2 similes and 2 metaphors

2 Similes and 2 Metaphors

1.  "I pick up the locket,resigned to sealing the deal, and the strangest thing happens-my hand,it just clumps shut like the Jaws of Life." Simile  page 9

2. "Kerri has arranged my messages the way I prefer-urgent ones written on green post-its,less pressing matters on yellow ones,lined up in neat columns like a double game of solitaire. " Similes  page 20

3."Normal, in our house, is like a blanket too short for a bed." page 12 Simile

4. "They come in like a hurricane." page 53 Simile

5. "Do you miss it Sara?" he asks quietly. I wrap our son in the towel and kiss him on the crown of his head. "Like I'd miss a root canal." page 28 Simile





1. "The room is a sea of dirty clothes and magazines and leftover Chinese take-out cartons...." Page 14 metaphor

2. "His eyes are devil red" Page 38 metaphor

3. "When she is tied to the bed, I am her eyes and ears." page 58 Metaphors

4. "When you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail." page 22 metaphor

5.

Am I a Keeper?

I do feel that I am someones keeper. I think I was to my grandfather. Before he died, I would always spend my time with him. I would give up my weekends to spend quality time with him. Now that he has passed i finally realize how much he meant to me. It might of been a pain in the butt at the time but it was so worth giving up my time. I made so many great memories with him. In a way, I feel that I was one of the main reasons he kept on living and got better when he was sick. I am so happy with the memories with him.

My Sister's Keeper Intro

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult is about a girl names Anna. Her older sister, Kate, suffers from Leukemia  and Anna was born so that she could save her sister. Anna was planned to save her sister with her kidney. Throughout the novel, Anna gets a lawyer and wants to sue her mom for medical emancipation which basically is the freedom to make your own medical decisions. It also talks about their brother that doesn't get a lot of attention because its always about Kate and Anna. Many people have told me about this novel. I saw the movie and really enjoyed it.

Jodi Picoult is from Long Island, New York. She has 3 children. In 2003, she was awarded the New England Bookseller award. She has over 14 million copies of her books published in the world. She went to Princeton University then Harvard.



Picture of Jodi Picoult :

Sources:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sister%27s_Keeper_(novel)

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Chris McCandless: A dynamic hero

      Chris McCandless: A dynamic hero

            In Webster’s dictionary the definition of Hero is “A man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. One who shows great courage.” Chris McCandless’s story has been causing controversy for years. There are supporters of McCandless and then there are critics. After reading and thinking about what he did people create their own unique opinions of him.  My own opinion of McCandless is that he was a hero with flaws. Mental strength, physical strength and intelligence are the three reasons that he should be called a hero. 

            The first reason I think Chris is a hero is the mental strength he had. Mental strength is can effect a person’s look on life. He had the strength to follow a dream of his, even when others thought it was crazy. The courage he had to go beyond society and look for the deeper meaning of life is incredible. “If he started a job, he’d finish it. It was almost like a moral thing for him. He was what you call extremely ethical. He set pretty high standards for himself.” (Krakauer, 18) That quote was said from Wayne Westerberg about Chris. Another quote from Chris’s father, Walt McCandless, “Chris was good at almost everything he ever tried,” (118) basically says that Chris was super confident in himself which is a form of mental strength. His flaws when it came to mental strength were the fact that he was over confident in his ability to go to Alaska. He just thought that he could just walk into Alaska and keep his sanity. Chris died of starvation. Starvation is known to play with your mind; you slowly lose your sanity.  Another one of Chris’s flaws was that he believed he could be out there and happy by himself. He soon found out that was not that case. He wrote in his journal, “Happiness is only real, when shared.” That phrase was one of the last things he wrote and to me, is an important lesson he learned from his life.  

            The second reason I think he is a hero is his physical strength. He hitchhiked great distances and trained every morning while he was at “the slabs”. “He did calisthenics each morning to get in shape for the rigors of the bush and discussed backcountry survival strategies at length with Bob, self-styled survivalist.”(45) The fact that he put time and effort into working out was very smart of him, even though he wasn’t the biggest guy. “Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build,” is what Jim Gallien, the last person to see him alive, described him as. The flaws that Chris made when it came to his physical strength were that his body weakened from the lack of nutrition going into his body. He lost a drastic amount of weight toward the end of his life. He also did not pack that well. Chris needed better clothing and food. “He wasn’t carrying anywhere near as much food and gear as you’d expect a guy to be carrying for that kind of trip”. (4)

            The last reason I think he is a hero is his intelligence. Chris was not a high school dropout. He went to Emory University a well-established school in Atlanta, Georgia. Chris had the intelligence that impressed many of the people he met on his travels. He wrote in his journal and took advice from survivalists. While in the bus, he read books to keep his mind sharp.  “You could tell right away that Alex was intelligent.” (18) Wayne Westerberg said that quote about Alex Supertramp (aka Chris). “In May 1990, Chris graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, where he’d been a columnist for; and editor of, the student newspaper, The Emory Wheel, and had distinguished himself as a history and anthropology major with a 3.72 grade-point average.” (20) The flaws that he had when it came to intelligence are he didn’t have the common sense to realize he needed to prepare himself for this trip. He did try but he should have read more and bought more supplies.

                        Critics of McCandless believe he was a complete fool that should not be having this much publicity. Nick Jans, a writer and teacher, wrote into Krakauer in respond to his original article. “McCandless was hardly unique; there’s quite a few of these guys hanging around the state, so much alike that they’re almost a collective cliché. The only difference is that McCandless ended up dead, with the story of his dumbassedness splashed across the media…” (71). I think that these critics are very wrong. My biggest opinion on the critics of McCandless is that they judge someone’s life they didn’t even know. Yes, the people who praise McCandless, didn’t know him either. Chris chose to live his life the way he did.

                        In conclusion, I believe Chris McCandless was a hero with flaws. I do look up to him in different ways. How can you not? He had the courage to be different and chaise his dreams. His mental strength, physical strength and intelligence are what make him a hero with flaws. What human doesn’t have flaws? But to say he was stupid and foolish for pushing his confort zone and inspiring almost all the people he met is idiotic. I want you, the reader to take what you have learned and think about your life. Do you have a dream that you want to become a reality? Do you want to be pushed out of your comfort zone? Do you want to see the beauty that is life? Take what you have learned and apply it to your life. See the beauty and make a change because you only have one life.

                                                            Work Cited

            "HeroAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed on One Page." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Escaping society.

Just the thought of camping, taking a hike, or just being outdoors makes me happy. It all makes me escape society and take in the fresh air. When I talk with my friends about Into the Wild, they honestly don't understand why Chris did what he did. They think he was somewhat stupid. I think he was one of the coolest guys ever.What he thought then about society is what I sometimes believe now. Chris wanted to have an adventure and to truly see the beauty of life. One of the things that stuck with me in the book was the fact Chris didn't like working because his co-worker's were "plastic people". I think that is very true now. There's plastic people everywhere including the media. Many celebrities especially the music industry are plastic people. They sing about stuff that's inappropriate and to be honest doesn't even matter. Chris and I both agree that money doesn't even matter either.  There's people that are constantly working, talking on the phone,  going online, and texting. I'm not saying that all these things are bad but doing them to much makes people forget about what life is truly about. I used to text all the time. I'd miss simply conversations with my parents because I had the phone  in my hand all day every day. For the last 3 months, I haven't had a phone and sometimes I don't wan't to get a new one! I don't have the distractions of people texting me all the time.


Well back to the free write...
 Yes I do think that adventures that Chris and the other men in the book were worth it. It was there life and there decisions that made them happy. I would love to try a wilderness retreat...maybe make my life a wilderness retreat. I'm not saying I would want to go as extreme as Chris and the others did but living in a remote area like the mountains would be amazing. I went caving in West Virginia and my favorite part was the remote cabin we stayed in in the mountains. It had breathtaking views and no WiFi or cell service. We visited and talked to some of the locals up there and listened to there stories. The things I would be avoiding on this wilderness retreat are money, media, and phones.

MY POINT: I love talking and hanging out with people. It's just I think people need to stop and take a minute and look around at there life and ask themselves if they are happy or not. And if they are not happy do something about it. You only got one life, so live it right.

Nashville, Tennessee

The United States has many attractions to go to. Many of them I have seen but some I have been dying to go too! If I had to choose anywhere to go it would be to Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is one of the most visited places. It's the capital of Tennessee and is known for being the "music city". The first place I'd go to is the Grand Ole' Opry. I love country music so it would be great to go to where every great country musician has sung. Not to mention other genres like folk, jazz, and blue grass.Tennessee is in the south and that'd something i love. Southern States are my favorite places to visit because I love the hospitality and the opportunity to wear my cowboy boots :).

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The way that I'd get to Nashville is by plane. Using South West Airlines,  a one way, non stop, flight from Baltimore to Nashville would be 1 hour and 45 minutes and cost around 306$. I would go in June the weekend of  my birthday.The weather would be around 85 degree's so i would defiantly pack tank tops and shorts, with some Capri's and a couple of light sweatshirts for the cooler nights of 65 degrees.  I would stay there the whole weekend and maybe a couple days or more.

I would go to "Music Row" in downtown Nashville. It is where tons of Businesses that do music are. There are so many singers that got there start by going to Music Row and dropping there mix tape off. I would go to the country music hall of fame and Nashville's Farmers Market! It would be a very fun trip !






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Into the Wild Summary

Into the wild is a book written by Jon Krakauer about Chris McCandless's amazing story. The book was made into a movie in 2007. It is the story of Chris McCandless's adventure after college. He gave away his savings and took a bag and couple other things with him. He hitch-hiked to Alaska to hike the Stampede Trail. His dead body was found in a bus 4 months later. The book tells of his adventures and his thoughts.

Romantic Comedy in A Mid Summer Nights Dream

Romantic Comedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

          Romantic comedies are watched in movie theaters all over the world. Oxford Dictionary gives the term romantic comedy the definition of “a general term for comedies that deal mainly with the follies and misunderstandings of young lovers, in a light-hearted and happily concluded manner which usually avoids serious satire.” Shakespeare uses romantic comedy concept to display a humorous effect on the play.

          Shakespeare uses this technique through the character’s actions, thoughts, and dialogue. The line said by Bottom, “Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man’s heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say ‘Let him roar again, let him roar again.’ ” (1, 2, 68-71), brings humor because he believes he is the best actor and his cockiness is funny. Another line said by Titania, “While I thy amiable cheeks do coy, And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head, And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy,” (2,4,1-4) is funny because Titania, a beautiful queen fairy who is under a love spell, is in love with Bottom, who has a head of an donkey. The last quote was said by Helena, “Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born, When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?” (2, 2, 130-131), brought the humor because after Helena chasing after Demetrious and thinking no one would ever love her, Lysander professes his love for her. She takes it as a joke and it funny because the audience knows that it is the complete opposite of what all the lovers want and that Lysander is under a spell. All these quotes bring humor to the play and bring out the romantic comedy aspect of it.

          Romantic comedies are seen all over the world. They are very popular because they both appeal to men and women. Examples of these movies are He’s Just Not That Into You and The Proposal. He’s Just Not That Into You deals with Gigi, a women who has had bad luck finding love. She befriends Alex, and he gives her tips on dating and men. As they get to know each other she professes love for him, but he does not for her. At the end of the movie, he realizes he loves her and they are a couple. Gigi and Alex are a lot like Helena and Demetrius. Helena professes her love for Demetrius. Demetrius doesn’t love her but after his eyes put under the love spell he falls in love with her. The Proposal is another romantic comedy that deals with a woman that forces her worker to marry her to stay in the country. It is similar to Demetrius and Hermia because Hermia is being forced to marry Demetrius. Romantic Comedy are seen and been known for many years and Shakespeare being one of the first to evolve it.

          Romantic Comedies are seen in movie theaters around the world. Shakespeare used that effect in A Mid Summer Nights Dream to give the effect of humor. The characters’ show it in there dialogue, actions and thoughts.