trying to cut Blue Eye's (one of the guards)neck, Blue Eyes woke up and began to fight Nailer. The guard was about to kill Nailer when out of nowhere Sadna tackled Blue Eyes and eventually Nailer was able to stab the guard in the neck and she fell to her death. With other people that came with Sadna and help from Tool, one of the guards who is friends with Sadna so he helped Nailer, Pima and Nita instead, they were able to defeat the rest of the guards.
Soon after this they see clipper ships along the beach and Nita realizes it is the people who were chasing her. Their only options now were to either to sell Nita to the people that want her or to try and escape with Nita. Nailer decides he doesn't want to sell Nita and rather he wanted to help her escape to her family in Orleans. The only other person that wants to try and escape with them is Tool who would be able to help with protection
They decide to jump on a moving train and ride it to Orleans. Nita surprises them by being able to jump on the moving fast moving train first with ease. Tool also had no difficulty but Nailer was another story. As he was running he fell and scrapped up his knees. He got up quick and finally on the last train he was able to grab on to a ladder and make his way on the train.
It is pretty easy to understand why Nailer would not take the opportunity to become rich by selling Nita to her enemies. He absolutely hates the life he is living and wants to escape and he realizes that this could be his only chance to get out. Also he would have to face his father who was in charge when it came to the scavenging of the crashed clipper and making money off of Nita. Nailer, Nita, and Tool are on the fast track to Orleans where they can hopefully find Nita's family and make money by giving her back to her family. I am no completely confident that they will find her family though. I feel this way because so far everything that Nita has said has only been half true.
Nailer is the only one of the three not in shackles and while their guards are sleeping Nailer tries to kill the one with the key to the shackles so they could escape. As he was trying to cut Blue Eye's (one of the guards)neck, Blue Eyes woke up and began to fight Nailer. The guard was about to kill Nailer when out of nowhere Sadna tackled Blue Eyes and eventually Nailer was able to stab the guard in the neck and she fell to her death. With other people that came with Sadna and help from Tool, one of the guards who is friends with Sadna so he helped Nailer, Pima and Nita instead, they were able to defeat the rest of the guards.
Soon after this they see clipper ships along the beach and Nita realizes it is the people who were chasing her. Their only options now were to either to sell Nita to the people that want her or to try and escape with Nita. Nailer decides he doesn't want to sell Nita and rather he wanted to help her escape to her family in Orleans. The only other person that wants to try and escape with them is Tool who would be able to help with protection
They decide to jump on a moving train and ride it to Orleans. Nita surprises them by being able to jump on the moving fast moving train first with ease. Tool also had no difficulty but Nailer was another story. As he was running he fell and scrapped up his knees. He got up quick and finally on the last train he was able to grab on to a ladder and make his way on the train.
It is pretty easy to understand why Nailer would not take the opportunity to become rich by selling Nita to her enemies. He absolutely hates the life he is living and wants to escape and he realizes that this could be his only chance to get out. Also he would have to face his father who was in charge when it came to the scavenging of the crashed clipper and making money off of Nita. Nailer, Nita, and Tool are on the fast track to Orleans where they can hopefully find Nita's family and make money by giving her back to her family. I am no completely confident that they will find her family though. I feel this way because so far everything that Nita has said has only been half true.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ship Breaker, pgs 126-156
The shoulder injury of Nailer has gotten worse and worse and now it is infected. He is in pain and needs to see get medicine quick so that he does not die. Pima, Nita, and Nailer go down to the beach to search the wrecked ship to check for any medication that they could give to Nailer. Unfortunately all of the medication was lost in the crash. Nailer figures he will be fine until Nita's people come to find her and then he will be able to get some medicine.
As the tide began to go down they noticed that a group of people were starting to run towards the island that Nailer, Pima, and Nita were on. They used a spyglass and found out that it was Nailer's dad and the group of druggies that he runs with. They were heading for the wrecked scavenge that they must have noticed. Knowing that the group would probally kill Nita they head into the island to hide.
While they are hiding Nailer's dad finds them and takes them down to the beach where the rest of people are scavenging the ship. Nailer who is even worse now lies down and can barley move. Nailer's dad, Richard Lopez, is about to kill Nita when Pima steps in and tries to stab Richard. Richard then is about to kill Pima but Nailer reminds his dad that Pima's mom, Sadna saved Richard's life during the storm so instead he breaks her fingers. He also does not kill Nita because Nailer informs that she could be worth a ransom.
Nailer wakes up three days later and finds out that Nailer's dad was able to get him some medicine. He still feels bad and is only able to sit up to eat. He also finds out that Nita's people still has not come to find her and people are getting restless that she is worthless.
A lot happened in these pages and it was pretty intense. Richard's crew is high on drugs and could snap at anytime. For some reason I feel that Nita's people will not show up to rescue her. Therefore I think that fighting will break out since Richard and his crew were expecting to get some money out of Nita.
As the tide began to go down they noticed that a group of people were starting to run towards the island that Nailer, Pima, and Nita were on. They used a spyglass and found out that it was Nailer's dad and the group of druggies that he runs with. They were heading for the wrecked scavenge that they must have noticed. Knowing that the group would probally kill Nita they head into the island to hide.
While they are hiding Nailer's dad finds them and takes them down to the beach where the rest of people are scavenging the ship. Nailer who is even worse now lies down and can barley move. Nailer's dad, Richard Lopez, is about to kill Nita when Pima steps in and tries to stab Richard. Richard then is about to kill Pima but Nailer reminds his dad that Pima's mom, Sadna saved Richard's life during the storm so instead he breaks her fingers. He also does not kill Nita because Nailer informs that she could be worth a ransom.
Nailer wakes up three days later and finds out that Nailer's dad was able to get him some medicine. He still feels bad and is only able to sit up to eat. He also finds out that Nita's people still has not come to find her and people are getting restless that she is worthless.
A lot happened in these pages and it was pretty intense. Richard's crew is high on drugs and could snap at anytime. For some reason I feel that Nita's people will not show up to rescue her. Therefore I think that fighting will break out since Richard and his crew were expecting to get some money out of Nita.
Tension in the classroom
The regular season of intramural basketball will soon becoming to an end. My basketball team, the Bricklayers, has had to face a pretty tough schedule so far. Are current record is 1-2 and we play again tonight, which I regrettably admit that we will most likely lose. The BIG game is going to occur next week on Monday. The captain of the team that we will be playing happens to be in my etymology class. We all know each other on each team and it will be a scrappy game but hopefully my team comes out on top.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Freedom by Lou Berger
This short story is quick but full of emotions. It is set in 1943 in a concentration camp in Germany where captured enemy soldiers are held. Two peoples hope of a future out of the horrific camp ends for one as he is led off and never seen again. It shows the hopelessness that people had felt by what they were out through. This story made sorrow for the man as he knew his fate. He knew his life was coming to an end and broke down with tears. You can only hope that the young boy is able to make it out alive through dedication. My favorite line in this story is "Yakov found his peace and freedom when he became the black smoke that rose into the cold winter air, belching out of the smokestack of the crematory." The imagery is excellent in line.
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/04/133494858/freedom
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/04/133494858/freedom
Monday, February 7, 2011
Ship Breaker, pgs 94-126
Nailer and Pima jump back in surprise when they realize that the girl is still alive. The girl is buried under junk and is barley able to whisper. Pima and Nailer have to contemplate whether to kill the girl and take all her possessions to become wealthy or to save the girls life and hope it does not ruin their chances at becoming rich. Pima is about to kill the girl when Nailer decides that he wants to save her life. Reluctantly Pima gives in and helps Nailer take the junk off the girls mangled body.
They scavenge through the ship and collect food and take it to shore. Pima carries the girl to shore since Nailer is still injured. The tide comes into shore and makes it impossible for them so head back to the beach where they work. Around a fire Pima helps give water and food to the girl. Eventually the girl begins to talk to Pima and Nailer and they begin to realize how rich the girl actually was. It was incomparable to anybody they new and blew their minds. Nailer and Pima tell the girl that when people come to rescue her, she has to agree to get them away from the land they grew up on and find a better life.
The wealth that the girl has is completely ridiculous and it might be even better that they kept the girl alive instead of dead. They might be able to use bribery to get enough money to be rich for the rest of their lives. Nailer really wants to get away from the life he has now so I fully believe that he will try to leave with the girl once people come to find her. Maybe they will even become attracted to each other and live together forever. I say this because Pima has been teasing Nailer about him finding a girl he could have an interest in.
They scavenge through the ship and collect food and take it to shore. Pima carries the girl to shore since Nailer is still injured. The tide comes into shore and makes it impossible for them so head back to the beach where they work. Around a fire Pima helps give water and food to the girl. Eventually the girl begins to talk to Pima and Nailer and they begin to realize how rich the girl actually was. It was incomparable to anybody they new and blew their minds. Nailer and Pima tell the girl that when people come to rescue her, she has to agree to get them away from the land they grew up on and find a better life.
The wealth that the girl has is completely ridiculous and it might be even better that they kept the girl alive instead of dead. They might be able to use bribery to get enough money to be rich for the rest of their lives. Nailer really wants to get away from the life he has now so I fully believe that he will try to leave with the girl once people come to find her. Maybe they will even become attracted to each other and live together forever. I say this because Pima has been teasing Nailer about him finding a girl he could have an interest in.
Swank
I've been reading the book Ship Breaker and during a section of this book the word "swank" has been used several times. Reading it so many times has made me fond of this word and I now feel obliged to use it more often in my everyday life. Probably the main reason that I like this word is how it sounds. Swank. Seems to get even cooler every time I say it. Some may be wondering what this word means so I took the liberty to look it up. According to dictionary.com swank means "dashing smartness". Wow. That's a pretty amazing definition. I will defiantly need to start using swank way more often. If I am able to find anymore words that catch my eye of awesomeness I will be quick to post it on my swank blog.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Superbowl Prediction
The single biggest sporting event is occuring this weekend and I am excited to watch even though the Colts aren't playing. I will be rooting for the Packers for the only reason that I hate the Steelers. The reason that I hate the Steelers is that a couple years ago they beat the Colts in the playoffs and the Steelers have won 2 superbowls in the last 5 years so I am tired of them winning. It annoys me when teams dominate from year to year (like the Patriots, hate them too) unless of course it is the Colts. I believe the Packers win 28-24.
Ship Breaker, pgs 68-94
The storm lasts for two days and once it ends Nailer and Pima head back to the beach to find Nailer's dad and Pima's mother. When they arrive they find that the beach is the cleanest that it has ever been since the storm cleared out everything. They also quickly are able to find their family members. Because of the storm the companies that ran the ship breaking left so the workers were left to scavenge for supplies by themselves. Pima and Nailer decided to go farther away and scavenge for food where there were no other people.
As they go farther to an island they are able to find some fish but a recked clipper ship catches their eye. Clipper ships are what replaced the old oil tankers and are extremely lavished and high tech. They quickly realize that they could find some very valuable stuff on the newly recked ship and could become rich. As they search the ship they find many dead people and even some half-men (genetically enhanced creatures who are super strong). Nailer and Pima rummaged through the ship and stumble into a room full of silver. They could be set for life with all the silver on the ship but they need to find a way to keep it all for themselves.
Nailer decided to go search farther in the ship and came to a room that belonged to a young girl. He finds the owner to the room in a second room. He looks at the mangled body on the ground and realizes she is fairly pretty. When Pima arrives she notices that she is wearing gold jewelry. They struggled to get the gold rings off her fingers so Pima decides that they should cut her fingers off to get the rings but as soon as Nailer starts to cut her finger the girl BLINKS.
This book is starting to get me extremely interested and I am curious to see what happens next. Considering that Nailer thought that she was pretty I believe that he will become attached to her in someway. I also think that he will struggle to hide the clipper ship from other people in the town since many people would want to get a piece of the fortune that it could provide.
As they go farther to an island they are able to find some fish but a recked clipper ship catches their eye. Clipper ships are what replaced the old oil tankers and are extremely lavished and high tech. They quickly realize that they could find some very valuable stuff on the newly recked ship and could become rich. As they search the ship they find many dead people and even some half-men (genetically enhanced creatures who are super strong). Nailer and Pima rummaged through the ship and stumble into a room full of silver. They could be set for life with all the silver on the ship but they need to find a way to keep it all for themselves.
Nailer decided to go search farther in the ship and came to a room that belonged to a young girl. He finds the owner to the room in a second room. He looks at the mangled body on the ground and realizes she is fairly pretty. When Pima arrives she notices that she is wearing gold jewelry. They struggled to get the gold rings off her fingers so Pima decides that they should cut her fingers off to get the rings but as soon as Nailer starts to cut her finger the girl BLINKS.
This book is starting to get me extremely interested and I am curious to see what happens next. Considering that Nailer thought that she was pretty I believe that he will become attached to her in someway. I also think that he will struggle to hide the clipper ship from other people in the town since many people would want to get a piece of the fortune that it could provide.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Ship Breaker, pgs 32-68
Nailer was stuck inside of the room full of oil and was trying to find a way out. He is able to dive down and find that there is a door. Nailer fails at first to open the door but eventually he was able to open the door and he and the oil rushed out of the tanker and he was banged around until eventually he was shot out the tanker into the ocean. With relief Nailer realizes that he will not die the horrible death inside the suffocating room of oil and swims to shore. He screams with joy that his is alive and people look at him weird because he is bleeding everywhere.
Some people from Nailer's crew help heal him up and provide him with some stitches. Sloth is kicked off the crew for not being loyal to the crew since she decided to leave Nailer and let him die. She will now most likely never find work again. Nailer celebrates with his crew that he is alive and they provide him with luck gifts. Some of these included alcohol. As the huge storm approaches Nailer heads back to his shack ready to face his father who fell into a life of drugs and alcohol and some days beats Nailer. Nailer is able to ward off his dad by giving him some alcohol that he got as a luck gift.
During the night the storm hits and it is so powerful that it was going to destroy everthing close to the beach. Nailer tries to wake his dad but is unsuccessful. He quickly gathers his things and heads out. When outside he tells Sadna that his father will not wake up and she goes to help him while Nailer and Pima head for shelter up the hills.
Some people from Nailer's crew help heal him up and provide him with some stitches. Sloth is kicked off the crew for not being loyal to the crew since she decided to leave Nailer and let him die. She will now most likely never find work again. Nailer celebrates with his crew that he is alive and they provide him with luck gifts. Some of these included alcohol. As the huge storm approaches Nailer heads back to his shack ready to face his father who fell into a life of drugs and alcohol and some days beats Nailer. Nailer is able to ward off his dad by giving him some alcohol that he got as a luck gift.
During the night the storm hits and it is so powerful that it was going to destroy everthing close to the beach. Nailer tries to wake his dad but is unsuccessful. He quickly gathers his things and heads out. When outside he tells Sadna that his father will not wake up and she goes to help him while Nailer and Pima head for shelter up the hills. I think that it is very sad that Nailer's dad could be have died even though he was not a great father. I really hope that Sadna is able to stay alive in the storm but the storm seemed to strong for anyone to survive. Now that Nailer is homeless because of the storm I am not sure where or what he will go do.
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