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.

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 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=10699499&site=ehost-live>.

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 themself 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.

Entry Four: Outside Reading II

And so we find out why Melanie called the cops that night. It was a party. With alcohol. With upperclassman. With freshman that seemed to be asking for it. Then, the cops are called. Somehow this is usually the scene that the problems start. What's one drink? What's one kiss? 90% of campus rapes happen because of alcohol says Brown University. So, here's the play by play. Melanie got all prettied up at Rachel's house before the party. Hoping to look "hot." She goes to the party, has a drink then thinks what's just one more? After a couple she's feeling a little woozy, but hasn't passed out yet. In the dark, she stands near some bushes and is entranced by this upperclassman. He kisses her and she likes it. Then he brings her to the ground and is on top of her. Eventually, she just didn't like it anymore and said stop. No. Did it mean anything to him? No. Seems like the word of the day huh? The word no, two letters, with all the meaning in the world. So this word, had no effect on Andy, the upperclassman who wasn't anything, but scum who had some drinks. That night Melanie had no power over her future and her virginity was taken from her. He not only took that, but her dignity, friends, and life. The book relates the topic of rape to something that can happen anytime, anywhere. It's such a serious matter that women refuse to admit. Just like Melanie. She never told anyone. She never did the good deed of helping herself.

Entry Three: Outside Reading II

As the book has continued, we are learning more and more about the main character, Melanie. So far, she has become friends with Heather, a wanna-be popular girl, who thinks there is no hope for her to find friends. Melanie has constantly been reminded of her tragic past at school as she passes “IT”, Andy Evans, in the hall. Andy Evans has inspired me to refer to the common stereotype that girls seem to always like, and for what? “Fact—he’s gorgeous. Fact—he’s rich. Fact—he’s just the itsiest bit dangerous…” (Page 90). Emily, one of Heather’s new friends, is describing all that she sees in Andy, and loves it. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good looking guy and who doesn’t like money, but isn’t it so much more than that, and why flirting with danger? This book has intrigued me to fully look beyond looks and see what’s within. In real life, much of the high school gossip is “the hot guy” that just moved here or who did stuff with so and so. Why all that we see in people is the rumors that seem to spread around them or a past that they can’t seem to forget, which all relates to Speak. Melanie called the cops at the party because Andy did something he never should’ve done, and now…no one can seem to forget it. That’s a reputation that will live on with her until the end of her high school career. It’s not enough that she was in danger because people only care about what they heard. No one really knows what happened to her. No one really cares.

Entry Two: Outside Reading II

Just kidding! I'm not going to read the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. So, let's start over. Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson was awarded the Honor Award which I assume is pretty high esteemed. Now here's something to think about:
"Older students are allowed to roam until the bell, but ninth graders are herded into the auditorium. We fall into clans: Jocks, Country Clubbers, Idiot Savants, Cheerleaders, Human Waste, Eurotrash, Future Fascists of America, Big Hair Chix , the Marthas, Suffering Artists, Thespians, Goths, Shredders. I am clanless." (Page 4)
I'd think you were lying if you told me that you don't think there are cliques at our school. We all have them. In reality, it's pretty pathetic. Why does everyone have to be placed in a category? Sometimes I think that people hide behind what their label is and labels only lead to the stereotypical attitude that several people present. The main character that I have yet to learn the name of because she talks in first person. She has for some reason lost all of her friends, which makes the novel all the more suspenseful in a way. The author, Anderson, writes conversations with the speaker a colon which seems to be a part of her writing style. Also, she signifies different things by using line breaks.

I am Outcast.

See, quite the eye catcher right? I can sort of relate to the main character in respect that I was once new. Except, she’s not new, which is quite unfortunate. It’s her against the world. When everything is working against you, it’s hard to pick back up. I have full confidence though that the girl will be able to either start over or get her old life back. We’ll have to wait and see.

Entry One: Outside Reading II

For this quarter I have decided to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Now, I know you’re thinking, “I’m pretty sure that book is for 7th graders,” but, I’ve always wanted to read the story and it just happened to be that I finally started it in 10th grade. It starts out with Bruno, a well behaved boy whom is around eight years old. He arrives home from school to find his maid packing all of his things because his family is moving. Bruno’s mom tells him it’s for his father’s job. On page eight Boyne writes, “’It keeps us safe. And who knows, maybe we’ll be in less danger if we move away.’” The speaker is the mother of Bruno who at this point we don’t know much about, but she seems apprehensive about moving also. I think this quote describes a part of the time period. On a previous page, Bruno talks about living in Berlin and how he has to turn his lights off at night for safety. His mom is trying to tell him that when they move they’ll probably be safer because I think it’s right to assume the story is placed during World War II, one of the most devastating wars of history. We see that Bruno is naïve and young because he asks many questions and doesn’t understand several ideas that his mom present to him. I relate the main character, Bruno, to younger kids that I have known. They tend to always wonder, “Why.” It’s quite an intellectual idea, but if you take the time to think it’s not impossible to answer yourself.

Entry Seven: Outside Reading

Enough about my inner thoughts, back to the book. At lunch when Peter walked up to see Josie, who he thought liked him back, Matt pulled down him pants in front of the entire lunch room. How mortifying. The book slowing creeps up to the day of the actual shooting, and finally we're there! Peter said that his main target for the shootings was the jocks because they bullied him too much and it had to end. His claim, "They started it." And by the way, I forgot to mention that the detective, Patrick, that arrested Peter and saved Josie, is now dating Josie's mother, Alex Cormier. They're in love and he's always at the house, convenient. Because Josie was around and now involved in Peter's life we have found from their long history from childbirth, she is supposed to testify in Peter's case. Hard because Matt bullied him and she never knew that she was one of the reasons he was so unhappy. Here's the twist you never would've saw coming. Matt was shot twice in the locker room and no other victim was shot twice. Turns out, Peter shot him once and he couldn't have shot him in the stomach a second time because of the projector angle. Josie shot him. Her own boyfriend, I guess she was more loyal to Peter than we thought. Peter was charged with 8 counts of murder and 2 manslaughter. Josie went to a woman's penitentiary where she stayed for 5 years. In the end, Peter suffocated himself to commit suicide. The book closed with Alex and Patrick sitting at the one year anniversary of the shootings by the new glass atrium surrounded with a completely remodeled school claiming to be a safe haven after these gruesome events.

Entry Six: Outside Reading

Now that Joise was in the "popular" crowd she figured there was nothing else that she wanted. Even still though, she thought something was missing, like a puzzle piece. Only, you can't find it. Josie dated Matt despite the fact that he was flat out rude. Remind you of anyone you know? She tried to be nice to Peter, but didn't really make the effort as much as he did. Peter walked towards Josie to talk to her at school one day. Matt being the obsessive boyfriend he was, punched him. In awe, Josie didn't know what to do, but in my opinion, she could've done better. Rather than helping Peter, she leaves....with Matt. It's weird how people change, don't care about the past, don't make the effort for something that they might've made before. Later on in the book, we find out that Josie miscarried with Matt's baby. If she would've had the baby, would they have gotten married? Matt's abusive and yet, she stays with him, for the attention, superiority. It makes you wonder why people actually do this. Peter is still hung up on the way he feels for Josie. He's not gay like everyone assumes, he just likes this girl he has no chance with. Not a crime. Despite Peter's concerns, he writes Josie an email, a love email. Courtney, Josie's friend, receives it on the computer, only to do something dreadfully humiliating with it. First, Courtney convinces Peter that Josie likes him back and tells him to come see her at lunch. And to top it all off, she spams the entire school with the love email from Peter. Cruel. It almost makes me sick to my stomach just thinking of someone who would do that, try to ruin someone's life. The character is either too insecure about herself or truly doesn't have a conscience. Stay tuned.

Entry Five: Outside Reading

We come to find that Josie and Peter used to be best friends. Peter’s mother delivered babies and taught a class about becoming a mother. Alex Cormier, walked in one day, but left early. Peter’s mom, Lacy, tries to convince her to stay, but notices that Alex is too preoccupied getting to a court case. As time went on, Alex and Lacy meet up and Alex doesn’t know what to do with her baby. She had an affair with her mentor who was quite a couple years older. She told him she was having a child and he told her to get rid of it, but as time went on, she wanted to keep it because he told her she couldn’t have the job she wanted if she had it. Alex started over. With Lacy’s help, she had the child aka Josie. Ever since they were best friends and raised their children together. All through elementary school Peter was picked on, but Josie always stood up for him. School drifted on and they grew apart. Josie wanted so badly to be in the “in” crowd and eventually she did. Peter was still left at home, and what always greeted him was his older brother. His older brother was mostly favored by his parents, popular, A-student, but senior year he got in a car crash and his life ended. Peter never did live up to anyone’s expectations of him and was always angry that Josie didn’t like him the way he liked her. By sophomore year, Josie started to date a guy named Matt. Josie never realized it, but Matt didn’t treat her very well, calling her names, ordering her around, and not sharing her with anyone else. How can people not see it, the way other people treat them? Are they in denial, or really do they think it’s what a relationship is supposed to be like?

Entry Four: Outside Reading

The story of Nineteen Minutes starts out with everything you can do in nineteen minutes. It leaves you intrigued by literally everything you could do, but also why it pertains to the book. Alex Cormier is rushed to get to work, a court judge. Her daughter is Josie, a teenage stupid. The judge is nervy. Distracted. Then it flips to Peter Houghton, a boy that is one of Josie’s schoolmates. How they are connected? We have yet to find out. At school, the bells rings, like a typical day, and we all know what that’s like. The late night, roll out of bed, mosey to school with nothing to look forward to usually? Yea, like that. Except on this particular day, something drastic was going to fulfill the lives of every student on campus. A random girl had to leave school early to go the orthodontist. Now you may be asking yourself, who cares? But then, she heard a huge bang, a bomb exploding from someone’s car. Then bang, bang, bang. A detective, Patrick Ducharme, is radioed what he never thought he’d hear in his life. He books it to the school to be greeted with crying, screaming, a worst nightmare. It’s unnerving and freakish to think if this was you, the kid who was shot, the mother of a child in that school, or even a dog-walker across the street. Patrick bolted into the school, like the “Braveheart,” that he is and is looking anxiously for a sign, a piece of hope to get the bottom of this disaster. Finally he gets closer…

And closer.

The shooter was in the locker room next the gym. A boy sitting on the ground in the fetal position, but where is the shooter? Two people lay on the ground appearing to be unconscious. Dundundun, then we find that the harmless looking boy, is the shooter. Patrick gets a fellow companion to take him in to custody, we he sees one of the students on the ground moving. Just slightly, but she is moving. He picks her up, soaking in blood. Turns out, she wasn’t shot, but instead fell unconscious into the guy’s blood next to her. Who was she? What was her name? How could any of this have happened?

Entry Three: Outside Reading

I have come to find that Katie is so upset about Matt leaving her because she is pregnant with his child. The diary is coming to a close and Suzanne had another heart attack. Nicholas is just about one year old and she is working harder than ever being a physician, wife, and mother. She goes to the hospital and finds that she has another problem with her heart. Also, Suzanne is pregnant with her second child. Now we already know that she doesn’t have two children because it talks about Nicholas and how she’s so lucky to have him. The doctors are trying to convince Suzanne to abort her baby, for she has little chance of living and little chance of her baby living because of her heart condition. Everything is against her and she contemplates having an abortion, but she can’t do it. This baby is just as much her life as Nicholas is. I think this shows a lot about her character, how much she grasps on to life. One day Suzanne passes out and wakes up in the hospital. Her heart caused her to black out and fall down the stairs. Matt found her and brought her to the E.R. and she almost didn’t make it. Eventually she got to go home, bet a couple months later, something tragic happened. Suzanne, Matt, and Nicholas go to have family photos done to always have reminders of the struggles they’ve overcome. While Suzanne is driving to go get the pictures she ordered, she gets into a car accident. Matt got a call that no husband would ever want to hear, “You wife has passed away, I’m sorry.” Later we come to find out, it wasn’t just Suzanne, but Nicholas was in the back seat sitting like an angel. Matt lost the two things in life that he cared about most. So now, he’s with Katie, and she finally is starting to understand. Their anniversary is the day that his wife and child were killed, this is why Matt left. He felt due to the conditions, he couldn’t stand the thought of reliving it just one year ago. Eventually, Matt runs into Katie, she goes everywhere looking for him. He tells her how much he loves her and he just couldn’t handle it at the time, but now he’s ready. Matt proposed to Katie and she informed him of the baby on the way and couldn’t be happier. In the end, Matt is forced to move past his troubles and start over. They get married and welcome a new child into the world.

Entry Two: Outside Reading

Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas starts out with Katie, a publisher in New York. Her boyfriend, Matt dumped her, more suddenly than she expected. Matt gave Katie the impression that they were going to get married and he told her he was no longer married. After he broke it off, something didn’t seem right. She was so depressed; she took the day off of work. When she got home there was a package on her front step. Thinking it was from her publishing job, Katie almost didn’t open it. Then she noticed it was Matt’s handwriting. Inside, was a diary with a note on top. It read something like, “Katie, I had to break up with you. I just couldn’t do it any longer. I hope this explains a little about why. I love you.” It seemed to me that he was married and he was just dragging this affair out, but he sends Katie mixed messages like saying I love you. The diary was written by Suzanne, his wife, for their child, Nicholas. James Patterson does a good job on hooking the reader to want to buy into this twisted love story. Suzanne started to write the diary so her baby Nicholas could know everything that happened in her life and what she was thinking at that point in time. She lived in New York as a heavily busy doctor with a routine only the workaholic in her could master. One day at the Public Garden, she got a collapsing pain in her chest. She was almost near death, but then on a miracle survived her first heart attack in her thirties. Finally, Suzanna realized that she wasn’t taking the time to really enjoy life, so she moved back to Martha’s Vineyard where she grew up. She took up a practice and bought a quaint cottage by the water. In the diary, we come to find out that she ran into a guy she knew 20 years ago. He was quite rich and drove a green Jag. They hit it off right away and went on some dates. His name was Matt. To fix up her house she hired a painter named Picasso. Then, without warning Matt stops returning her calls and is nowhere to be found on the small island. Picasso asked Suzanne on a date, but she declined. Eventually, she gave in though. Come to find his name really wasn’t Picasso. It was Matthew Harrison. After a while, they fell in love. He took Suzanne to visit his mother, which he apparently had never done before and she had never felt this way about a man before. Katie read this diary still unaware of how it would explain anything. So, she found out that the guy she was in love with, really was married. Katie wanted to hate Suzanne so badly, but she couldn’t. Everything about her seemed humble, mature, and selfless. I still don’t understand how this diary has anything to do with Katie. Did Suzanne know about Katie? Was Matt cheating? Did Suzanne have another heart attack, but this time didn’t live through it? Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas is very compelling. It’s hard for me to put it down. I can’t wait to find out what really did happen to Suzanne and why Matt got up and left Katie. It’s a book filled with passion, emotion, and suspense.

Entry One: Outside Reading

The magazine Rolling Stone decided to write a comedy issue interpreting "What's Funny Now?" It seems when comedy started people didn't know what made each other laugh. Now a day though, 2008 has shown great characteristics of whit and awkward situations. Some common comedians today are Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey, and Zach Galfianakis. The awkward nature in comedic performances is portrayed in The Office, Borat, and Knocked Up. Steve Carell playing Michael in The Office is rude and makes no work experience forgetful. One of the newest to comedy is Seth Rogan. An actor and writer, he is the face for plenty of up and coming inappropriate funnies. I feel that Rolling Stone hit it right on. Today’s television is filled with crude language and unfortunate events. Just watching the shows make me embarrassed for the character. It’s part of the new millennium to have media filled with situations no one wants to be in and movies that relate to drugs as well as alcohol. Why people find it funny, doing stupid things? No one knows. It is obvious though that the new movies hitting theatres are doing quite well, such as Superbad, Pineapple Express, and Borat. The kids watching age appropriate movies has fallen very low. Children watching PG-13 movies at age 9 will only keep getting younger. It’s a question to ask yourself, why are parents allowing their kids to watch everything they shouldn’t?

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