Reading Responce : Sphynx Princess

Im reading Sphynx Princess about a young girl who lives with her father and since I just started the book I don't know much but Nefertiti is a her father and I've been thinking alot about her family.


 Is there something special that he knows about Nefertiti? I think that he possibly is hiding something. Ya know? 

I think this because, if it was just a regular girl, he'd say no because at that specific time period, most girls were just trained to be house wives or just to be a dancer to dance at different festivals and etc.

This just popped into my head but, does the teacher possibly have any connections with her and or her family?

What about her mom? I think that her old mom might've known about the teach or something. Does he have anything to do with her mom dieing?

I'm also pretty surprised that she didn't even tell her father. I think that she should've.

Or is she just really pissed cause her father married some other women that she didn't really like and didn't imagine to actually be her mother. If so, I totally understand that but I feel as if she should've told SOMEBODY.

The teacher has been acting pretty suspicious in ways which is another reason why I think that she should've told some body. What if he's possibly the bad guy of the book or something?

Also, I think that the teacher and the dancer (the beginning of the book) might have something in common because the author didn't exactly tell anyone about who the dancer was and what she wanted. All the author said was that she came up to her father and said something that sorta got her father upset.

All because of this, I think that a big theme in the book might be secrets. I mean the whole family is keeping secrets from each other. There's no respect ( another theme ) . I think that if they did tell each other, there wouldn't be as many problems in there family. (I believe in karma so... yeah.)

But what if the teacher is a good guy and is preparing Nefertiti for something big that's going to happen in her life?

Does the dancer have anything to do with it?

It might also be in a good way becuase maybe he's a fortune teller or some guy that could possibly tell the future and knows what Nefertiti is going to do in the future and is possibly like, preparing her for it.

But there might not be a big chance of that because, again, he was acting pretty suspicious. In a away. Ya know?

Now about this dancer, does she possibly have something to do with the teacher dude? I think so because the author purposely didn't tell us what the dancer was saying to her dad so yeah.

Does the dad maybe know that she is taking these classes? Did the dancer tell him? Maybe she did...

In conclusion I think that the dancer and the teacher are pretty important people and BOTH have a big connection with Nefertiti. 

Two Voice Poem : Global Warming (Issue)

All : I don't care.
A: I don't care. I will make a change.
B: I don't care. Why do I have to waste my time "helping the environment". Other people are probably doing it so I don't get why one person not doing it is gonna make a change.

All : Its stupid.
A: Its stupid. Other people should really help because we're all in this together and we can do this if we try!
B: Its stupid. Sorting cans and papers in bins, isn't gonna save the planet.

All: We have to do this!
A : We have to do this? ha, funny. The world is still gonna be alive until I'm alive. So I don't care!
B : We have to do this! Our lives are being passed on generation to generation and if we don't make a change, what will become of our next generation? Crap. Garbage.

Social Awareness : Entry 1

AMAZING PEACE  by Maya Angelou

In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft.   Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.

We tremble at the sound.
We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war.   But true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, and comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace.  We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:

Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.

When I first read this poem I was like, what? But when I reread it, I noticed that what the poet (Maya Angelou), is describing something that we don't have going on right now! She says "The word is Peace/ It is loud now/ Louder then the explosions of bombs". Right now in our world, there are many wars going on such as the war in Iraq. I think what Maya is trying to say here is that there peace all around us but we just need to find it for ourselves. We humans are paying to much attention to all the hatred around us, but peace is everywhere. We just need to feel it. 

This poem reminds me of the song "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan. (We're singing it for chorus). In the song, Bob Dylan talks about something very similar to what Maya's trying to say here. He talks about how peace is around us (its blowing in the wind! get it?) and Maya's trying to say the same thing. 

I was wondering/thinking about what Maya was trying to do in this poem. Was she trying to persuade us to make a change? Was she just expressing her feelings about how the world is being plain, stupid and we have to notice the peace around us? Or was this just a poem she just felt like writing for fun cause she was bored? I assumed that it was maybe like a dream or image that she had in her mind of how SHE wants the world to be like! This sorta reminds me of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. In the speech he talks about how he has a dream that everyone is free and all humans are equal, whether your black or white. And then M.L.K.J. dies and it came true! So maybe if we all try to understand this poem, maybe we all can also make a change!

Two Favorite Blogs

                 I've read alot of blogs that were on Ms.Galangs homepage and I thought that alot of them were really good! Filled with details and there was alot of elaboration and etc. I think that two of the best blogs were Wisons and Guadalupes!

                 I think Wisons blog was really good because he defenitly had one idea that he was talking about in the blog and he really elaborated on each idea. Also the ideas that he chose were really interesting. In one of his blogs he talked about the writing format and how that affects the reading and I thought that was really interesting!

                 I also liked Guadalupe's because her blog is really organized into different sections and I feel as if she really knows what shes talking about and she gets her point through very clearly. For example, in one of her blogs, she talks about how an animal can be a dogs best friend and she states her reasons why very clearly! I think she could elaborate more but the point she got through was really good!

Keep up the good work you guys!

An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore #4 for Social Awareness

As time goes by, the climate and world has just gotten worse and people need to be aware of that and if we don’t recognize a real crisis, and take action consequences only get worse from the condition that our earth is at right now.

I think that he’s right. If we don’t do something about planet Earth, we can get into serious danger and things will only get worse.

You may think that the world is a happy place with green healthy growing plants and everyone having enough water, food and shelter for their family and nothing can destruct them. Well you’re wrong.

If we don’t do something, powerful storms would happen more frequently, their would be many more floods and that really affects people, where they live, family, friends and their lives.

Just recently there was a big earthquake and tsunami and it killed a lot of people and everyone’s in a really big crisis. Now imagine if this happens everywhere around the world and much more frequently.

If we don’t do something now, it can really affect us and the way we live.

Scientists have been changing information in textbooks because they said that there’s nothing that can bring a hurricane to South America. Guess what? Due to global warming and climate change, there was a hurricane in Brazil for the first time.

This brings in more of a crisis because first off, your changing information in really important recourses that people use and that takes up a lot of money and paper and ink. Then, there is all the destruction that happened in Brazil. And to make it more worse, they probably weren’t even ready for the hurricane. It’s actually their first one ever!

Also, in different places around the world things are changing and its worse. It’s extremely hot or there’s a terrible flood.

The fact that most people don’t even know about all this stuff and about global warming is really bad! They need to become aware.

If we don’t recognize a real crisis, and take action consequences only get worse from the condition that our earth is at right now.

I think that he’s right. If we don’t do something about planet Earth, we can get into serious danger and things will only get worse.

Architects help a competition to create or design floating homes in order to survive floods! Imagine life living in a floating home.

People don’t understand all the changes that we’d be going through if all these floods, storms, hurricanes and natural disaster actually happen (which they will). I mean hello, FLOATING HOUSES! 

I think that if people become more aware of what’s going on in the world we can really make a change! Also, we’d have to make new atlases and redraw maps. I mean what more can we all ask for?

Its not just the physical features that global warming is affecting. Our world has many different types of memories for example the world trade center. If sea levels rose twenty feel worldwide, the site of the World Trade Center Memorial would be underwater.

The World Trade Center Memorial is a museum and memorial to the people who lost their lives there on September 11^th, 2001. Imagine how much it would mean to their family and relatives!

As the climate gets warmer, disease carrying specicies move into new places and the diseases travel faster. The west Nile virus had never entered the United States until around 1999. Within only two years it reached the Mississippi river. Then it spread all across the continent!

It’s crazy how much one small problem in the earth could cause such damage to health and mental and family issues!

In conclusion, as time goes by, the climate and world has just gotten worse and people need to be aware of that and if we don’t recognize a real crisis, and take action consequences only get worse from the condition that our earth is at right now.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I'm currently reading the book "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. I just started reading it and as I was, I was thinking about religion and how it plays a really big part in the book.

The book is about two young adults that get married and are from India. They come to England to start a new life. The mission that they both (husband and wife) both try to accomplish is to honor there traditions and religion even though that they are in a place out of India.

This was shown alot in the book by using show not tell. In the beginning of the book, the wife in the family "Ashima" is in the hospital going through labor and the author describes and contrasts Calcutta to America.

I thought that this was a really interesting unique writing strategy and it defenitly dragged me into the setting and who the character is as a person.

I think that the whole point of the book is really setting up because the child that is born begins to disrespect the traditions and it shows how much love and passion the wife and the husband have for there religion.

During the book I was thinking about how the child feels about his parents. I can somewhat relate to him because something that I think about is whether I'm doing something wrong towards my traditions that would affect my parents in anyway. I think that the son would defenitly be thinking about that.

So far I think that the book is really good and that the book is going to go deeper into religion and tradition.