Journal #2- Hospitality

Once upon a time, there was a family of rabbits that lived in Pleasant Plains. They lived in the woods by the Hergenrother's house, and they were a very nice family. The rabbits were known throughout the woods for being very kind to everyone and for being very hospitable. The rabbits let many animals come into their home and offered them a warm, loving environment. One night, a huge thunder storm ravaged through the woods, destroying the home of the beaver family. After the storm, the beaver family was left with no home and no where to go so the rabbits offered to let them stay with them until they could build a new home. The beavers graciously accepted the offer because if not they would be forced to leave the woods and all of their friends behind. The following day, the beavers moved in with the rabbits and they began to look for a new place to build a home. The beavers treated the rabbit family as well as their home with respect by cleaning up after themselves and being very polite. The beavers always helped out the rabbits with the work that needed to be done, and in return the rabbits helped the beavers begin to build a new home. The rabbits provided the beavers with a place to sleep, food to eat, and finally they provided them with a home to live in. The rabbits showed much kindness by letting the beaver family move in with them, and the beaver family showed respect back to the rabbits. By the next summer, the beaver family had built a new home and were scheduled to move in the following week. The rabbit family was very happy that the beaver family was able to build a new home, but they were sad to see them move out. Because of the hospitality of the rabbits and the respectfulness of the beavers, they now have a very strong friendship and a bond that will last a lifetime.

Journal #1 "How the turtle got it's shell"

Once upon a time in a land that is very very far away, there was a turtle. His name was Franklin, and he lived with his family in the Ulrich's pond. The Ulrich's were very nice people and they took very good care of the little family of turtles. The Ulrich's lived in a little cottage located in a forest that housed many animals such as birds, deer, and squirrels. For the most part all of these animals lived together in harmony, but there was an ongoing feud between the turtles and the squirrels. The squirrels lived in an acorn tree that grew right on the edge of the Ulrich's pond, right above where the turtles lived. At first, they were friends but as time went by the squirrels began to dislike the turtles and then their rivalry began. The squirrels began to throw acorns at the turtles and because they did not have any form of protection it was bruising them. The Ulrich's noticed that most of the turtles were leaving their pond because of the squirrels and they decided something needed to be done. The Ulrich's began to think of ways that they could help out their little turtle friends, and then they thought of the perfect idea. They crafted a suit of armor made from wood for the turtles to wear, and over time it became known by many as the turtles shell. From then on out when the squirrels tried to hurt the turtles with acorns, they just bounced off of their backs and sunk to the bottom of the pond. The Ulrich's became known as heroes to the turtles, and from then on the turtles lived happily ever after. Although the problem between the turtles and the squirrels was resolved, there is still a little tension between them and if you listen close enough you can still hear the sound of acorns bouncing off the hard shells of the turtles.

Grapes of Wrath- California

In the novel Grapes of Wrath, many families are going through a lot of suffering in order to get a better life. The one thing that gives many families the hope they need to make it is this: California. All of the families that were forced out of their homes had a choice to make, either stay behind and starve to death or travel and try to find work. In this case, the Joad family decides to travel to California in search of jobs and a better life. I think that many of the families that chose to leave their homes behind saw California as a promise of a better life for them. Many of the families did not even know if there would still be jobs left in California, but it was the only thing they had hope for. I think that the author did a really good job with involving history because I think that if you know the events happened in real life it makes the book so much more realistic. By reading this book people can get a better understanding of what people went through back then. For many families such as the Joad's, California was their only hope. The journey there was hard, but it was what they had to do in order to survive. For many of these families, California represented a fresh start and a new beginning. These people packed up and left everything behind in order to survive, and to them making it to California was the priority. California to many was the only thing they had because they had to leave everything behind and that was the only thing they could look forward to. I know that if I had to leave everything I had ever known behind I would have nothing to look forward to except my next destination. I think that California was a really important part of this book because of the role it played in the lives of many families.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Grapes of Wrath- Did I like this book

I really liked the book Grapes of Wrath. I liked this book for many reasons, but my main reason is because of the amount of history included in this novel. History has always been my favorite subject in school, and sometimes I like to read so this book was a combination of two things I like. In this book the author included historical reference to the Dust Bowl, which I thought was very interesting. The Dust Bowl is a huge drought that consisted of dust storms that destroyed farms and houses easily. I have learned about the Dust Bowl before, but by reading this book I got a better understanding of what it did to many people throughout the United States. In this book, the Joad family is forced out of their home and they decide to travel to California in search of a better life. Many families back during this time were forced out of their homes because the drought had killed their crops and they could not afford to stay. I think that the author did a really good job including history throughout this novel because he not only included the Dust Bowl, but also the Great Depression. During the time period this story is set in, the United States was in bad shape. People were starving and could barely afford the little things in life. I think that the bad shape of the United States economy and the Dust Bowl pushed some families out of their homes. I think that it is so sad that these families were forced to leave their homes and everything they had behind so suddenly. I think that out of five stars, I would give this book three because of how much history was incorporated in the story. I think that it is really cool that the author was able to show us how much some people went through during the time period that this book is set in.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Catcher in the Rye- Responsibility (Question 8)

In the novel Catcher in the Rye, the author uses his story to show the responsibilities that he believes exist between people of different ages. The main character in this book, Holden, is a sixteen year old who was kicked out of school and who is afraid to grow up. Holden is at the age where you stop depending on your parents as much and you are becoming more of an adult. I am sixteen and I know exactly what Holden is going through during this book. Unlike me, Holden does not want to grow up. Holden wants to stay a child and never change. The author makes it very obvious that Holden does not like change or surprises when we read about his visit to the Museum of Natural History. Holden looks at the statues and realizes that they never change, and that he is the one who changes. Holden does not want to grow up because he thinks that adults are superficial and phony, but I also think it may be because of the responsibilities he will gain as he gets older. When you are an adult, you have to get a job and be able to provide for yourself and for your family, as opposed to when you are a child and you have almost no responsibilities. I think that the author uses this book to show us the different responsibilities that come with getting older. For example, when you turn sixteen you are responsible enough to drive a car, and I think that Holden may not be ready to stop being a child yet. I think that Holden thinks all of the adults are phony because they have so many responsibilities that they lose all of their child like qualities. I think that Holden is afraid of loosing his childhood innocence and of change. I think that the author did a really good job with using this novel to show us the different responsibilities that come with getting older.

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.

Catcher in the Rye- Museum of Natural History

In the book Catcher in the Rye, the author includes a very important scene. In this scene, Holden visits the Museum of Natural History and he finds himself studying an exhibit of Indians and Eskimos. The Indians are weaving a blanket and the Eskimos are canoeing on a stream. Holden finds himself in deep though while he is looking at these statues, and he begins to wonder to himself about how their lives are. He notices that no matter how many times you come to the museum and look at this exhibit, they will always be in the same position doing the same thing. Their facial expressions will never change and they will never move. He thinks to himself about how much he would like to live in a world where things never change and where things are always so predictable. I think that this scene is kind of sad because it shows how scared he is of changing and growing into an adult. Holden also notices how every time you come to the museum, you are the one who has changed. He notices that every time you come, you have changed either physically or mentally or changed in both ways. Holden is afraid of growing up and becoming an adult because he views adulthood as being equal to jumping off a cliff. I think this scene is very important to the message in this book because it is like a moment of realization for Holden. He realizes that he is growing up and that there is nothing he can do about it. I think that the author of the novel Catcher in the Rye included this scene because of its importance to the overall message of this book. I am very glad the author included this scene in this novel because it helps me as a reader get a better understanding of how Holden feels about growing up and maturing. This scene enhances the message of the book and gives us a better understanding of how Holden feels.

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.

Catcher in the Rye- Why we still read this book

I think that high schools all around the world still force us to read this book because of its message about transitioning from being a child to becoming an adult. I think that having us read this book while we are in high school only adds to the meaning of this books message. Right now, we are at the age where we are in between a child and an adult, just like Holden is during most of this book. We are beginning to mature and grow both physically and emotionally and we are becoming young adults. Everyone has to grow up and transform from a child to an adult at some point in their life, but in Holden's case he really does not want to. I think we still read this because in this novel Holden is afraid to grow up because he thinks that all the adults are phony and he does not want to lose his childhood innocence. I think that the author of this novel does a really good job with describing how scary it can be to stop being a child and become an adult. I know that when I think about growing up I become overwhelmed and nervous, but I am also excited to be out on my own and live life. I think that the message portrayed in this book is a very important message because it is something that everyone has to go through. I think that is another reason why this book is still read throughout the world, because no matter where you are from you still have have to grow up. I think that this is a really good message that we learn about as readers, especially as we are at the age that we are becoming more of adults every day. I am glad we still read this book in high school today because it has a really great message and it is very interesting.

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.