Bluefish: Week of 2/24/14

Pages: 24-100
Prompt: Pretend that you have magical powers, and you could change certain parts of the story. What parts would you change and why?

     This story is extremely interesting, and I think that if I were to change certain parts, it would't be as interesting as it is right now, and there wouldn't be any real problems. Though certain parts of the story just make me so sad, that if I did have the power to change them, I would. Even though I know it's only a story, it feels like so much more than that; it feels so real, so though the things happening aren't real, they seem real, which is why they make me so sad, and if I had the power to change them, I would.

     The first part of the story I would change if I had the power to, would be the fact that both of Travis's parent are dead and he has to live with his Grandpa, who is not a very good parent to Travis. I'm not sure how Travis's mom died, because it hasn't mentioned it in the book yet, but once his mom died, his dad died only a few months later in a car crash. He was drunk, and crashed into a tree, and died. Travis was left alone to live with his Grandpa, which you may think was a positive thing, because he could still live with a family member, but his Grandpa wasn't exactly his ideal family member. His Grandpa was a smoker, and an alcoholic. He smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, and drank all the time. I feel bad for Travis, because if he's ever feeling alone, or scared, or sad, his Grandpa isn't a person he can really turn to, and he doesn't exactly have any good friends at school to share his personal life with, so he doesn't really have anyone to turn to when he's depressed, or if he's had a bad day. Just the thought of him having really no one, makes me feel so bad for him, and makes me think about my own life, and how sad I would be if my parents died, and I was stuck on my own, with only my Grandma or Grandpa (though I really love my grandparents and know that they would be there for me in times of need.) So, I would definitely change the part of the story where Travis's parents die.

     Another part of the story I would change if I had the power to, would be the fact that Velveeta's dad died. Velveeta seems like she was very close with her dad, and though she tries not to physically show it, she really misses him. She has a mother, who seems ok, at times. She makes dinner, and plays board games with Velveeta, but when her boyfriend shows up, things begin to go downhill. He convinces her to drink, and she always goes with it, and ends up trying to change the next day again, but always ends up going back to drinking. So, Velveeta is basically raising herself when her mother isn't sober, and can't stand her mom's boyfriend, or the fact that he might be taking the place of her dad. The only things that make her feel better are, sitting in her father's old trailer, and writing to him, telling him about her daily life. You can tell that Velveeta also has a hard time (like Travis) handling a death in her family, and doesn't really have anyone to turn to. I would feel the same way if one of my parents passed away, and I couldn't really trust the other to take care of me.  Velveeta always puts on a brave face, though you can tell that she really is sad on the inside. So, I would also change the part of the story where Velveeta's dad dies. You can really tell that she needed her dad.

     One last part of the I would change if I had the power to, would be the fact that Travis can't read. Now, I know that it doesn't seem like a big deal, and doesn't really matter if it's changed or not, but I would definitely change the story so Travis could read. Travis is very quiet, doesn't really say much to anyone, doesn't participate in class, and rarely does his homework. He has never really learned anything or gotten anything out of school, and doesn't really feel it's important to start, but the fact that he can't exactly read, and he's in 8th grade, is not good. I think he's very quiet and doesn't really participate, because he doesn't understand, nor can he actually answer a question or do the work asked of him, because he can't read or understand it. He has to ask people where he is because he can't read a sign telling him, and he has to have a teacher read to him, because he can't read a book for the class. He doesn't understand and people are starting to realize. I don't want Travis to get made fun of in this book. I have already seen all the stress, and pain he has to go through and all the problems he has, and I wouldn't want him to have to experience how mean kids can be. So, I want him to be able to read, and understand, so he can succeed, and think of himself as smart, and become more confident! So, if I had the power to change any parts of the story, those are the parts I would choose and why.

"Butterflies"- Nonsense Poem: 2/27/14

"Butterflies"

By: Julia Swicionis

Nonsense Poem

Flit, Flap, Fly,

The wings of the Butterfly,

Free flying through the sky,

Absolutely beautiful, so boudhie.

They’re graceful, gorgeous, and glabsting,

Fortoble, Fabulous, and Fascinating,

They’re one of nature’s most exciting,

Unforgettable; zoterplodeferfing.

The wings, and the bodice, can be so complex,

Intricate designs and trotrofex,

Make the butterfly even more intense,

Creating their powerful presence.

They bring with them cheers,

Seem to have no fears, 

Living life with regears,

Leaving behind jiblears.

In the bright light of the Sun,

So many people the butterflies stun,

Eyes wide, so colundun,

Watching the butterflies is so mondapun.

Flutter, Flutter, Flutter,

The brilliance and the bitbatattuter,

Make the butterfly so ambudutter,

And show their true vlunter.

Flit, Flap, Fly,

The wings of the Butterfly,

Free flying through the sky,

Absolutely beautiful, so boudhie.

Nonsense Words Key:

Boudhie- Mesmerizing; extremely beautiful and graceful; perfect.

Glabsting- Gleaming; a certain appearance that means to look extremely bright, colorful, and beautiful.

Fortoble- Fierce; very powerful, in a gracious way.

Zoterplodeferfing- Completely unforgettable; something so exquisite that it's impossible not to remember.

Trotrofex- Brilliant colors and shapes that create an exquisite design.

Regears- No worries, and positive behaviors and attitudes.

Jiblears- Negativity in any way, whether it's through negative people, negative attitudes, or negative atmospheres, etc.

Colundun- Bright with happiness and wonder.

Mondapun- Thrilling, and exciting in a simple, gracious form.

Bitbatattuter- Delicate and dainty.

Ambudutter- Extremely unique, with fascinating qualities.

Vlunter- Beauty and style in a striking form.

Blog Reflection: 2/24/14

     So far this year, I think I've made great progress in making my blogs better. If you look at my first few blogs, they were made up of short, simple paragraphs, but as the year went on, my paragraphs began to get lengthier, with more details, and better explanations and reflections on my books. I also began to start using more interesting prompts as the year went on, rather than writing a summary for every blog, or explaining who my favorite characters were every single week. I tried to think outside the box, and sometimes, even I, who wrote the blog, was amazed at what a simple story could be changed into when you've analyzed it and thought about it! My blogs have really helped me think more about the books I'm reading, and have really helped me get a better understanding of the books, just by blogging about them!

Now, this was my very first blog post, and as you can see, it was fairly short.

 This is a blog I wrote later in the year, and as you can see it's much more descriptive, and long.

     Though, I don't always believe that having a long blog, makes it better. I believe that sometimes blogs (including my own) can be very redundant, and have too many details that aren't important or have been repeated. I have a tendency to do this, and though I feel sometimes my longer blogs, are better, sometimes, they are actually worse. So, if I were to improve on something in my blog, it would be making sure that I'm not being too repetitive, and making the blog long enough to fit important and relevant information, but not so long that unimportant details are included. Another thing I would like to improve on in my blog, are the prompts I choose. I don't frequently choose the same prompts, but there are one or two prompts that I seem to choose when I'm not sure what prompt to do, and I would really like to possibly improve on that by choosing different, and more interesting prompts to write about!

     One way I can tell that my blogs have improved, and possibly even gotten more interesting is this. On the side of my blog it says how many comments and page views I've had on that specific blog. On one of my blogs at the beginning of the year I had three comments, and six page views.

Though, on a more recent blog (in fact, it was my blog from last week, I received ten comments, and 27 (now 29) page views!

This is showing that more people are beginning to get more interested, and start reading my blog! It always makes me happy when I see that people have actually read my blog, and all of the hard work I spent writing and creating it, has really paid off, because people have been seeing them!

This is one of my favorite blogs, and I think it's because I chose a more interesting prompt to write about, and I think that not only I, but my other classmates enjoy the blogs with the more interesting prompts, and my goal is to write more blogs like this one!

So, that is basically how I have reflected on the blogs I've written throughout the year so far!

Rules: Week of 2/10/14

"Differences"

Two Voice Poem

Catherine                              Kristi

I have an autistic brother, a married mom and dad            My two parents are divorced, it makes me so sad

                We are part of a family

At school I seem to be treated like a fool I am one of the most popular girls in school

My parent hardly pay attention to me           I’ve always gotten attention and everything I need

Being an artist is my dream           I’m still trying to figure out my dream it seems

I love being outdoors, and swimming in                       The pond is cold and icky, I’m not 

the pond                                                                                   very fond

I don’t really care about looking pretty           I like to look my best, boys think I’m a beauty

Ryan is a jerk, and our feuds will never                     I think Ryan’s sweet, he’s definitely a friend 

end

I feel loved, but sometimes ignored                                I thought my parent loved me, but then

                                                              they got divorced

                                                   

                         We want to feel loved

I like to daydream, but I always get my Dreaming is great, but so unrealistic

hopes up

I miss by best friend, but I will see her soon           I had to leave my old friends, but I will                                                   make some new

I have few friends, I keep close in my heart         I had tons of friends, before we moved 

                                                                                         apart

I have made some rules, so David will understand     I think rules are ok, but can seem like commands

     We need some structure

I think life has been unfair       I think that life is fair, but I don’t think anyone in it                               cares

I’ve lived most of my life with interesting pets       I've never had a pet before, they make my mom fret

Summer is great for adventures, absolutely perfect     Summer is my favorite time, I hope it                                                               won't get wrecked

My room is messy, there are clothes all over     My room is organized, everything placed  the floor                                     neatly in a drawer

Dancings not my thing, I always dance horribly       I always just love to dance no matter  

                                                                                               how foolishly

My mother’s always home, but it feels like       My mother’s hardly ever home but I’ve 

she’s not there                       begun not to care

David is kind of different and can’t find a place     Being different is something you should 

                                                                                             embrace

           Differences make us “special”

I think for now, everything is just right                   I think this new home, will make things  

                                                                                          alright

                         Life will go on

If you can't tell how it's supposed to look, take a look at the pictures of my poem.

Bluefish: Week of 2/17/14

Pages: 1-23
Prompt: Give a general summary of what's going on. What are some of your thoughts on what you've just read?

     So far, this book "Bluefish" has interested me very much, and I've only read about 20 pages! The book is narrated by an actual narrator, unlike most books I've read, and the beginning of the book starts in a school setting. It's so far been about a boy named Travis, who is starting 8th grade. On the first day of school, a boy's shoe had come off, and Travis had picked it up, seeing that the boy had been bullied before his shoe came off. He went to classes regularly, until he felt he just couldn't take the stress that the first day of school had brought. So, he left. He had run away from school many times before, but he had almost always been caught, but this time he didn't. Though, his Grandfather did end up driving past him, and brought him home. His Grandfather was a kind man, though smoked tons of cigarettes a day, and was an alcoholic, though he had been alcoholic free for about 30 days. Travis didn't like this, but his Grandfather was the only person he had. He continued on with school, and made a new friend named Velveeta. She was very bubbly, fun, and extremely talkative. Pretty much the opposite of quiet, reserved, Travis. So, it's kind of hard to believe that they became friends.Velveeta really liked Travis, and the main reason why this was, was because she saw him give the boy his shoe back the day he was getting bullied, and knew he was a kind hearted person. 


     Though, like Travis, Velveeta had some problems of her own. In the book, there are little letters/journal entries that Velveeta had wrote, intended for her father to read. Though, her father couldn't actually read them because he had died. I'm not 100% sure of the situation Velveeta was in, but it sounds like at home (well, in her dad's trailer) she kind of isolates herself from the world, thinking, writing, dreaming, but definitely not doing homework! Though, she makes it seem like she lives on her own in her dad's trailer, she actually mentions her mom, and how they watched movies together one night, and played games another. So, I'm not sure if she's on her own, or if she actually lives in a house, or if she actually has a mom living with her, or what. So, from the story so far, you can clearly see that Velveeta and Travis have more difficult, and sad lifestyles, and they're not as lucky as people with two parents, and a normal house. So, that's basically what has happened so far.

     From reading what I have so far, I can already that this story is going to be a bit emotional. From Travis living with only his Grandfather who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, who is an alcoholic, with no signs of parents, and Velveeta basically raising herself in a trailer, (or so it seems) with possibly a mother, possibly not, and a father who has just died, is already enough to find out in the first 23 pages. What happens when I learn why everything is like that? I think I am going to feel even worse for Travis and Velveeta than I already do right now. t makes me so sad to think about their situation, and how I could possibly end up like that, with no parents, or living in a trailer. I would be miserable, and I imagine they are too! I also am a bit confused, like I already mentioned, with Velveeta's situation. Does she actually have a mother who takes care of her? Does she live in a trailer? Does she have someone to come home to after school? Does she feel loved? And what about Travis? What happened to his parents? Why is he always running away from school? Is heokay with living with his grandfather, smoking, and drinking? This story has been so interesting, yet a bit sad so far, and I'm excited to read more (I mean, I've barely started!) So, that's basically what has happened so far, and some thoughts I've had on the story so far.

"Decisions"

Though it's a bit hard to see the words, my poem is about a girl who has made mistakes and and bad decisions in her life. They are eating her away, as she is upset with herself because she knows she can never take back what she'd done. She one day tells a man that she loves and trusts about the choices she had made, and how now she would like to choose to welcome in a new life, and a new path. The main message I wanted to get across was that no matter how many bad choices you may make, the one good choice you should make is to choose to start and accept a better life/lifestyle for yourself. In the picture, I tried to convey the girl in the poem, in all grey (a dull, and depressing color) and the only thing that was colored were her lips, and the words coming out. They were colored because they were the things that were important, and what changed her life, and caused her pain, but they also were important because they needed to be able to change her life back once again. The words were also the words she was trying to convey to the man she told her decisions to in the story, words like choices, decisions, pain, want, hate, and change. In the end, her words were what ruined her life, but they were also going to be the things that changed it back, and she was going to be able to welcome in a new life for herself, filled with good choices and change.

Pain.

Stopped,

Took a Deep Breath.

It no longer seemed important,

Not her decision could reclaim a lifetime.

She waited,

Looking into the morning sunlight, 

She quickly, tenderly, spoke,

With spare, oblique words.

She let him know

How deeply she felt about her choices.

She could now only choose,

To welcome her new life.

"Little Details"

I created this poem, with the intention of explaining and showing how a year (and a day) can be filled with so many little experiences and details, and how people also can learn to live with those things throughout time. A year of impossible goodbyes can mean that you've had to say goodbye to so many people who can't be in your life anymore, who have either moved or passed away. People experience accidental love for people who they know will not last, but still want to love anyways, even if they are one day gone, because they truly do love them. The inheritance of loss shows how though we lose so many different things throughout a year in our life,(whether it's a family member or a tooth) we eventually learn to live with it, and realize things will be okay in the end, and we will take "small steps" to be able to get to a point where we can live with the loss, and the accidents, and goodbye's that, they eventually only seem like little details, in the large story of our lives. So, that's basically the message I wanted my poem to evoke, and what the idea was behind creating it.

A Year And A Day

A Year of Impossible Goodbyes,

Accidental Love,

The Inheritance of Loss,

and Small Steps