Figurative Language

similes- a figure of speech in which things that are different are compared by the use of the words "like" or "as"
metaphors- a figure of speech in which is similar to a simile, but does NOT use the words "like" or "as"

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5 similes:

1. "There's nothing worse than silence, strung like heavy beads on too delicate a conversation."(61)
2. "Unlike the doctors, who fidget like they need to be somewhere else, the nurses patiently answer us as if we are the first set of parents to ever have this kind of meeting with them, instead of the thousandth."(61)
3. "He is talking about my little girl as if she is some kind of machine: a car with a faulty carburetor, a plan whose landing gear is stuck."(66)
4. "Kate's ribs seem as thin as matchsticks, and there is a large gray blot just off the center."(69)
5. "Kate's face looks as tiny and white as those distant moons that Brian likes to spot in his telescope- still, remote, cold."(70)

5 metaphors:

1. "In our family, it is a cardinal sin to page my father away."(53)
2. "My father's voice is an ax."(54)
3. "A few seconds later, the door closes, and the hall light that has been dancing on the ceiling disappears."(58)
4. "He is tall and rail-thin, with snapping blue eyes.."(59)
5. "I turn around slowly, tears springing to my eyes."(66)

I think that when similes and metaphors are added to any type of text, it helps you understand or really get a feel for things.  Text even as simple as in My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult, is still much more personable and understandable when you use figure of speech.  I like reading books with similes and metaphors because it helps me use my imagination and really think about what is being portrayed through text.  

Being someones keeper

Today, right now, our class is supposed to be blogging about someone you "keep" and to explain it.  Well, I don't really feel like I do this for anybody.  There isn't really a certain person that I give any special attention to.  I don't really think anyone keeps me either, not in a bad way, i'm just independent, I guess.  I'm really smart and can remember to do what needs to be done.  My mom keeps my appointments, if that counts?  She makes my orthodontist or doctor appointments for me, but other than that.  I'm an independent person!

My Sisters Keeper

My English class will be starting the novel "My Sisters Keeper" by Jodi Picoult.  This will be my first time actually reading the novel, although when the movie came out I watched it with my mommy!  I have heard that the book is extremely similar to the major motion picture, until you get to the ending.  There's a big switch to the scenario there!  

This should get you started on what the book is about.  A younger couple is struck with the news that their young, first daughter is diagnosed with cancer.  After thinking over many things, they create a baby sister with the perfect genetic match ups so she is always able to donate.  But she is finally old enough to realize what is going on, so she begins to realize that she is sick and tired of this!

My class will be reading this book over the next few weeks, updating our blogs of coarse through-out the way!

Solo Hikers Expedition Ends Fatally

How does it feel to have lost contact with someone who meant so much to you? This was the mutual feeling for too many people after meeting Mr. Christopher McCandless of Annandale, VA. Parents, sisters, friends and acquaintances made along the way, lost contact with Chris after leaving town and going on his “Great Alaskan Adventure” to “Find himself.” Shortly after graduating college from Emory University, Chris McCandless made road trips all through the United States, while making his journey to the frigid north. McCandless was aware of the fatal possibilities that accompanied this trip, yet was still positive that this was what he wanted to do. I believe it is not any persons place to call him stupid, insane or spoiled for simply following his heart.

Chris differed from most young adults. He had morals and stuck to them, no matter the standards height. When Chris would engage in things, you would never find him putting only half his heart into it. He felt accomplishment solely, through arête. In chapter 12 page 142, it states “More even than most teens, he tended to see things in black and white. He measured himself and those around him by an impossibly rigorous moral code.” If Chris were to go on a soul-searching experience, his peers would not have found it a surprise that he went out to Alaska, alone, and on the least amount of supplies that survival allowed. Chris just wanted to be the best person he possibly could. This adventure should have been expected of him. Chris not taking this trip may have been almost hypocritical of him, after stressing to Ron Franz about how important it is to see what Mother Nature has given to you. You have to go after things before it’s too late.

Chris lived his life as being the “perfect child,” molded by his parents. He was captain of sports teams, he had perfect grades and he got along well with his sibling. After graduating from Emory University with almost perfect grades, it was rightfully his turn to do something for himself. In Chapter 7 on page 64 is says, "He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father's moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parents life styles, the tyranny of their conditional love.” If you spent your entire life doing what someone else wanted you to do, what would you do for yourself?

Underlined in a book found in the bus was this following passage: “You had to learn to walk by yourself. There was no one around, neither family nor people whose judgment you respected. At such a time you felt the need of committing yourself to something absolute- life or truth of beauty- of being ruled by it in place of man-made rules that have been discarded." Chris wanted to be able to survive on his own, in the wild. While he loved his sister so dearly he cut all strings just to be able to live like this.

While some may say that McCandless was just a spoiled rich kid who didn’t know what he wanted, many would disagree. McCandless worked hard for his grades, not having much of a social life and following by his parent’s strict rules. He basically raised his little sister, since his parents were always working. Although he appreciated what his parents did, he never really accepted their “conditional loving” ways. Living out in the wild and having the little amount he did, he was still so thankful for everything that ever stepped into his life. Found in the back of a book, on a blank page, was a “brief adios,” written by Chris before his death. It states, "I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL."

Chris touched so many hearts. He showed them what Mother Nature had to offer, he told them it was necessary to live off the land for once in your life, because it makes you a better person. Along with the fact that Chris knew this was exactly what he wanted to do and after living the way his parents wanted to for so long, it was time he did something for himself. Chris wanted to be able to rest assured that he was able to live off the wild, independently. Through all that he went through, he was always grateful for everything that was ever in his life, he thanks god for it. I believe Chris was a good person who does not deserve to be called stupid or insane for doing exactly what he wanted.

Greek Architecture

1. Roman architecture had a great impact on Greek Architecture
2. Took 8 years to completely finish the Parthenon, of Athens
3. Parthenon - symbol of Greek democracy

100/100

April 8, 2011

Ancient Greek Poetry:

1. One of the greatest poet's was a woman named sapho
2. Homer was a blind story teller, who wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey

The age of Pericles:

1. Pericles was born in the 5th century and his father was a politician while his mother was part of the royal family
2. He ruled/remained in power for 32 years
3. At the age 18, boys HAD to serve in the army, it was mandatory
4. Pericles had 3 goals for the time of the Golden age; strengthen democracy, expand their empire, make athens more beautiful

100/100

Character Traits of Chris McCandless

Chapter  and Page #	Description/Quote from Novel	What impression you get about Chris with this character trait or description?
Chapter 2 Page 12 Chapter 2 Page 13	"SOS I need your help.  I am injured near death and too weak to hike out of here.  I am all alone this is no joke.  In the name of God, please remain to save me.  I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening.  Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?" "The remains were so badly decomposed that it was impossible to determine exactly when McCandless had died, but the coroner could find no sign of massive internal injuries or broken bones."	Chris McCandless realizes that his trip is coming to an end if no one passes by to help him out.  He still has enough strength though to collect berries.  Also, he has been out at this point long enough to realize that he's not even sure what month it is. McCandless had died quite some time before he was found by any type of hikers/authorities.  Although, while he stated earlier he was injured there were no internal injuries or broken bones found during the autopsy.
Chapter 3 Page 16 Chapter 3 Page 18	"He used to sit right there at the end of the bar and tell us these amazing stories of his travels.  He could talk for hours.  A lot of folks here in town got pretty attached to old Alex.  Kind of a strange deal what happened to him." "I've given jobs to lots of hitch hikers over the years," says Westerberg.  "Most of them weren’t much good, didn't really want to work.  It was a different story with Alex.  He was the hardest worker I've ever seen.  Didn't matter what it was, he'd do it: hard physical labor, mucking rotten grain and dead rats out of the bottom of the hole-- jobs where you got so damn dirty you couldn't even tell what you looked like at the end of the day ….. He was what you called extremely ethical.  He set pretty high standards for himself."	Although Chris's intentions were to live in the wild by himself off of the least amount of supplies as he could, he was by no means unsocial, because a lot of people tended to get attached to McCandless.  From the description Wayne Westerberg was giving, you can tell that McCandless carried the trait of arête.  Arête-  everything you do, you do it to the best of your ability, nothing half assed or you wouldn't do it at all
Chapter 4 Page 29 Chapter 4 Page 37	"Instead of feeling distraught over this turn of events, moreover, McCandless was exhilarated: He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage." "On February 3rd, according to his journal, McCandless went to Los Angeles "to get an ID and a job feels extremely uncomfortable in society now and must return to road immediately. "	Clearly McCandless was extremely headstrong on this trip.  While he has a bad situation with his car, he believes it is just a good opportunity so he can live on the least possible, which was his goal. After sailing on the rivers and bodies of water for so long he started to become anti-social and feels the need to leave society.
Chapter 5 Page 40 Chapter 5 Page 41	"Curiously, when McCandless applied for the McCandless job, he presented himself as Chris McCandless, not as Alex, and gave his real social security number."  "When he first started working, he was homeless, and he'd show up for work smelling bad.  It wasn't up to McDonald's standard to come in smelling the way he did. "	After living as a leather tramp for such a long amount of time, he decided to buckle down and get a real job.  Despite the fact he wasn't trying to be tracked by his parents, he gave his real name and social security number to the corporation;  one can only guess he felt comfortable in Bullhead, AZ. Despite the fact that he finally had a job, he still didn't feel the need to join a homeless center, and continued to live homelessly.
Chapter 6 Page 56 Chapter 6 Page 57	"The boy unmasked the gaping void in Franz's life even as he helped fill it.  When McCandless departed as suddenly as he'd arrived, Franz found himself deeply and unexpectedly hurt." "You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to visit one of the greatest sights at on Earth, the grand canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life.  But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation, which you see day after day after day. "	McCandless seemed to have a way with touching people.  When people met him, usually hitch-hiking, they always felt the need to take him under their wing and help him out.  He seemed to make his way as a family member to so many people and fulfilled happiness in so many hearts. McCandless had an incredible way of speaking to someone, heart to heart.  His letters and ways of thinking were extremely inspirational.
Chapter 7 Page 64 Chapter 7 Page 66	"He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father's moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parents life styles, the tyranny of their conditional love .  Eventually, Chris rebelled- and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation." "McCandless's apparent sexual innocence, however, is a corollary of a personality type that our culture purports to admire, at least in the case of it's more famous adherents."	Although this isn't surprising because when McCandless engages in something, he goes through with it at full force; McCandless bottled up his emotions towards his parents and eventually cut off all means of communication (when he went on the road) and couldn’t stand them for anything.  McCandless wasn't phased by peer pressure or the vogues of American culture.  His sexual innocence is one of many examples of this; another including his love for his old yellow Datsun, when he was offered a brand new car.
Chapter 10 Page 101 Chapter 10 Page 102	"EXEMPT EXEMPT EXEMPT EXEMPT EXEMPT" and given his name as Iris Fucyu. Address: "None of your damn business."  Social Security number; "I forget." "His hair was long and he had a beard.  Chris almost always had short hair and was clean-shaven.  And the face in the picture was extremely gaunt."	Chris was not going to give his information to anyone he was unaware of at the time.  He did not want his parents to be able to track him down. This is a description of Chris McCandless on the last picture he took of himself before he died.
Chapter 11 Page 103 Chapter 11 Page 113	"You had to learn to walk by yourself.  There was no one around, neither family nor people whose judgment you respected.  At such a time you felt the need of committing yourself to something absolute- life or truth of beauty- of being ruled by it in place of man-made rules that have been discarded." "On weekends, when his high school pals were attending "keggers" and trying to sneak into Georgetown bars, McCandless would wander the seedier quarters of Washington, chatting with prostitutes and homeless people, buying them meals, earnestly suggesting ways they might improve their lives."	This was a quote underlined in a book McCandless had with him on the bus, found when his body was discovered.  It is important because it explains the way Chris felt towards society. Chris always danced to a different drum.  He was more into helping society than being a wreck less teenager.
Chapter 12 Page 122 Chapter 12 Page 120	"More even than most teens, he tended to see things in black and white.  He measured himself and those around him by an impossibly rigorous moral code." "His social studies were the only thing he was interested in talking about.  Social life at Emory revolved around fraternities and sororities, something Chris wanted no part of.  I think when everybody started going Greek, he kind of pulled back from his old friends and got more heavily into himself."	Chris looked for either the good or the bad, he didn't really bend the corners.  He lived up to high standards. Eventually, in college, Chris basically shut himself out from society.  He wouldn't talk to anybody unless it was about something important or about his grades, he would go on for hours about the homeless.
Chapter 13 Page 129 Chapter 13 Page 131	" Like Chris, Carine is energetic and self-assured, a high achiever, quick to state an opinion." "His name was printed wrong.  The label said CHRISTOPHER R. MCCANDLESS. His middle initial is really K.  It ticked me off that they didn't get it right.  I was mad.  Then I thought, 'Chris wouldn't care.  He'd think it was funny'."	Chris shared similar traits like being a high achiever and quick to state an opinion, which is shown in his trip to Alaska. McCandless had a good sense of humor.  The book doesn't tell you much about his sense of humor, but this let you know that he can take things lightly and make a joke out of things.
Chapter 16 Page 165 Chapter 16 Page 170	"Faced with the obvious folly of his original ambition, to walk five hundred miles to tidewater, he reconsidered his plans." "In his journal he now wrote, "Disaster… Rained in.  River  look impossible.  Lonely, scared."	Chris went into this expedition with big ambitions but the climate wore off on him, and he started to be realistic. When Chris started out on his journey, he wanted to be alone and find him self, but towards the end he felt alone and scared.
Chapter 17 Page 182 Chapter 17 Page 184	"it is hardly unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders; engaging in risky behavior is a rite of passage in our culture no less than in most others.  Danger has always held a certain allure. "McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily.  He demanded much of himself --, more, in the end, than he could deliver."	Chris was just another normal young adult who strived for adventure in his life. Chris wanted to come to more conclusions by the end of his trip then what was actually available.
Chapter 18 Page 189 Chapter 18 Page 199	"And so it turned out that only a life similar to the life of those around us, merging with it without a ripple, is genuine life, and that an unshared happiness is not happiness . . .  And this was most vexing of all," he noted, "HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED." On the other side of the page, which was blank, McCandless penned a brief adios: "I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD.  GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL."	After wanting to go off into the wild by himself, he became lonely and realized that this wasn't a good quality of life. Towards all of the suffering Chris went threw he always stayed positive, even when he was about to die, and was writing his last note before death.