Reflection Post

Reading for me is enjoyable only when I am very in to a certain book that I like.  Normally the books that the school has chosen for me are not enjoyable to me.  On a regular basis, I usually do not have much time for reading.  When I have a mandatory goal that's set for reading, I sit down and do it but otherwise I usually don't sit down and read.  The biggest obstacles for me for not reading are soccer and sometimes just not wanting to do it.  This year while reading Fahrenheit 451 I did thoroughly enjoy the book as you had led me to believe I would.  The reading of this book would be what I consider to be the worst reading experience of the year.  I like being able to choose my books for myself because normally I think I can choose the correct topic that I think I would enjoy.  Some future goals I have for reading are that I would like to read 5 books per semester instead of just 3.



Blogging this year has been quite the experience.  Although I feel that I did not get the importance of it.  It was simply no fun for me because it seemed like a lot of extra work but it was a reason for me to read this semester.  The best part about the blogs were getting to share a new book with other classmates, the worst part was actually writing the blog.

By putting my thoughts online, it allows others to see my viewpoint on a book and possibly decide if they want to read it based on what I said.

In the coming years, I think to make blogging more part of our curriculum you would have to put more of an influence on it and make it a bigger aspect otherwise people would ignore it and put it off.


As a student, I personally have grown from last year to incorporate more studies in to my regular habits.  I feel like this year some of my best teachers have had a positive impact on me because they made me want to pay attention in the class.  If I thought the teacher was boring, then I was less eager to learn.

One of the many challenges I faced this year is essay writing because I feel I am not very good at it.  It seems harder for me than most other kids.  I feel like because of English class and Social Studies DBQs that they have helped me grow in my essay writing skills.  As a sophomore, I would like to become even better at English writing and that's why I'm taking AP US History next year.

Flyboys

      The book "Flyboys" by James Bradley is a very good book and keeps me ingaged, While I have not ventured far enough in to the book to get to the main story. At the beginning it gives a back story in the world before the war such as how Japan wanted to be an imperial power and how the Japanese wanted to instill a feeling of death is honor and surrender is unacceptable. This book also shows how Japan decided to take over China, attempt to take over Russia and the phillipines and lower islands.
      The amazing story follows the tale of a crew and a former president, although not the president at the time he will grow to become one of the most powerful people of his time. Unfortunetly i cannot go more in depth on the war part of the story but next post I will be.

Dover Beach

The sun is up, the sky has shone the bright light into our eyes
We rejoice in our morning where the great sky has gave us the light
It shines
The yellow glow touches our faces
it is warm


Waves crash as we rest on the beach
With the sun still on our face
The rocks hitting the sand
crash they go
The only world we have is a beautiful one
where the sun shines and the waves crash.

Fahrenheit 451

      This book by Ray Bradbury is a confusing and great twist to the modern society we live in today. This dystopian future is set in a world where censorship is the normal. The firefighters in this society don't actually put out the fires anymore. In fact they start them. They burn houses that are holding banned books.
      The banned books were banned originally in order for people to be censored in their weiws and beliefs. No one has there own opinion in this society. The average person sits around all day with their wall to wall tv while there mind turns mush as the old saying goes. This book is very confusing and all together fascinating.

Killing Patton

      I have had a chance to really et deep into Killing Patton by Bill O'reilly. This novel has not gone more into depth about Pattons personal life but it has started talking about his military career during WW2 and how he was one of the most successful generals and how he was beloved by his men. Also it shows his armies progress into the invasion of Europe.
      The story also starts to describe how Patton had begun the battle for a German fort while he was undersupplied and had less men then needed. All of his attempted attacks were failures and that was the first loss he had been handed. He was ordered by his superior General Eisenhower to stop the advance in order to resupply but Patton knew that would be time for the Germans to do the same. He was eventually halted in his attack and had to stand down.

Killing Patton

Killing Patton

By Bill O'reilly

        This book has grasped my interest from the start, literally. Even though I haven't read much of this book I found it very enticing from the beginning. The book started by chronicaling General Patton's lifetime military achievements and personal events in his life. It talks a little about his family and his wife whom he had three kids with. When he was injured and paralyzed his wife stayed by him through it all.

        The accident that he was involved in has changed his life for the worst, he has been paralyzed from the neck down and can not move and could barely speak. The death of the great General Patton has some serious speculation as to whether it was an accident. The General has been in many near death close "accidents." The General has almost been shot down by a friendly airplane and remained unscathed. The injury that eventually led to his death was a very unusual event, it was said that the driver and soldiers in the troop transport were drunk and out for a little joyride, but while out on this joyride they swerved across the road and hit his car head on. The driver and passengers fled the scene and no charges were filed.



Reflecting post

The English blogs we have to do were not my favorite. I do not like reading on my own that much unless its a good, exciting, and thrilling book. Reading the books wasn't the bi issue though. The big issue for me was the fact that we actually had to blog it and I never really took a close look at the calendar to see when and what is due. That will have to change next semester. As to the actual blogging part when we are given class time in the computer lab to do it I will certainly do it instead of reading my independent reading book because I didn't want to read at home. I also think I should elaborate on the actual books and focus on the details that are more important rather than other stuff just to fill space and make it look like a full paragraph.