Summer Reading Assignment #4

I decided to read Looking for Alaska out of all of the other choices because my friend decided to read it too and I thought it would be nice for us to be reading the same book in case either of us had any questions about a part, we could just ask the other person.  Another reason why I chose this book is because the author, John Green, wrote The Fault in Our Stars which is a really popular book.  I still haven't read it yet but reading this book would determine if I wanted to read another book of his.  I also decided to read this book because I could download it straight to my tablet on my Kindle app, so that made it easy to read.  A connection that I made to this book is that I stand out from other people at my school because one of my hobbies is playing different instruments.  That is similar to Miles because one of his hobbies is to memorize people's last words.  It is also similar to Miles because he stands out being from a different state from everyone else.  I would recommend this book to my cousin but not until she gets a little older because there is a lot of profanity in this book.  

Summer Reading Assignment #3

A section of the book that I found "hooking" is when Chip says "Listen, I'm not going to be your entree to Culver Creek social life."  to Miles.  I found this part "hooking" because since they met, Miles thought that Chip was a little strange, but he was still nice.  Also, Miles helped Chip bring his couch from the storage room back to the room that they are staying in.  Miles mentioned that it is very hot, so why would Chip say that to him after he helped him?  Then it started to make a little more sense because Chip explained to Miles that there are two different kinds of groups at this school.  He said that there are the 'regular boarders', like himself, and then there are the 'Weekday Warriors', who are the rich kids that go to their parents mansions in the wealthy part of Alabama.  Chip told Miles that he doesn't like the cool kids, and they don't like him, so he is just warning Miles that if he came to this school thinking that he was hot stuff, he shouldn't be hanging around him very often.  Another part that I found "hooking" is when Chip told Miles not to call him Chip, but to call him the Colonel.  Then he told Miles that instead of calling him Miles, he will call him Pudge.  "Because you're skinny. It's called irony, Pudge. Heard of it?"         

Summer Reading Assignment #2

In Looking for Alaska, I think that Miles desires something that will change his life and make it more interesting and fun.  I also think that he desires new friends and activities to make his school year memorable.  I think that Chip, another character, desires to be friends with Miles because they are roommates for the rest of the school year.  I am hoping that they will get along for the whole year, and there might be some conflicts between them, but there are always conflicts between friends.  I think that together, they will make friends and create a group so that people in the group can make even more friends.  I think that a theme that is starting to appear is Discovery, because Miles is starting to discover this new school with new people, and he is also starting to discover more about himself.  Another theme starting to appear is Inner and Outer Self because Miles is finding who he is on the inside by figuring out what he likes and what he doesn't like, and he is finding who he is on the outside by figuring out who he wants to be friends with and how he wants to come across to people.  This book is structured differently from other books because it doesn't have chapters, it is just broken into small parts.  The structure of this book makes it easy to read since it is broken up in smaller parts rather than long, drawn-out chapters.

Summer Reading Assignment #1

For my summer reading assignment, I am reading Looking for Alaska by John Green.  The main character's name is Miles.  The book starts out at his home in Florida, then moves to Alabama, because that is where his boarding school is.  It takes place in the late summer, because he mentions that it is very hot but it is during the school year.  The conflict in this book is that he wants to figure out who he really is but he doesn't know how to yet.  Since he is at a new school, I think that he will meet new people and become friends with people that have similar interests as him.  Miles seems a little bored and unsatisfied with his life, and I think that he will find things to do with his new friends and have fun at his new school.  I also think that he is a little self-conscious but he once he meets the right people, he will start to feel a little more comfortable.  This book relates to Perks of Being A Wallflower because Charlie, the main character, is moving into High School and he is trying to figure out who he is.  He doesn't have any close friends until he meets some people from his school.  Both of the main characters from each book seem self-conscious in the beginning but they change by the end.

Text-to-text, Text-to-self, Text-to-world connections (Vixen) #3

Even though I have not read it yet, I think that The Great Gatsby could relate to Vixen.  I've seen the movie, and I have found many similarities between the two.  One similarity is that they're both based in the 1920's.  Another similarity is that it is during prohibition, so it is illegal to drink alcohol, but they do it anyway.  It was popular to smoke back then, so almost everyone did, including teenagers and even doctors.

I can relate to this book because the girls in this book are in high school and so am I.  I can relate to Clara the most because she prefers the city over a rural area.  Another reason is because she has a middle class lifestyle.  She was surprised when she arrived at her cousin Gloria's house, because she lives in a mansion and she is very wealthy.  I can also relate to Clara because she is trying to change into a better person. 

A similarity between the book and the world is that a lot of people go out to drink and have a good time, but back then it was illegal to drink.  Another similarity is that many people live in a middle class lifestyle.  

What does the work tell us about right and wrong? (Vixen) #9

When Gloria went to the Speakeasy, she knew it was wrong.  She isn't the kind of girl that would go to a place like that.  The author made it easy for the reader to understand that it was a bad decision.  When Gloria cut her hair into a bob, she knew that her parents and fiance would be angry at her.  She did it anyway because before she got her hair cut, she said "Well, if I am going to sin, I may as well sin badly. I mean, boldly" (Larkin, 39). The quote makes the reader realize that Gloria didn't care about what would happen if she did get her hair cut.  When Clara was on the train and she ran into a man who she thought was handsome, she stopped herself because she knew that it was wrong.  She even told him "I guess I'm not the type of girl you thought I was" (Larkin, 26).  The quote tells the reader that Clara wants to change so she can be respected.

Unusual patterns in the work (Vixen) #8

Each of the chapters in the book are named after the characters.  The first chapter is "Gloria".  The second chapter is called "Clara".  The third chapter is called "Lorraine".  The chapters repeat in this same order.  Each chapter is based off of the character that it is named after.  For example, if the chapter is "Gloria", the chapter will be in Gloria's point of view.  All of their points of view are different and that makes the book more interesting.  The book is broken into two parts. The first part is called "Speak Easy".  The second part of the book is called "Speak Low".  All of these things make this book different from other books.