my antonia

Willa Cather in her novel My Antonia, well written, historical romance, offers her view of life during the pioneer time.
: How would My Ántonia be different if it were told from Ántonia's perspective?

If this was written from Antonia's view, I think it would be more emotional, easier for girls to relate to, and much funnier.

•  How effective is Cather, a woman, at narrating a story from the point of view of a man?

•  I think Cather narrated a story of a man very well. She captured the emotions and personality very well.

• Does Jim sound like a man writing, or does the narrative sound like a woman pretending to be a man? Sounds like Jim, in my opinion.

• Why do you think Jim changed the title from Antonia to My Antonia?

• In Antonia, Jim thought of Antonia more as a friend. He realized that in My Antonia, that he loves her and that destiny brought them back together.

• In my opinion, My Antonia is a very well written historical novel. It was hard to get in to, but once it captured your attention, I quickly stole your breath away.

My Antonia Book Report

Willa Cather's My Antonia, grasped my attention in this well written, historical romance about the life of Antonia in the good ole' days.
Theme; frontier Nebraska. The setting desribed wonderful descriptions of the landscape and life on the frontier and did a great job capturing the emotions of the characters in awe.
The author's tone was normal and her style did not affect my reading. Although, if I could have changed one thing about the writing style, I would have added some humor in it, just to mix it up.
Antonia is an immigrant Bohemian girl who comes to America with her family. Despite the many hardships she must face, Antonia remains dedicated to her family and to improving their life. She is trusting and fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She knows what she wants in life and is determined to reach her goals of success. Antonia's greatest loss was the death of her father, Mr. Shimerda. She knows she will never forget all that he has taught her about him and the traditions of their native Bohemia.
I can relate this too many books, in which one would be Fallen

'Eclipse' lacks good role models for teens

Evidence-Concrete Detail:

Adults fret that 'Eclipse' lacks good role models for teens. 'Eclipse' over-romanticizes teen sex and marriage, creating  unrealistic expectations.

• Commentary 1: If this were reality, Edward and Bella, one year into their marriage, would most likely be living in their parent's basement, with a screaming toddler, and working a 7-ll job, wondering where the fun went.

•  It does not show that in reality, without education, you most likely will not get far in life. No college, no job, which leads you to have a difficult life.

Commentary 2: 'Eclipse' also holds very disturbing books for family views.

• Teen marriage is not standard and in this case, the book/movie makes it seem like the best idea. Bella,"co-dependent," willing to abandon her friends to be with "an immortal sparkly male vampire.

• It is also not normal for young people to idolize a vampire. Many Christian readers shy away from things that are demonic, and (they think) vampires are demons.  

Opposing Claims/They say:

• "There is a clear distinction that this is a fantasy and seperate from real life."

• "harmless "romantic escapism" that teens are smart enough to put in context."

My Rebuttal/I say:

• Nevertheless, it still speaks to that part in most girls of wanting to be a princess, wanting something crazy and magical to happen. Dani, 19 from Georgia says she, "wishes everyone could  be imprinted, because it would make finding a soul mate easier and might curb the way ward behaviour of men."

 Adults fret that 'Eclipse' lacks good role models for teens. 'Eclipse' over-romanticizes teen sex and marriage, creating unrealistic expectations.

If this were reality, Edward and Bella, one year into their marriage, would most likely be living in their parent's basement, with a screaming toddler, and working a 7-ll job, wondering where the fun went. It does not show that in reality, without education, you most likely will not get far in life. No college, no job, which leads you to have a difficult life. 'Eclipse' also holds very disturbing books for family views. Teen marriage is not standard and in this case, the book/movie makes it seem like the best idea. Bella,"co-dependent," willing to abandon her friends to be with "an immortal sparkly male vampire. It is also not normal for young people to idolize a vampire. Many Christian readers shy away from things that are demonic, and (they think) vampires are demons. Not everyone agrees with this, saying things such as, "There is a clear distinction that this is a fantasy and seperate from real life." or that it's a "harmless "romantic escapism" that teens are smart enough to put in context."
Nevertheless, it still speaks to that part in most girls of wanting to be a princess, wanting something crazy and magical to happen. Dani, 19 from Georgia says she, "wishes everyone could be imprinted, because it would make finding a soul mate easier and might curb the way ward behaviour of men."
My thinking:
This paragraph discusses the lack of good role models from the famous 'Twilight' series, 'Breaking Dawn'.
Source:

Puente, Maria. "Adults Fret That 'Eclipse' Lacks Good Role Models for Teens - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-07-07-eclipse07_CV_N.htm>.

The Good Earth

Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth captured my attention with it's history and poignant tale about the hard labor and life of Chinese farmers.
The setting of this book took place in Anhwei China,Wang Lung's birth place. It gradually works its way over to Kiangsu, where he and his family go to during the year of the famine. Wang Lung starts out being a middle class farmer. He was not poor, but nor was he rich. Father Lung, (Wang Lung's dad) arranged him a marriage with a slave from The Great House of Hwang. The Great House of Hwang was a house full of female slaves that can be sold to men in search of wives. His father did not let him have a pretty wife, in fear she has already been with too many men. Later on in this book, O-lan, his bought wife,born him a son and the perfect weather made his crops rich and very fertile, which brought in tons of money from the people that bought his produce. Wang Lung soon becomes rich from all the money he made. So rich in fact, he just stored the extra money he didn't need behind a hole in his wall. As Wang Lung becomes richer, he notices that O-lan is not fit to be his wife. He starts to become cruel and mean to O-lan and make fun of her ugly feet. Soon, Wang Lung took a beautiful mistress and O-lan became ill. As O-lan gets sicker, her children start to hate Wang Lung for the thougth we was mean and cruel to her, which led her to become ill. Wang Lung realizes his mistake and tries to change to make it up to O-lan. In the end, he regret that he ever took her for granted.
After reading this book, I learned that wealth is never more important than your family. Sure, wealth can buy you many things, but it can never buy you the love of your family or their lives. This would be my theme.
For my character, I chose O-lan. O-lan is sold by her parents during a famine to the great House of Hwang where she works as a kitchen slave until being given to Wang Lung. She is a dark, plain-looking, dull woman who rarely speaks. Although she is not beautiful, O-lan is extremely patient, hard working, resourceful, and faithful.
I recommend this book to people that like to learn about different cultures or the hard-labor of anciet chinese society back then. This book changed my out-look on my life. I realized how lucky I am for all the wonderful things I have.

Henry Vs. Forrest

My inference about Running: In intense situation, a person's instinct to run varies because of one's own definition self-preservation.

In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry ran because he was scared. In the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest ran because his captain said so. The difference between the two, is that one ran because of the lack of courage, while the other ran due to an order he had to follow.

Forrest ran fast, like a lion. He ran so fast, that soon he was alone. When Henry ran, he ran with others around him. When Forrest realized he was alone, he ran back into the woods to find his best friend. Henry never ran back for anything, or anyone. Forrest ran back multiple times, having to stop to help other soldiers wounded and couldn't keep going. Despite the fact that he was in a hurry to find his best friend, he still stopped to help others and risked his life multiples, just to help another. Henry ran like a chicken. Far away from the battle and destruction, not once going back to help others. Henry felt like a coward, but he couldn't help that he didn't have the courage to fight like the other men. Forrest was noble and couragous.

In conclusion, if one is scared, the immediate thing to do is run from whatever it is that is scarying them. When one is scared, but determined to battle this fear, they will stay and try to face their fears.

Wounded Warrior Project

The wounded warrior project is an non-profit organization for "honored and empower wounded warriors" to raise awareness and enlist the public's aids for the needs of severely injured service men and women.
There are many different and great ways to help this wonderful, donationg charity event. In the 2009,2010 football seasons, the Maryland Terrapins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Utah Utes wore special uniforms designed by under armour to promote the project. This is a great way to help support the organization, because for every under armour product sold, a back-pack or another helpful accessory is sent to these soldiers.
The purpose of this charity event for those of you who are wondering, is to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, help injured service members aid and assist each other and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members. By donating even $1, you can help a soldier out fighting for our freedom and independence. Everyone should support WWP for you and your loved ones to help support this amazing charity event.
In conclusion, everyone should help out and support the courageous, soldiers fighting for our country's independence. Be thankful that we such amazing, life-risking soldiers that love us enough to fight for us.

War is

War is battle between love and hate
War is destroying and brutal
War is protecting and fighting for our freedom
War is life threatening
War is avenging our loved ones
War is terrifying and bloody
War is evil and murderous
War is changing millions of lives every day
War is expanding our freedom and strengh
War is serving our country's independence

Book Review

Jill Myles's Wicked Games captivate my attention with it's quick wit and the quirky romance that the characters were engaged in.

 Wicked Games is basically about a game show, taken place on Endurance Island. Being offered a spot on the show and a oppurtunity of a lifetime, Abby Lewis, 26, takes the job. Abby isn't the survival type, so being on this show is a bit of a challenge for her, especially being teamed up to Dean Woodall. Dean, 28, doesn't exactly give off a good impression the first day on the show and kind of came off as a jerk to all the girls. Being on this show impacts greatly on Abby, because one, she doesn't know much about being alone in the wild, two; she hates her partner, Dean. They can't seem to get along, and three; All of the challenges on the island are difficult and require strength, speed, and balance. Something Abby doesn't have.

The author's tone of this book is humorous and tendor, which makes it easier to catch my attention and finish the book. The author didn't only make me laugh, but put me in an "awh" mood as well. It's different from most books I usually read, because it has that humorous tone mixed with some romance. I wouldn't have changed anything about the writing style.

Abby is the main character, also my favorite character. The author made me believe as if Abby and I were friends, she described her in great details, as if I knew her all my life. Liking Abby affected my feelings toward this book, because everytime someone picked on her or, something bad happened to her, it made me a little angry and sad. It feels as if someone was hurting one of my loved ones.

The setting affected some characters, because most of the people that were elected for the show had no idea what to expect. They never knew being on a game show, on an island teaming with people you didn't know would be that challenging. Some groups weren't use to sleeping under the sky, being bit by mosquitos. Others simply craved real food such as, meat, vegetables, and ofcourse fruits. Another difficulty is, if you weren't an outdoors person, this game show is definitely not for you.

I can connect to this book on a personal level. Going down to the country side of Vietnamese is exactly like being on this Island. If you had a big family, most likely, someone would have to sleep outside with the  mosquitos and the moon as our roof. It was very different and difficult to get used to, especially after living in the city for so long, I became accustomed to easy living. Being on the country side was definitely a challenge.

9.11

  9.11 came down to one of the most tragic days of history;
On the day of November 11, 2001, a terrost attack took place in New York City. The bombing of the twin towers killed and affected many people that day, and still does. Some of the bodies still haven't been found today.
  This day affected not only the nation, but our people as well. This attack was brutal, life-changing, and horrific. It built anger, fear, and sadness to the people that were effected by it, whether if they lived in New York or not. To lose someone in this brutal act of terrorism, is one of the worst feeling in the world, especially to the family's that relied on that person to support them the most. Thinking of the expected mothers and how they would have to tell their child/children how their father/mother died, is sad, but still heroic.
  The innocent people that died in the accident that day, will always be a hero in our heart.