Entry Ten: Outside Reading

The whole genocide thing was getting a little too much to handle for right now, so I'm taking a break. I have started Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. As of the first couple pages I learn one of the main characters is Delia. She is going to get married, she's a cop of come sort (looking for missing children?), has a daughter named Sophie, and her mother died when she was four years old. She talks about how naive she was and how she never understood why her mother couldn't just come home. "It took me a lifetime to realize things don't get lost if they have value--you don't miss what you don't care about..." (page 7). I thought this quote was very interesting. Children really do have a way about themselves at a young age, why this, why that? They're curious and for a good reason. They don't know anything, what is in the world to come. How could you miss something you don't care about? What ever it was was nothing to you. Or is it everything and you just don't realize it? The story starts off with Delia finding a little girl that had gone missing, her thoughts about it, and the unbearable pain she would feel if her daughter, Sophie, went missing. I feel like this somehow foreshadows the upcoming plot. Something has to go missing. A book has to start with something right? And it can't be irrelevant.

Entry Nine: Outside Reading II

“One thing about being lonesome is that you think too much, especially when there isn’t much else you can do” (Page 52). Ishmael says this as he sits by a river after losing track of all his friends. He is alone and can’t assume he’s safe. This quote is very relatable. I think all the time, especially when I have nothing to do. The worst part about it is you can’t stop yourself. What is it about our minds that makes it just keep going? “I knew we were walking, but I couldn’t fell my feet hitting the ground” (Page 36). It’s that feeling when you have to drag yourself to do something. I thought this sentence simple, but at the same time really intense. I think it shows the extent of what Beah was going through. He had no one, he was scared, he was estranged from everyone he saw. Imagine walking down the street in your town, and having people run away from you, but at the same time, people running after you with guns. This is where you’re supposed to feel safe; it’s supposed to be home. I guess we really do have it lucky, huh? We don’t see much massacre here in America. To most countries we’re just hunky dory and everything’s fine. It is so easy to take things for granted. Love…freedom…parents. This is why I love this book. It makes you appreciate everything you have, no matter how low you might be, just remember, it could be worse right?

Entry Eight: Outside Reading II

Now that I have finished Speak, I have decided to start reading a memoir. The book is called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. Beah writes of the struggles he faced while living in Sierra Leone as a growing boy. "There were all kinds of stories about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and different land” (Page 5). Killings by the rebels were growing more and more and to most communities, it wasn’t real. There was a lack of communication, technology, and belief that mass killings were taking place. Outside countries were absolutely no help at all, which makes me wonder, were they unaware that these killings were happening or did they just not care to help? Beah is about 12 years old and lives in a town called Mogbwemo. His friends enjoy listening to “foreign” music aka rap and have created several dances to go along with them. Beah’s parents are divorced and his mother lives in a town about 20 miles away that he and his brother must walk to in order to visit. His father was at work, so he figured he’d just leave and come back later because his friends had planned a performance some miles away. While in the town of Mattru Jong, the boys get word that the rebels have attacked their home. It is their instinct to go back to find their family and friends, make sure they’re okay and not still looking for them. On their journey back, they encounter even more towns that have been destroyed and notice that the easy journey there, won’t be so easy coming back. This beautifully written story is captivating, eye-opening, and blunt. I can’t wait to find out how Ishmael Beah’s life unfolds in this compelling story. The even more enticing fact is, it all happened.

Entry Seven: Outside Reading II

Throughout the book, Melinda has been working on an art project. A tree. Her goal was to create something beyond just a picture, a sculpture, a painting. Twas the last day of school and Melinda spent her time in the art room finishing up her project. So for starters 1) Andy Evans was revealed as a bigger pervert than they had originally thought 2) The school year was over 3) Life was slowly becoming better. It is said that life can't get better without hitting rock bottom first. This tree, this simple art project became all of Melinda's year in one. It tested her motivation and persistence when she couldn't think of another way to draw it. The project was the escape that was impossible to find after the dreadful party that altered Melinda's world. When her time was up, Mr. Freeman gives her an A+, not exactly the grade that occupied her report card often. Summer is here, Melinda has gained instant popularity due to her dominance over Andy, and she has her life back. Nothing is holding her down and this book has proved that one can be so much more than everything around them. Don't get too caught up in the world that can consume who we are as human beings. My friend once told me,” You’re my rock, my best friend, because when everyone is caught up in the world around them, you can see what is really going on beyond all that.” Humans are compassionate, determined, and human because they cry, laugh, and live.

Entry Six: Outside Reading II

There’s a dilemma. Now it’s no quite an ethical one, but I’m still pretty sure that Melanie has a dilemma. Rachel, her ex-beset friend, is now dating, IT, The Beast, Andy Evans. As far as we know, Melanie has kept the secret of her rape from everyone. She really wants to tell Rachel to stay away, and she did. Except, Rachel just thought she was jealous and wouldn’t hear a word of it. Should Mel just give up? Hey, Rachel didn’t listen to her anyone, or risk her already ruined reputation and push it? I guess it’s up to how you look at it. Rachel could also get raped, but how do we know that? On the other hand, maybe Rachel and Andy share something “special”… haha ya right. So Melinda settles for trying again. Finally the truth comes out, while passing notes none the less, but Melanie told Rachel that she was raped. Raped by Andy Evans. “You liar! You’re so jealous!” Wasn’t that the kind of answer to expect? Don’t be so shocked. Later on, Ivy takes Melinda to the bathroom stall where they wrote “Stay away from Andy Evans.” All around it were comments from different people. Looks like Melinda wasn’t the only one that felt that way. It’s kind of like in class, when you’re too scared to ask a question because you think it’s stupid, but really half of the class is thinking the same exact thing. Maybe it’s important to meet the challenge, take the plunge, and face what everyone else should face too. So has Andy Evans raped more than just Melinda?

Entry Five: Outside Reading II

It's interesting how all rape victims are similarly connected. "It's not your fault, he was an animal. Honey, you were raped. You said no." Either I'm right, delusional, or watch too much Law and Order: SVU. Over and over victims of all different crimes have to be told it wasn't their fault. Melinda being one of them. She can't tell anyone. She can't speak. I think that coming up in the book, Melinda will speak. After all, it is the title of the book. She needs to get on with her life, learn from it, embrace the good as well as that terrible bad. Everyone needs someone, a friend, someone to listen, they don't even have to speak. It seems to me that Mel doesn't have that at all, but she is starting to become friends with Ivy which is positive. I makes me feel awful just reading a book where the main character doesn't have any hope.

Moving on, Rachel is now dating "IT," "The Beast," aka Andy Evans. She says she'll go to college with him and/or wait for him, which led me to wonder about people's reasons for following their high school girlfriend/boyfriend to college. In my professional opinion, I think that college should be where you can start over, meet new people, be who you want to be. How can you that with someone you've probably known for a really long time that could render you're "blank slate?" It seems to me that if it's really meant to work, things will work themselves out. You will get together eventually. I just think it's stupid to throw your whole college experience away just for someone you may love.

Original Two Annotated Bibliographies

Annotated Bibliography

"Applying the Death Penalty." Supreme Court Debates 5.5 (May 2002): 129. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Edina High School, Edina, MN. 8 Dec 2008 .

As writers for the newspaper article, The Congressional Digest Corp is meant to show certain issues with an impartial tone. By evaluating all the pros and cons, it allows the reader to create an opinion or side by them self knowing all the facts. Getting its controversial situations from Congress leads to a reliable source in which people don't necessarily have to read a whole article on other people's opinions. The intended audience is really for mostly adults looking to be informed in one of America’s toughest issues. This article reviews several cases that are highly esteemed for their notorious outcomes and decisions. It is meant to inform those that maynot have much knowledge of the issue and reveal the truths about mentally retarded people regarding capital punishment.

Bonner, Raymond and Sara Rimer. “Mentally Retarded Man Facing Texas Execution Draws Wide Attention.” The New York Times. 12 Nov 2000. 9 Nov 2008 >.

This informational article provides two different points of view based on various facts. Robert S. Smith, a convicted mentally retarded inmate’s lawyer, states "there is no societal retribution in killing a person with the mind of a 6- year-old." It is said that mentally handicapped persons have no idea of the crime that have committed, they don’t deserve to die for their lack of competence because "disabilities degrade the dignity and worth of the human person." Many believe it is just unjust to execute anyone, whether a mental disability or not. On the contrary, some say the convicted, Johnny Paul Penry, “should be executed for the sake of Pamela Carpenter." If he kills someone doesn’t he deserve to die himself? It’s not fair to Carpenter or her family if he is allowed to live and she isn’t. The several sides that this article covers are helpful to provide an unjust opinion by presenting optional points of view.