Paragraph Essay Red Scarf Girl

     The author is Ji-li Jiang. The book she wrote and the book I read is Red Scarf Girl. This book is about how a girl in China deals with the Cultural Revolution. The main character is Ji-li Jiang, she is 12 when the book starts and 14 when it ends. Her family has a bad class status so she is treated very poorly because of that. Many people scorn her and humiliate her. Her family is always scared of being arrested or killed. The book is about how she deals with all of it and her feelings towards it. 

     Ji-li Jiang the author, has important information about herself. Her birthday is Chinese New Year, 1954. She was born in Shanghai China. In her family she was the oldest child. Her dad was an actor and so was her mom. She went to school at the University of Hawaii and Shanghai University.

   Ji-li Jiang has achieved many things in her life. She wishes to connect China and the Western countries. By doing this she has won a lot of rewards writing books. To be precise she has won 20 awards. Some of the rewards are 1998 Notable Children's Books, 1998 Best Books for Young Adults, Best Books of 1997, 1997 The Year's Most Wonderful Children's Books, and 1997 Books for Youth Editors' Choice. Her other novels are The Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven and Red Kite Blue Kite. She doesn't have a specific type of writing style, all of her books are a different genre.

Prompt 4 Red Scarf Girl

    In the book the Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang, the most memorable part of the story for me was when the main character was thinking of ending her life. The book states, "As I trembled down the stairs with Grandma, a thought came to me for the first time in my life. Should I continue to live at all?" This quote is explaining that the main character is so sad and devastated that she is thinking of committing suicide. She was forced to feel this because her house was searched by the Red Guard Committee, they took all of their belongings and furniture. She also was feeling this way because the government forced her parents and grandmother to do shameful hard labor. All of this horrible things made the main character, Ji-li, think to commit suicide. 

Prompt 3 Red Scarf Girl

 


     In the book The Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang, the main character is motivated by what other people think. In the book it says, " Maybe I shouldn't help her either. People would probably say something if they saw me, especially since I was from a black family too...." The quote is saying that Ji-li, the main character, wants to help someone but then stops herself because of what other people might think. She thinks that her opinion isn't as important as other people's because the majority of people would say she is wrong. In her mind what society is doing is wrong, but she can't say that because they have too much power over her and her family. She thinks that it is just safer to think what other people think. The main character is motivated by other peoples opinion.

Red Scarf Girl Prompt 2

Letter For The Red Scarf Girl

Dear Mother and Father,

      I found out in my class that you are not who I think you are. Du Hai said that grandfather was a landlord, and you father are a rightist. How can that be? You always supported me towards school and the revolution. Maybe Du Hai is wrong and just lying to win the election. If he is right then I want to know why. Did you not tell me because of fright, or of thought of losing my trust. Please let me know the truth and help me understand.

Your concerned and frightened daughter,

Ji-Li Jiang

Red Scarf Girl Prompt 1

     In the book Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang, the writer captures my attention by telling me a lot about the main character, named Ji-li. The book states, " I was born on Chinese New Year". (pg.1) This quote was the first sentence in the book, so it is getting right to the point on who Ji-Li is. The second sentence of the book says, " Carefully, my parents chose my name: Ji-li, meaning lucky and beautiful." (pg.1) This sentence is explaining a little bit about her. This caught my attention because I thought it was interesting that Ji-li's name meant lucky and beautiful. The author captured my attention because she started off by telling me a lot of information about the main character.

Poems

Poems

By: Sofia Anderson

They explain how we feel,

What we think and say.

Some emotions are held up ,

Inside you and are ready to come bursting out.

These feeling can make your mind work like,

A very complicated well oiled machine.

Very fast and precise.

All of theses ideas come rushing to your head,

Like metal to a magnet.

Once you get one good idea,

The rest just comes naturally.

Or sometimes you really have to think about,

Your upmost realist feeling.

How you feel or how someone else feels,

I guess that is the question,

Isn't it.
Do we really feel some things,
Or is it someone else's emotions telling,
You what to do?
That is the biggest question of all.
Do we really do things for ourselves or for other people?
When we do good is that just wanted attention?
If you are true and real than you can answer that question without a problem.
See what poems can make you think of.
How they find that spot in your heart that make you feel so passionate about something.
That is why I love poems so much,
They make you feel something.

My Dream

My Dream

By: Sofia Anderson

As my head rests against the pillow,

All these images and memories come floating to my mind.

Deep feelings that I once felt or still feel,

Take over my mind and soul.
Some horrible feelings are tossed out of my mind,
Like a mouth spitting out food.
I am silent and calm.

For a long time I lay like that,

So still that it looks like I have gone into an eternal sleep.

With one feeling and image my brain makes up a story.

This is it.

I am by myself wandering the streets of a crowded city,
The people are a lot bigger than I am,
They look down on me like I am a toddler.
Then all of a sudden I am on a tiny island.
There are islands all around me,
I am by myself once again.
In the distance I see the city I once walked.
Winds howl and I see a big eagle,
It swoops down and grabs me,
Taking me to the different islands.
At first it was fun,
But then I got sick and tried to get down.
I strangled my way out of it's big talons,
And down I went into the abyss.
I swam back up above the water,
Onto one of the islands that I saw.
I was miles away from the city so I could't swim.
I first panicked,
Then I got all the supplies I needed to make a boat.
When it was ready, I woke up.

I think that dream was a message,
A message that only the one who had it could understand.
At first I thought it was just a meaningless dream that had no purpose.
One that was just too simple to make anything out of.

The message was that the easy way was not always the best way.
In the dream when I was stranded on the island the easy way was the eagle.
When the eagle flew me to the different islands it made me sick.
So that wasn't the best way.
The best way was making the boat and putting some hard work into it.
My dream was like a message in a bottle,
It was valuable and rare.

Ode to Michigan

Ode to Michigan

By: Sofia Anderson

Oh Michigan, 

You are the bread to my butter!

You make the butterflies in my stomach flutter.

Your air is like Febreez,

It always smells good.

The blue lake you posses,

Is an unpredictable one.

I always see kids laughing,

And with a with a smile on their face.

The birds chirp their sweet little song,

While kids dance along.

At the lake the huge waves crash against the beach,

While the blowing wind gusts through the nearby trees.

Night fires lay upon the beautiful sand, 

As marshmallows are roasted to black.

Oh, Michigan!

You are so amazing,

I wish I could live there!

  

  

Where I'm From By: Sofia Anderson

Where I Am From

By: Sofia Anderson

I am from the murky waters of a lake,

That at a distance looks clear as a diamond.

I am from hot summers,

With popsicles, pools, and humidity.

I am from stubbornness,

That makes me stick to my own mind 

And to have a strong opinion.

I am from backbreaking work of physical labor,

That makes me work hard with everything,

Even if I get nothing in return.

I am from hours of watching and playing sports,

That molded me into a person who has patience and grit.

I am from trophies on a wall,

That make me confident to push on.

I am from a loving couple Maria and Robert,

Who contracted me into the person I am today.

Choral Reading

Choral Reading

     The experience was very fun. It was kind of easy, but also kind of difficult. It was difficult because it was hard to get everyone's attention. Sometimes a person would have to redirect the other students in the group so they would work. It was fun because we were able to do accents and make props. This experience overall was very fun.

     We can learn a lot of different things about poetry by doing this reading. For example we learned that poems sort of have a rhythm to them when you say it. Instead of reading them in your head we could hear how everything sounds together and how to say it. We can also learn that poems can be fun and not just something you have to read for school. Overall we learned a lot from this activity. 

Stars in the Sky

Stars in the Sky

By: Sofia Anderson

Every so often there are these stars in the sky.

They light up the dark canvas every so often.

Every time one is released it makes this whistling sound like a teapot.

Sky rocketing in the sky like a torpedo in the sea.

Or some might say it looks like a dragons breath coming to burn the planets.

You wonder what color this masterpiece will be,

It looks like a rainbow with all the colors it possesses.

It glows like lightning and fills the sky with light.

When it explodes it make this boom like a bomb.

Sometimes the kids scream,

But are soon happy with the stars in the sky.

"My Skin"

My Skin 

By: Sofia Anderson

My skin is a reflection.

People look at it and judge.

They see what is on the outside, 

Not the in.

My skin is a tree stump.

With all the lines it shows my age,

Each line makes people look at it different.

My skin is a time machine.

When I look at it, 

The memories take me to a different time.

All the scars show a different time and place.

My skin is a window.

When opened it let's things come out.

Although when it is closed,

Valuable things are concealed.

The Dog of Pompeii

     

       In the story The Dog of Pompeii by Louis Untermeyer, the main character Tito is described as observant. In the article it says,"They visited the uncovered theater, and though Tito could not see the faces of the actors, he could follow the play better than most of the audience, for their attention wandered - they were distracted by the scenery, the costumes, the by-play, even by themselves - while Tito's whole attention was centered in what he heard." This quote it telling us that Tito is observant. The quote says that when Tito listened to the play, he could understand it more than anyone else. He knew that the people would get distracted by the things he could not see. In this way Tito was observant.

      In "The Dog of Pompeii", by Louis Untermeyer, Bimbo is characterized as determined. The article states," Then Bimbo did the last thing he could - the last thing he wanted to. He bit his comrade, bit him deep in the arm." The quote is explaining that Bimbo is determined. It says this because he wanted to wake Tito up no matter the cost. Bimbo did the first thing that came to his mind, even if it wasn't like him. Although he wasn't usually this violent he was so determined to wake Tito up that he would do anything.    

God Sees The Truth but Waits by Leo Tolstoy

          In the story called "God Sees The Truth but Waits" by Leo Tolstoy, the author foreshadows the main character ,Ivan, troubles by saying that his wife had a bad dream. In the story it says, "All I know is that I had a bad dream. I dreamed you were coming home form the fair, and when you took off your cap, your hair was all grey."The quote shows that his wife had a bad dream about him. She tells him that he shouldn't go on the trip because in her dream when he came come his hair was all white. This is a warning that he shouldn't go on the trip. The dream will probably mean something later in the story.

Characterization Assessment

         At the beginning of the story of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, the main character was a young man who is anxious. In the story it says, "If I could free my hands," he thought, "I might pull off the noose and jump into the stream. By diving under the water, I could avoid the bullets. I could swim to the shore, run into the woods, and get home. My home, thank goodness, is still outside their lines. My wife and children are still far away from the enemy." In this quote it is saying that the main character is wishing that he could escape. All of the things that are going through his head is making him sad and happy. He is anxious that he could go home safely to his wife and children.

Characterization in Hatchet

      In Hatchet by Gary Paulsson, the main characters name is Brian and he is angry. In the story, it says, " It was an ugly word, he thought. A tearing, ugly word that meant fights and yelling, lawyers - God, he thought, how he hated lawyers who sat with their comfortable smiles and tried to explain to him in legal terms how all that he lived in was coming apart - and the breaking and shattering of all the solid things." This quote shows that Brian is not happy that his parents got a divorce. It explains that he hates everything that has to do with it. He is angry that his whole world is turning upside down.        
                 

 

"Every Soul A Star" by Wendy Mass

     This book is about three main characters. You can see the story between three perspectives. The main characters are Ally, Bree, and Jack. During the book it tells you that they are all different in their own ways. Ally loves astronomy and lives in the middle of no where at a campsite. Bree is beautiful and makes her self believe that is all she is. Jack is a boy who isn't very social able and would rather be drawing or reading than hang out with friends. Through one place they meet and develop unlikely friendships. Although they might be different they all share something in common, their love for space.

"Mother to Son'' by Langston Hughes

   

     The theme of "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes is that you have to keep going in life even when it gets hard. The poem says, for example, "So boy, don't you turn your back./ Don't you set down on the steps/ 'Cause you find it's kinder hard." This quote shows that, when life get's hard that you have to keep going and fight on. It says that even if you don't want to keep going, you have to. If you don't then you won't get anywhere in life, and will never accomplish anything. 

     For the 15 Day Challenge I have been very successful and have only missed one day. I only missed that day because I was volunteering the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago. Other than that day I have been very successful because I write everyday. Now I am writing  about how the main character lives after the catastrophe. Sometimes I almost forget until the very last minute.

  

The Theme of Sparky

     The theme of "Sparky: By Earl Nightingale" is that you should be yourself and to keep trying.  The text says, "He had been rejected once again. Another loss for the loser. So Sparky decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons. He described his childhood self- a little boy loser and chronic underachiever." This quote says that when Sparky got rejected he didn't give up. He also decided that instead of portraying other people in his cartoons that he would portray himself. This followed for him to belief in himself, even if it was just a drawing.

     For the 15 Day Challenge I decided to write a short story. To do the challenge, every night I write a part of my story even if it was just a little bit. It has been difficult because I sometimes don't even know what to write about. To figure out what to write I sometimes have to think of other books and put some ideas into it. I also sometimes forget, so at the end of the day I have to do it.