Literature
The House on Mango Street
In Humanities class, we read the book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The book is about a young girl named Esperanza who is looking for a warm and welcoming home grows up in a ghetto barrio named Mango Street. The story revolves around Esperanza growing up in Mango Street and how the street and the various women affect how she lives throughout the rest of her life. I thought that the book was a very interesting and deep story. It made you have to think in ways that you probably wouldn't even consider doing. Since the book is written in a child's perspective, you have to read more carefully in the book which made me have to think about more showing writing than telling. For example the shoes throughout the story represents Esperanza's maturity throughout her life. I think Sandra Cisneros did an excellent job writing The House on Mango Street.
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
For Book Club, we read the book, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book is about a seventeen year old boy who is almost graduating from his high school who lives in the barrio "Hollywood" and how his true love's death affects him throughout the story. I think the book was told very entertainingly and raw which makes it feel like I can relate from what real high school drama can be like. Although in this book it takes a lot of worse case scenarios of high school drama it still feels like I can understand where the main characters are coming from. I felt as though this book was a masterpiece because it was one of the first of many books that I could start reading from the first page and actually get into it. I think that Benjamin Alire Saenz is a very talented author and did a well done job writing Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood.
Antigone
In Humanities class, we read the Greek Drama, Antigone by Sophocles. This Greek Drama focuses on a girl who wants to bury her brother even though he is the enemy of the city and the king will not allow anyone on any circumstance give him a proper burial giving this story the conflict of whats right and wrong morally. I thought that the story was very strong and I could see why this was popular. It made a person think if what Antigone was doing something that was right or wrong. It was definitely entertaining to read and was fun to follow along in the plot. The book was not expected to be as good as I thought it would be from my perspective but it was thought out very well and I loved the lovers' suicide at the end. I think that Sophocles was very creative when writing Antigone.
Always Running
For Book Club, we read the book, Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. The book focuses on a man who retells his past as a gang member in a barrio in order to tell his story of him always running to remind his son that the gang life is not always great. This book was a really good choice for me to pick and I thought it was really outstanding. It really hit the heart to all the gang member's who suffered during those times and allowed people to gain a new perspective from a gang member's point of view in life. It was also very interesting to read, it never really stopped and got boring besides the beginning and it always had very risque topics such as drugs, sex, and violence. It was a good choice and I am glad to have the entire book. Luis J. Rodriguez did an outstanding job of writing Always Running.
Of Mice and Men
In Humanities Class, we read the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The book was about two men named George and Lennie who find a job at a ranch. They struggle with their work history due to Lennie's mental disabilities making them always get into trouble. This story contains a lot of symbolism in the story focusing on different types of discrimination including Gender Inequality, Racism, and Age Discrimination. I found the story very interesting because the symbolism really stood out due to Steinbeck's bold descriptions of things like Crook's back showing his pain due to getting pushed down to the white people on the ranch. It made a really huge impact on me because it showed the true colors among people who think badly of people because they are different. Steinbeck had a very interesting way of writing Of Mice and Men and I am glad to have read it.
The Alchemist
In Humanities Class, we read the novel, The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. The novel focuses on a boy named Santiago and his long journey to obtain his personal legend. In the beginning he meets a king who tells him to find his personal legend and learn the language of the world through omens to gain his treasure that is his personal legend. He struggles along the way, sometimes even life threatening, making him start to stray away from his goals in achieving his treasure but in the end he listens to the omens and finally obtains his personal legend. I found a new respect for The Alchemist even though personally I didn't like it as much, which opened new perspectives of ways at looking at things in life. It was a good thing to read though so I'm glad to have read it but I'm not sure if it would have been a book I would have read in my spare time.
Chinese Cinderella
For Book Club, we read the book Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah. This book was a true story of the author's life growing up as a child and the hardships she had to face being the "child who killed her mother" because her mom died after her birth. She receives extreme torture from her family including forgetting about her at school, leaving her at boarding schools, and treating her like dirt in her own home, all due to her extremely strict step mother named Niang. Besides the hardships she has to face, she is found out to be a very intelligent girl as well as a talented writer that gets her through her life. While reading, it got me thinking about my own relations towards my parents and their expectations for me to be a perfect elite son with perfect grades. It got me hooked right into the book and it felt very relatable to me so I absolutely enjoyed it. I think Adeline Yen Mah was a genius in writing Chinese Cinderella and that it can be a very relatable book to people.
Romeo & Juliet
In Humanities Class, we read the play, Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare. This play focuses on two characters, Romeo and Juliet, and how their lives play out as they are from enemy houses in which the hatred leads to bloodshed. Within this war between houses, love finds it's way between Romeo and Juliet which causes great problems and evidently leading them towards their demise in which they committed a lovers' suicide. Reading this play shows the struggle between two characters and how their ends help make a resolve between the houses. Fate was shown throughout the play so much making it one of the strongest causes of all things in the play. While reading it I became very interested and have a new respect for Shakespeare. It was a very good play and I would not mind seeing a play in action. I think Shakespeare did a great job writing this play and hopefully people will take Romeo and Juliet's mistakes and learn from them preventing from any lover suicides.
Dear Zoe
In Humanities Class, as well as home, we read the book Dear Zoe by Phillip Beard. This book focuses on the life of Tess DeNunzio and how her life is affected after her 3 year old sister, Zoe, dies on 9/11. Within her life she goes through complications, awkwardness, and troubles due to the grief she has for Zoe, since she was the one in charge of her when she died. Reading this made me kind of sad even though personally I do not have a younger sibling myself. It made me think of all the people who were forgotten on 9/11 because the planes hit the World Trade Center which made their deaths seem meaningless to other people. I thought that Phillip Beard did a great job telling a story through a teenage girls eyes and it really hit me in my heart.The House on Mango Street
In Humanities class, we read the book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The book is about a young girl named Esperanza who is looking for a warm and welcoming home grows up in a ghetto barrio named Mango Street. The story revolves around Esperanza growing up in Mango Street and how the street and the various women affect how she lives throughout the rest of her life. I thought that the book was a very interesting and deep story. It made you have to think in ways that you probably wouldn't even consider doing. Since the book is written in a child's perspective, you have to read more carefully in the book which made me have to think about more showing writing than telling. For example the shoes throughout the story represents Esperanza's maturity throughout her life. I think Sandra Cisneros did an excellent job writing The House on Mango Street.
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
For Book Club, we read the book, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book is about a seventeen year old boy who is almost graduating from his high school who lives in the barrio "Hollywood" and how his true love's death affects him throughout the story. I think the book was told very entertainingly and raw which makes it feel like I can relate from what real high school drama can be like. Although in this book it takes a lot of worse case scenarios of high school drama it still feels like I can understand where the main characters are coming from. I felt as though this book was a masterpiece because it was one of the first of many books that I could start reading from the first page and actually get into it. I think that Benjamin Alire Saenz is a very talented author and did a well done job writing Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood.
Antigone
In Humanities class, we read the Greek Drama, Antigone by Sophocles. This Greek Drama focuses on a girl who wants to bury her brother even though he is the enemy of the city and the king will not allow anyone on any circumstance give him a proper burial giving this story the conflict of whats right and wrong morally. I thought that the story was very strong and I could see why this was popular. It made a person think if what Antigone was doing something that was right or wrong. It was definitely entertaining to read and was fun to follow along in the plot. The book was not expected to be as good as I thought it would be from my perspective but it was thought out very well and I loved the lovers' suicide at the end. I think that Sophocles was very creative when writing Antigone.
Always Running
For Book Club, we read the book, Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. The book focuses on a man who retells his past as a gang member in a barrio in order to tell his story of him always running to remind his son that the gang life is not always great. This book was a really good choice for me to pick and I thought it was really outstanding. It really hit the heart to all the gang member's who suffered during those times and allowed people to gain a new perspective from a gang member's point of view in life. It was also very interesting to read, it never really stopped and got boring besides the beginning and it always had very risque topics such as drugs, sex, and violence. It was a good choice and I am glad to have the entire book. Luis J. Rodriguez did an outstanding job of writing Always Running.
Of Mice and Men
In Humanities Class, we read the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The book was about two men named George and Lennie who find a job at a ranch. They struggle with their work history due to Lennie's mental disabilities making them always get into trouble. This story contains a lot of symbolism in the story focusing on different types of discrimination including Gender Inequality, Racism, and Age Discrimination. I found the story very interesting because the symbolism really stood out due to Steinbeck's bold descriptions of things like Crook's back showing his pain due to getting pushed down to the white people on the ranch. It made a really huge impact on me because it showed the true colors among people who think badly of people because they are different. Steinbeck had a very interesting way of writing Of Mice and Men and I am glad to have read it.
The Alchemist
In Humanities Class, we read the novel, The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. The novel focuses on a boy named Santiago and his long journey to obtain his personal legend. In the beginning he meets a king who tells him to find his personal legend and learn the language of the world through omens to gain his treasure that is his personal legend. He struggles along the way, sometimes even life threatening, making him start to stray away from his goals in achieving his treasure but in the end he listens to the omens and finally obtains his personal legend. I found a new respect for The Alchemist even though personally I didn't like it as much, which opened new perspectives of ways at looking at things in life. It was a good thing to read though so I'm glad to have read it but I'm not sure if it would have been a book I would have read in my spare time.
Chinese Cinderella
For Book Club, we read the book Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah. This book was a true story of the author's life growing up as a child and the hardships she had to face being the "child who killed her mother" because her mom died after her birth. She receives extreme torture from her family including forgetting about her at school, leaving her at boarding schools, and treating her like dirt in her own home, all due to her extremely strict step mother named Niang. Besides the hardships she has to face, she is found out to be a very intelligent girl as well as a talented writer that gets her through her life. While reading, it got me thinking about my own relations towards my parents and their expectations for me to be a perfect elite son with perfect grades. It got me hooked right into the book and it felt very relatable to me so I absolutely enjoyed it. I think Adeline Yen Mah was a genius in writing Chinese Cinderella and that it can be a very relatable book to people.
Romeo & Juliet
In Humanities Class, we read the play, Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare. This play focuses on two characters, Romeo and Juliet, and how their lives play out as they are from enemy houses in which the hatred leads to bloodshed. Within this war between houses, love finds it's way between Romeo and Juliet which causes great problems and evidently leading them towards their demise in which they committed a lovers' suicide. Reading this play shows the struggle between two characters and how their ends help make a resolve between the houses. Fate was shown throughout the play so much making it one of the strongest causes of all things in the play. While reading it I became very interested and have a new respect for Shakespeare. It was a very good play and I would not mind seeing a play in action. I think Shakespeare did a great job writing this play and hopefully people will take Romeo and Juliet's mistakes and learn from them preventing from any lover suicides.
Dear Zoe
In Humanities Class, as well as home, we read the book Dear Zoe by Phillip Beard. This book focuses on the life of Tess DeNunzio and how her life is affected after her 3 year old sister, Zoe, dies on 9/11. Within her life she goes through complications, awkwardness, and troubles due to the grief she has for Zoe, since she was the one in charge of her when she died. Reading this made me kind of sad even though personally I do not have a younger sibling myself. It made me think of all the people who were forgotten on 9/11 because the planes hit the World Trade Center which made their deaths seem meaningless to other people. I thought that Phillip Beard did a great job telling a story through a teenage girls eyes and it really hit me in my heart.
In Humanities class, we read the book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The book is about a young girl named Esperanza who is looking for a warm and welcoming home grows up in a ghetto barrio named Mango Street. The story revolves around Esperanza growing up in Mango Street and how the street and the various women affect how she lives throughout the rest of her life. I thought that the book was a very interesting and deep story. It made you have to think in ways that you probably wouldn't even consider doing. Since the book is written in a child's perspective, you have to read more carefully in the book which made me have to think about more showing writing than telling. For example the shoes throughout the story represents Esperanza's maturity throughout her life. I think Sandra Cisneros did an excellent job writing The House on Mango Street.
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
For Book Club, we read the book, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book is about a seventeen year old boy who is almost graduating from his high school who lives in the barrio "Hollywood" and how his true love's death affects him throughout the story. I think the book was told very entertainingly and raw which makes it feel like I can relate from what real high school drama can be like. Although in this book it takes a lot of worse case scenarios of high school drama it still feels like I can understand where the main characters are coming from. I felt as though this book was a masterpiece because it was one of the first of many books that I could start reading from the first page and actually get into it. I think that Benjamin Alire Saenz is a very talented author and did a well done job writing Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood.
Antigone
In Humanities class, we read the Greek Drama, Antigone by Sophocles. This Greek Drama focuses on a girl who wants to bury her brother even though he is the enemy of the city and the king will not allow anyone on any circumstance give him a proper burial giving this story the conflict of whats right and wrong morally. I thought that the story was very strong and I could see why this was popular. It made a person think if what Antigone was doing something that was right or wrong. It was definitely entertaining to read and was fun to follow along in the plot. The book was not expected to be as good as I thought it would be from my perspective but it was thought out very well and I loved the lovers' suicide at the end. I think that Sophocles was very creative when writing Antigone.
Always Running
For Book Club, we read the book, Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. The book focuses on a man who retells his past as a gang member in a barrio in order to tell his story of him always running to remind his son that the gang life is not always great. This book was a really good choice for me to pick and I thought it was really outstanding. It really hit the heart to all the gang member's who suffered during those times and allowed people to gain a new perspective from a gang member's point of view in life. It was also very interesting to read, it never really stopped and got boring besides the beginning and it always had very risque topics such as drugs, sex, and violence. It was a good choice and I am glad to have the entire book. Luis J. Rodriguez did an outstanding job of writing Always Running.
Of Mice and Men
In Humanities Class, we read the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The book was about two men named George and Lennie who find a job at a ranch. They struggle with their work history due to Lennie's mental disabilities making them always get into trouble. This story contains a lot of symbolism in the story focusing on different types of discrimination including Gender Inequality, Racism, and Age Discrimination. I found the story very interesting because the symbolism really stood out due to Steinbeck's bold descriptions of things like Crook's back showing his pain due to getting pushed down to the white people on the ranch. It made a really huge impact on me because it showed the true colors among people who think badly of people because they are different. Steinbeck had a very interesting way of writing Of Mice and Men and I am glad to have read it.
The Alchemist
In Humanities Class, we read the novel, The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. The novel focuses on a boy named Santiago and his long journey to obtain his personal legend. In the beginning he meets a king who tells him to find his personal legend and learn the language of the world through omens to gain his treasure that is his personal legend. He struggles along the way, sometimes even life threatening, making him start to stray away from his goals in achieving his treasure but in the end he listens to the omens and finally obtains his personal legend. I found a new respect for The Alchemist even though personally I didn't like it as much, which opened new perspectives of ways at looking at things in life. It was a good thing to read though so I'm glad to have read it but I'm not sure if it would have been a book I would have read in my spare time.
Chinese Cinderella
For Book Club, we read the book Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah. This book was a true story of the author's life growing up as a child and the hardships she had to face being the "child who killed her mother" because her mom died after her birth. She receives extreme torture from her family including forgetting about her at school, leaving her at boarding schools, and treating her like dirt in her own home, all due to her extremely strict step mother named Niang. Besides the hardships she has to face, she is found out to be a very intelligent girl as well as a talented writer that gets her through her life. While reading, it got me thinking about my own relations towards my parents and their expectations for me to be a perfect elite son with perfect grades. It got me hooked right into the book and it felt very relatable to me so I absolutely enjoyed it. I think Adeline Yen Mah was a genius in writing Chinese Cinderella and that it can be a very relatable book to people.
Romeo & Juliet
In Humanities Class, we read the play, Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare. This play focuses on two characters, Romeo and Juliet, and how their lives play out as they are from enemy houses in which the hatred leads to bloodshed. Within this war between houses, love finds it's way between Romeo and Juliet which causes great problems and evidently leading them towards their demise in which they committed a lovers' suicide. Reading this play shows the struggle between two characters and how their ends help make a resolve between the houses. Fate was shown throughout the play so much making it one of the strongest causes of all things in the play. While reading it I became very interested and have a new respect for Shakespeare. It was a very good play and I would not mind seeing a play in action. I think Shakespeare did a great job writing this play and hopefully people will take Romeo and Juliet's mistakes and learn from them preventing from any lover suicides.
Dear Zoe
In Humanities Class, as well as home, we read the book Dear Zoe by Phillip Beard. This book focuses on the life of Tess DeNunzio and how her life is affected after her 3 year old sister, Zoe, dies on 9/11. Within her life she goes through complications, awkwardness, and troubles due to the grief she has for Zoe, since she was the one in charge of her when she died. Reading this made me kind of sad even though personally I do not have a younger sibling myself. It made me think of all the people who were forgotten on 9/11 because the planes hit the World Trade Center which made their deaths seem meaningless to other people. I thought that Phillip Beard did a great job telling a story through a teenage girls eyes and it really hit me in my heart.The House on Mango Street
In Humanities class, we read the book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The book is about a young girl named Esperanza who is looking for a warm and welcoming home grows up in a ghetto barrio named Mango Street. The story revolves around Esperanza growing up in Mango Street and how the street and the various women affect how she lives throughout the rest of her life. I thought that the book was a very interesting and deep story. It made you have to think in ways that you probably wouldn't even consider doing. Since the book is written in a child's perspective, you have to read more carefully in the book which made me have to think about more showing writing than telling. For example the shoes throughout the story represents Esperanza's maturity throughout her life. I think Sandra Cisneros did an excellent job writing The House on Mango Street.
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
For Book Club, we read the book, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book is about a seventeen year old boy who is almost graduating from his high school who lives in the barrio "Hollywood" and how his true love's death affects him throughout the story. I think the book was told very entertainingly and raw which makes it feel like I can relate from what real high school drama can be like. Although in this book it takes a lot of worse case scenarios of high school drama it still feels like I can understand where the main characters are coming from. I felt as though this book was a masterpiece because it was one of the first of many books that I could start reading from the first page and actually get into it. I think that Benjamin Alire Saenz is a very talented author and did a well done job writing Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood.
Antigone
In Humanities class, we read the Greek Drama, Antigone by Sophocles. This Greek Drama focuses on a girl who wants to bury her brother even though he is the enemy of the city and the king will not allow anyone on any circumstance give him a proper burial giving this story the conflict of whats right and wrong morally. I thought that the story was very strong and I could see why this was popular. It made a person think if what Antigone was doing something that was right or wrong. It was definitely entertaining to read and was fun to follow along in the plot. The book was not expected to be as good as I thought it would be from my perspective but it was thought out very well and I loved the lovers' suicide at the end. I think that Sophocles was very creative when writing Antigone.
Always Running
For Book Club, we read the book, Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. The book focuses on a man who retells his past as a gang member in a barrio in order to tell his story of him always running to remind his son that the gang life is not always great. This book was a really good choice for me to pick and I thought it was really outstanding. It really hit the heart to all the gang member's who suffered during those times and allowed people to gain a new perspective from a gang member's point of view in life. It was also very interesting to read, it never really stopped and got boring besides the beginning and it always had very risque topics such as drugs, sex, and violence. It was a good choice and I am glad to have the entire book. Luis J. Rodriguez did an outstanding job of writing Always Running.
Of Mice and Men
In Humanities Class, we read the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The book was about two men named George and Lennie who find a job at a ranch. They struggle with their work history due to Lennie's mental disabilities making them always get into trouble. This story contains a lot of symbolism in the story focusing on different types of discrimination including Gender Inequality, Racism, and Age Discrimination. I found the story very interesting because the symbolism really stood out due to Steinbeck's bold descriptions of things like Crook's back showing his pain due to getting pushed down to the white people on the ranch. It made a really huge impact on me because it showed the true colors among people who think badly of people because they are different. Steinbeck had a very interesting way of writing Of Mice and Men and I am glad to have read it.
The Alchemist
In Humanities Class, we read the novel, The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. The novel focuses on a boy named Santiago and his long journey to obtain his personal legend. In the beginning he meets a king who tells him to find his personal legend and learn the language of the world through omens to gain his treasure that is his personal legend. He struggles along the way, sometimes even life threatening, making him start to stray away from his goals in achieving his treasure but in the end he listens to the omens and finally obtains his personal legend. I found a new respect for The Alchemist even though personally I didn't like it as much, which opened new perspectives of ways at looking at things in life. It was a good thing to read though so I'm glad to have read it but I'm not sure if it would have been a book I would have read in my spare time.
Chinese Cinderella
For Book Club, we read the book Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah. This book was a true story of the author's life growing up as a child and the hardships she had to face being the "child who killed her mother" because her mom died after her birth. She receives extreme torture from her family including forgetting about her at school, leaving her at boarding schools, and treating her like dirt in her own home, all due to her extremely strict step mother named Niang. Besides the hardships she has to face, she is found out to be a very intelligent girl as well as a talented writer that gets her through her life. While reading, it got me thinking about my own relations towards my parents and their expectations for me to be a perfect elite son with perfect grades. It got me hooked right into the book and it felt very relatable to me so I absolutely enjoyed it. I think Adeline Yen Mah was a genius in writing Chinese Cinderella and that it can be a very relatable book to people.
Romeo & Juliet
In Humanities Class, we read the play, Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare. This play focuses on two characters, Romeo and Juliet, and how their lives play out as they are from enemy houses in which the hatred leads to bloodshed. Within this war between houses, love finds it's way between Romeo and Juliet which causes great problems and evidently leading them towards their demise in which they committed a lovers' suicide. Reading this play shows the struggle between two characters and how their ends help make a resolve between the houses. Fate was shown throughout the play so much making it one of the strongest causes of all things in the play. While reading it I became very interested and have a new respect for Shakespeare. It was a very good play and I would not mind seeing a play in action. I think Shakespeare did a great job writing this play and hopefully people will take Romeo and Juliet's mistakes and learn from them preventing from any lover suicides.
Dear Zoe
In Humanities Class, as well as home, we read the book Dear Zoe by Phillip Beard. This book focuses on the life of Tess DeNunzio and how her life is affected after her 3 year old sister, Zoe, dies on 9/11. Within her life she goes through complications, awkwardness, and troubles due to the grief she has for Zoe, since she was the one in charge of her when she died. Reading this made me kind of sad even though personally I do not have a younger sibling myself. It made me think of all the people who were forgotten on 9/11 because the planes hit the World Trade Center which made their deaths seem meaningless to other people. I thought that Phillip Beard did a great job telling a story through a teenage girls eyes and it really hit me in my heart.