Weakness

1. The towering volumes of “marble and glass” and brushed “brushed steel side-panels” of the escalator create an elegant and ornate atmosphere.http://contemplationsxjones.blogspot.com/

This person repeated the word "brushed."

2. That is a strong case that shows even though Salinger may be straight forward on some things, the verbal irony can create an interesting diction.
http://bradey.blogspot.com/
This person talks from past to present tense.

3. The language used in the excerpt, “Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger, parades a blatant malicious cordialness.
http://wowfaktor.blogspot.com/
I think that the last three words are too adjective-y. I don't understand what they mean.

4. This suggests that Holden Caulfield is somewhat uneducated, rouge, and ignorant of the facts of life.
http://bookwormsfiresidereading.blogspot.com/2011/10/close-reading.html
"This suggests that..."

Practice Diction Analysis

In the story of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, he portrays the story as a dull, harsh language. He presents words like "if you really want to know" and "if I have to" that explains his boring life as the average teenager. His diction affects the reader as a young boy who doesn't have a story to tell, and is boring and dull. His negative connotation is straightforward and precise.

True Believer

So far, in True Believer, Jeremy Marsh is now in Boone Creek. He met the woman who wrote the letter, Doris, and wrote him the letter about about the mysterious lights. She recalls the story to him again, and tells him he can research more about the town and the legend of the cemetery in the town library. I don't think I've told the story of the legend. Here it is: Hettie Doubilet, a woman from the Carribean, was enraged by the folks in her town who wanted to put a big cosmopolitan in the middle of a black folk cemetery. When she found out that they were supposed to dig up all the bodies and transfer them to another place, she got upset and tried to get the county to do something to have the route changed. But the folks that ran the county wouldn't consider it. They wouldn't even grant her the opportunity to make her case. Legend has it that when they refused her entrance, she put a curse on the white folk. She said that if graves of her ancestors would be defiled, their's would be defiled too. The ancestors of her people would tread the earth in search of their original resting place and would trample through Cedar Creek on their journey, and that in the end, the whole cemetery would be swallowed whole.

Its funny, now that it's October, I've heard many things about the paranormal things. I don't believe in ghosts that torment people, but with Paranormal Activity 3 coming out in theatres last night, and this book about ghosts, and we were talking about ghost stories in first period, I surely can't forget the fact that they've been catching my attention. Even in English class a girl is doing her research topic about Bloody Mary. I'm a big scaredy baby too, so that doesn't help (:.

Style Mapping

Three Musketeers                               True Believer                                         Little Bee
Scholarly                                            Elegant                                                  Precise
dull                                                    Flowery                                                 Straightforward
boring                                                Decorative                                             Sensous
older book                                        Harmonious                                            Literal


The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, is a high level reading book, and reads very scholarly. It is an older book, which makes it kind of boring and dull, but it is not too bad. "Many citizens, seeing the women flying toward the High Street, leaving their children crying at the open doorshastened to don the cuirass, and, supporting thier somewhat uncertain courage with a musket or a partizan, directed thier steps toward the hostelry of the Franc-Meunier, before which was gathered, inreasing every minute, a compact group, vociferous and full of curiosity." True Believer by Nicholas Sparks is a much more harmonious, decorative type of style. His sentences are full of elegant, flowery words that attract you to read more and more. Lastly, Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, is more traditional writer it seems like, and his thoughts are straightforward.

Quarterly

As much as I enjoy reading, I enjoy reading on my own time.  The problem with reading is that I the time I have to read is around eleven o clock at night, which should be my bedtime. But hey, I’m a junior, I should be going to bed late right? I do like reading at night though, that way I can collect my thoughts and have nothing else on my mind like I should have this homework done or that homework done or dinner will be ready in ten minutes. It’s my time to relax, and luckily my friends that i text during the day are already asleep by the time I get out my book, so I have no distractions.

Boone Creek, North Carolina

So far while I’ve been reading True Believer, I’ve already noticed I enjoy reading this one more than Modelland. I’ve always been a Nicholas Sparks lover, so I know I’ll love the rest of this book. So far, the book started off a little slow. It started in medias res, and he was in a live studio audience, watching Timothy Clausen, which I think is something like the show Maury, where big secrets are spilled to spouses and family members. Later, you learn that Jeremy, the main character, is an investigative journalist who writes for the Scientific American. He’d exposed frauds, hoaxes, and forgeries. He visted haunted houses, searched for mystical creatures, and hunted for the origins of urban legends. He had the rare ability to explain difficult scientific concepts in a way the average reader could understand. Because of his type of journalism, he has to constantly think of stories he could write for in his column that also might have bigger magazines and newspapers, like the New Yorker, interested too. So for his column that he has next to write, he received a letter from a woman explaining that there is a cemetery in Boone Creek, North Carolina, and legend has it that the cemetery is haunted by spirits of former slaves. In the winter- January through February- blue lights seem to dance on the headstones when fog rolls in. I’m very excited to get to the part of Jeremy going to the cemetery at night to see if these lights are really true!!

Book Switch!

So I have decided to drop the book Modelland by Tyra Banks. It’s just too complicated to read right now and I find myself more and more confused after every page I read. I have decided to finish reading it on my own time when I feel like, not being forced to read 100+ pages every week. So I have picked up True Believer by Nicholas Sparks this morning in the library. Although I haven’t been able to start reading it today, I look forward to reading it tonight. Who doesn’t like Nicholas Spark’s books? The book is supposed to be about a man named Jeremy Marsh, and handsome young New Yorker in the media elite empire. When he receives a letter from the tiny town Boone Creek, North Carolina, (Nicholas Spark’s readers: ever notice how often he uses this location in his books? About ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery. Now although I’m not a believer in ghosts or anything, ghost stories still gives me the chills. We’ll have to see if Nicholas Sparks can scare me. I’m definitely forward to reading this book. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=true+believer+nicholas+sparks&um=1&hl=en&biw=1311&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=cxustMakRnpecM:&imgrefurl=http://laurensbiteoflife.blogspot.com/2010/12/cleaning-monster-dun-dun-dunnn.html&docid=EFZFCiuk_9aALM&w=243&h=400&ei=jFqUTtO-N_KKsAK85vDvAQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=344&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=77&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=64&ty=77

Sentences of the Week!

This week: 144
Last Week: 138
This semester: 941


Sentences of the Week:
1. All that glitters is sometimes gold-plated.
2. Be careful what you wish for, dahling.
3. Tookie connected with her father more: they were two defectives in a world that was obsessed with perfection.


I think number two is my favorite sentence is very true, don't take anything for granted. 

Poor Tooke

Wow, I'm really falling behind on this blogging assignment, this (Sunday night) blog is for last week’s. I've been so insanely busy I'm running out of time to both read, and blog. Reading Modelland is still a challenge for me, I'm not quite sure what's going on. I think the major problem with this book, is that it is almost too descriptive, and doesn't give the actual setting and everything. I found myself reading this book today thinking, "what the heck am I reading?” or “what did I just read?” I know so far that Tooke’s (for example, I’m still not sure how to pronounce her name. Is it to-key, tuh-key, or tuk?) still upset about her mother ignoring her and saying she’s useless to the De la Crème’s household. Meanwhile, Myraccle is enjoying the spotlight, as her mother takes her and Tooke (only to hold the clothes) to the mall to get the most fabulous and stunning dress to wear to the Day of Discovery. I’m looking forward to see what the Day of Discovery is really about, and how everyone is going to react to the chaos of girls hoping to be a chosen one to become an Intoxibella. I secretly hope someone, like the creator of the Day of Discovery, will point out Tooke and make her walk down the carpet because Tooke was the one who found the SMIZE. I think it’s a sign, and I hope to find out if I’m right or not. 

Intoxibellas and Smizes

So here I am trying to to get my one hundred pages in for this week. Its tough, let me tell you. I haven't had a night this week after school to go home and do nothing.
Modelland is still a pretty confusing book for me, I don't know if i want to continue reading it, but I don't want to just waste the $12.00 I spent on it for my ipod.
Tooke was making her mom a cup of tea when a SMIZE appeared, and it is the award that chooses the girls to be part of the T-DOD (Day of Discovery) to be an Intoxibella and be part of Modelland. When Tooke found it, it made me mad because Creamy, Mrs. De la Creme, took it and gave it to Tooke's thirteen year old sister, The Myrracle. Myrracle is beautiful, pretty, and has won all the beauty pageant competitions she's ever been in. Mrs. De La Creme knows that if Myrracle tries out during T-DOD, then she'll surely become and Intoxibella, which will bring the De La Creme residence fame and fortune. Mrs. De La Creme says that when they go to get Myrracle a dress and when she goes to T-DOD that Tooke will come to hold dresses and be in the background. I think Tooke should be the walker during the T-DOD because the SMIZE appeared, it appeared in Tooke's hand, therefore saying a sign that she should be it. And I also want her to be it because her family is so ignorant of her and don't pay any attention to her and I want her to become famous and leave her family because to them, she's not good enough. I hope this is how the story turns out, but i still have like 400 more pages to read and I'm sure something else will pop up (:

Survivor

Setting- South pacific, beach, jungle

Stakes- Starving, physical pain, emotional pain, dealing with stubborn people

Host- Jeff Probst, annoying, nosey

Reward- immunity idol, $1 million, exotic trips, food/shelter for camp

Competition- puzzels, jigsaw, mazes, swimming, wrestling, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, eating

Survivor

Isolated in the jungle of the South Pacific, baring the emotional and physical pain daily, and harsh competition demonstrates an aggressive and competitive atmosphere between competitors and the host. The cast is set in the South Pacific jungle on a beach where two determined panels meet their teammates, some friendly and outgoing and others potential enemies. Jeff Probst, the nosey host who likes to cause a teensy drama, also contributes to the future thoughts of competitors. With the high risk rewards at stake, the cast puts on a game of extreme hindrance and thought-provoking strategies. After each game, the exhausted losing team must decide who to eliminate. They trudge along to the unpromising fate of Tribal Counsel to talk with the curious host, and votes to abolish a disappointed and blind-sided teammate home. At the end of an exciting, dramatic season the grudge-holding ex-competitors decide the fate of the last three standing by a unanimous vote. The well-deserving winner will then granted with a rewarding $1 million dollars, and named the Sole Survivor.

One Man Army

Setting: room, outside, in jail cell

Stakes: uncomfortable

Host:  Mykel Hawke, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and former Green Beret.

Reward: Title of “One Man Army”

Competition: Speed, strength, agility

One man army

One Many Army consists of four competing men who have been involved with the Special Forces and know how to survive in the toughest terrain. This game is a reenactment of dangerous comeback scenarios. They are displayed in an area where their competition awaits them, inside or out. Stakes are high when the men are put in to unsettling and uncomfortable situations. Some of the brutal competitions of this game depend on focus, staying calm, and using the best epigrammatic strategies. This includes freeing themselves from a taunting rope hanging them upside down, breaking through a series of tough concrete walls, figuring out the best tactics to escape from a locked cell, crossing a laser-beam filled room, and escaping a terrifying water coffin. With a clock ticking ferociously, competitors use all their might to have the fastest time possible. At the end of the seemingly impossible game, the skilled competitor with the lowest times is respectfully named the One Man Army.