Dialectic Journals - Book 7 & 8

Book 7 (Chapter 30)
Page 319
"I've seen Rooster been beat and whipped a number of times... but never till this moment had I seen his eyes well and fill."

I really liked this quote because not only did it really strike me, but I think that there was a really good job of showing a strong change in this character. I believe that the author included that little tidbit at the beginging to show even more change in the character. I think that it really says a lot about one person if they never cry, not even when being beaten and whipped. Then for that same person to start tearing up really makes the moment a lot more powerful. I think that the author did an amazing job of really captureing that raw emotion, for I felt it, and it really struck me. I truly just enjoyed this quote and it also really stuck out to me because of it's power.


Book 7 (Chapter 31)
Page 333
"His glance took in the fires of the camp, the nations of the allies clustered in their unites, and their officers, whom we could see, like us approaching from all quarters the king's fire, ready to respond to his needs and recive his instructions.
'the opposite of fear,' Dinekes said, 'is love.'"

This quote was also a very powerful one for me personally. I think that is because Dinekes truly makes a very powerful statement throughtout all of the misfortunes and the horrors of war. The statement it's self is also a truly beautiful one, coming from the heart and it sound very philosophical. Another reason that this is very powerful is because the reader knows that Dinekes has been studying fear for a very long time. He has basically dedicated his life to this whole study and now he finally realized what he'd been looking for all along. It's almost as if he had a turning point in his life and now he is satisfied with what he's accomplished.


Book 8 (Chapter 37)
Page 375
"Those were the last tears of mine, my lord, that the sun will ever see."

The reason that this quote struck me was just because of one thing. I honestly thought that this quote was just beautiful. Without even look at why this quote was said or what it's purpose was, I just think that this quote stands out on it's own because of the lanugague used. I feel that the way this line shows strength, but at the same time passion. I feel that this quote makes a statement by saying that "I'm now strong, and I wont look back". I believe that was the message that the author was trying to convey in this passage.


Book 8 (Chapter 35)
Page 365
"As when a hailstorm decends unseasonably from the mountains and hurls from the sky its icy pellets upon the husbandman's newly sprouted crop, so did the bolts of the Persians in their myriads thunder down upon the Spartans and Thespaians."

One reason that this quote really struck me was beacause the author used a great simile. I thought that it was very clever and imaginative to compare hail on a field of crops, to warfare and people dieing. Even so, this simile really helped me picture what was happening because it really used great imagery. I think that this quote is also really interesting because of the very strong and descriptive verbs used such as 'hurls' and 'decend'. Also, there were very powerful and descriptive adjectives such as 'unseasonably' and 'icy pellets'. Overall, this quote really stuck out to me and I enjoyed it!

Something I'm Grateful

I am really grateful for the fact that I can go to bed with a roof over my head. I think that people in America really take many things for granted such as this. I am thankful for this because what people don't realize is that there are starving kids in third world countries that not only don't have a bed to sleep in, but there's no roof over their head, and they don't even have any food or water to drink.

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I feel that before people in America can complain about things that they don't have, or things that they're unhappy about, they really should look at what they've got. I really am truly grateful for everything that I have, not only material things, but things such as good health, and a place to live!

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I also believe that it is very important for Americans to understand the privilege they have to vote in the election a couple weeks ago. Many countries don't let the people have the power to elect their official. It's very important for Americans to vote in every election and to appreciate everything they are blessed with and what they take for granted. Not only for their food, but for a government where everybody is free, and everybody has a say in elections!

Challenge Assignment: SLOB

After watching the Secret Life of Bees movie, I noticed that there were a lot of similarities and differences. There were three main differences and similarities that I noticed. There are also some things that I just genuinely enjoyed about the book and three things I enjoyed about the movie.

There was three large similarities that I noticed. One major similarity was the Martha Whites. In the book, Lily's form of punishment by T.Ray is being forced to kneel on grits for about an hour. In the morning it showed Lily's scars, which is the same thing that happened in the book. Another similarity is that May has a wailing wall and it's portrayed the exact way I imagined it from the book. May's wall is a place where she vented feelings by building a three foot high wall and sticking pieces of paper with bad things written on it, and this is her way of getting over her bad feelings of the world. I think that it was portrayed exactly the way it should be. One last main similarity is that June and Lily at first are enemies, but after that little sprinkler fight, June for some reason becomes Lily's friend.

On the other hand, there are three major differences. The first one is that there was no Snout! In the book, T.Ray had a dog named Snout and he treated him like a king. I think that this was an important element in the book because it shows the contrast between how nice T.Ray is to his dog but not to his daughter. Another difference it that the Black Mary is barely talked about in the movie. In the book, Lily has many meetings with the Black Mary, but in the movie there is only that one time that she fainted after she touched her heart. The movie left out Mary Day and the time Lily kneels in front of her to profess her love for her. The last major difference is in the book, Lily calls T.Ray from the Law Office, and T.Ray looks on the phone bill to see where the call came from. In the movie, the call never happens and T.Ray finds out from the map that used to be on her wall.

One thing that I truly enjoyed about the movie was the person that played the character of May. I think that actor did a very good job of portraying that character and really brought her to life. It made it a lot better movie to watch because of that and I think the actor is very good at what she does!! I think that it was more fun to see May being acted out in a movie, then to imagine what she'd be like in the book.

One thing I truly enjoyed about the book was the way the way that Lily related to the bees because in the movie, that wasn't talked about a lot. I enjoyed how in the book the bees were really a part of Lily's life, and how she loved them and understood them. I also loved the epigraphs in the book and how they foreshadowed what might happen in the chapter.

Overall, I think that the movie was very well done and it was worth the money! Despite some changes that I wasn't fond of, I would recommend the movie for anybody to see!

Dialectic Journals: Book Two

Chapter 8, Page 76

"The boy finished. The last of his words, shouted at the top of his voice, echoed for a long moment around the valley walls. Twenty-five hundred men stood listening and watching."

What really stuck me about his quote is that it really shows a great magnitude of people just standing and watching this one little boy. I think that the author was trying to get across the point that this boy must have just been so captivating. The author portrayed this point by showing that all of those men were silenced just by one boy singing. That the boy was singing so loud from his heart that they all payed attention. 

In our WEX writings we learned about showing and not telling and setting. I think that this quote really paints a picture of what was happening there. The author used two of the five senses (audio and visual) and he also used descriptive adjectives. This quote made me draw a connection to what we are learning in class and what we use in out own writing pieces. I think that this a great example of showing not telling because the author could have just said 'the boy yelled' but instead he used power descriptions of the reaction by all the men. Also, the setting is used brilliantly by him saying that the sound 'echoed for a long moment around the valley walls' because that really helps paint an even more clear picture in your head of what is going on.

Chapter 9, page 77

"His name was Hermion; the called him the 'Mountain'. At fourteen, he was as strong as any in his age-class of the class above, but dehydration in combination with exhaustion overcame him." 

This quote was very powerful because it really shows how such a built up and powerful person was completely destroyed by simple things such as exhaustion and dehydration. This quote really struck me because I thought that it really set the tone of the story. It really shows how the story is grim, and that even if you are considered on of the strongest, that simple elements be the thing that causes the end of you. It shows that no matter how good you think you are, anything can cause you to be conquered. I think that in a way it's a metaphor for the story: how in the story a very small amount of men fought of a 'mountain' of men. I think that this might be something the author put in to really make you think about the story a little harder and what it really means.

Chapter 10, Page 97

"An hour later we collapsed like Odysseus on a rock beach beneath a bawling rookery."

Honestly, the reason why I chose this quote is because I noticed for the first time in the book a simile that was lighthearted. To be totally honest, I didn't even (and still don't) exactly know what this simile meant. Regardless, even thought I don't exactly know what it means, I still understand the intent of the author: both characters collapsed out of exhaustion. 

I think it was nice to finally see a nice and cheerful simile. It shows diversity in the story, making it more interesting and more enjoyable to read. The wording in this quote just really wants to make you laugh. It's not every day that you hear somebody say that there was a 'bawling rookery'! I definitely think that it was smart of the author to include this just to brighten the story and make you smile. (or in my case, laugh!)

Dialectic Journals

1. Chapter 4, Page 21

"That is when I learned: there is always fire. An acid haze hangs in the air night and day, and sulfurous smoke chokes the nostrils. The sun is the color of ash and black stones line the roads, smoking. Everywhere one looks, and object is on fire."

When I first read this quote it really struck me because of the imagery and the metaphors used. I loved the concept of the character realizing that he sees fire everywhere. That really also tells a lot about Xerxes, saying that the war really changed him as a person, and now he sees fire every where. From reading this passage, you can definitely tell that he was hugely affected by that. Also, I think that the imagery used is very powerful. Just to think that he compared something as normal as a stone sitting on the side of the street to smoking lining on the side of the road. Also that the sun is the color of ash really paints a picture in my head what this character experienced. This quote really makes you think about how Xerxes has a depressed outlook on life because he compares such normal things to blazing fires, smoking, and ashes. This quote really gives an insight on Xerxes out look on life is.

In addition, I think that this is a great example of metaphors, and considering we learned about them in class as a LDW, I think this was a great learning tool. Even from this, I now how a new found way of using metaphors not only to describe a person's looks or attitude, but to describe other things. I also think that this quote was an example of indirect characterization.

2. Chapter 5, page 27

"They say that ghosts sometimes, lose that cannot let go their bond to the living, linger and haunt their scenes of their days under the sun, hovering like substances birds or carrion refusing Hades commands to return below the earth. That is how we lived..."

This quote really struck me because I think that it was a very clever way to describe the particular situation that Xerxes was in. I think that this was also another very good metaphor. When I first read this, it immediately grabbed my attention. That is because it was very clever because I think that the author was trying to put in something that he knew that the readers would relate to: ghosts. I can really relate to ghosts.

Once reading this quote, it really raised a question which was: how did they live? That really grabbed my attention so that I continued reading. That was (i think) a really smart thing to do as the author. I honestly think that the way the quote was presented is a great way to start off a chapter. One thing that I have noticed about this author is that he uses many medaphors and he has very strong opening lines to chapters.

3. Chapter 6, page 39

"I was only a child, he told me. What prodigies of valor could be expected from a lad of ten? 'Boys are mean at ten in Sparta,' I declared.

This quote really struck me because it revealed a lot about the character Xerxes. He is telling a story of his childhood and from this passage, it is easy to tell that he was very headstrong and assertive. You can also tell that he was one of those children that had a longing to grow up and become something great. I can relate to that because when I was that age I really wanted to grow up and get a job and do stuff that I thought was cool like that.

I think that the author was really trying to use this story to give readers a better idea of the character's background and what he was like as kid. I think that it was smart of the author to do that because you can still see traces of what he was like as a kid now. This really provides a stronger connection to the character, which will help readers like me become more closer to this character. Overall I really enjoyed this quote.

Youth Voter Turnout '08

This upcoming election is a very important one for many different reason. One of the main reasons is that the stereotype of having a white/male president could be broken. Regardless of weather Senator Barack Obama or Senator John McCain wins the 2008 election, one very good thing has come out of this: youth voter turnout.

In past years there have been many organizations, such as Rock the Vote, that have dedicated themselves to educating and enticing youth to vote. That organization has been somewhat successful in their task, but Barack Obama clearly must have done something right. Just his presence in the election has made a huge effect in the turnout of youth voters aged 18-30. Historically, that age group has had one of the least percentages of turnout but now that percent has skyrocketed. In the primary election during the spring of '08, the voter turnout of people under the age of 30 has tripled and even quadrupled in comparison to the past years.

Not only are 18-year-olds getting involved, but even grade school children! Middle school and high school students are becoming much more actively involved this year than any other election. This is a very good thing because those same youth will be the ones running the country in years to come, and now that they have been educated since an early age, they'll be more active in their adult lives than current adults.

In conclusion, weather Obama or McCain wins on November 4, one good thing has come out of this: the mobilization of youth voters.

Hero Blurb

Louise Baitoo cannot be called a hero for just one instance because she is a hero for so many reasons. She is a role model because when times get stressful or difficult, she stays calm and collected. She is somebody that has a love for her family greater than no other.

Picture That I Like

I like this picture because it shows the attitude of Britney Spears by using just facial expressions. The way that she has her eyes and her arm position shows vulnerabiliy and insecutiry which portrays innocesnse. The way that her eyes are turned away from the camera makes her seem naive and still an adolesent teen.

Also, the phone that she is holding as a prop adds a character to the picture, showing Britney's personality. That adds a special something to the picture.

S.L.O.B.: Code

After reading the Secret Life of Bees (SLOB) I think that my predictions were accurate, but this was because I wasn't to specefic with my predictions so that I could predict right.

Some of the more accurate predictions were like "the book will start off in the south where a girl will get into some sort of trouble". This was a very accurate prediction because once Rosaleen was jailed, then Lily made an illegal action and broke her out. This was my prediction for the way that the book will start off.

One of my predictions that was not correct was when I thought the theme of the story would be about a girl that faces problems in life. This wasn't really the 'theme' because it wasn't really problems in life that she faced, it was more of her trying to find out who she is. Also, that wasn't the largest theme. There were bigger, more important ones such as racism and the Black Mary.

LDW: What I did this Weekend

This weekend I went with Willie (my friend) and we got wet and my Grandmother's pool. We did a lot of swimming, and then we ate lunch. Stupidly, we didn't use sunscreen and got super sunburned. When we got home, my mom got mad at me and made me make my meal for supper.

The following fun-filled Friday night was fabulous. I ate an abominable, atrocious piece of apple pie with my friend, Abbey. Overall, those days were definitely da bomb!

Similies Medaphors and Cliches, oh my!

1. Dominic has movie star good looks.

2. Dominic's awkwardness is as funny as Peter Griffin.

3. Dominic's glasses are as cheesy as an armadillo.

4. Dominic's hair is as think and golden as a field of wheat.

5. Dominic's skin is as pink as an elephant.

6. Dominic's eyes are a think slit of green seaweed.

An Epic

An Epic in my own words is basically a poem, that features a hero. It also can be a fantasy/adventure, and can have a hero and a villian.



In the poem, Iliad (which is an epic), there are many great examples of it's charactaristics as an epic. So of them are:

1. Line 107-111: This is a classic example of making the hero in an epic seem larger than life. Agamemnon is written to be very powerful and God-like in this passage.


2. Line 52-60: This is showing the more fantasy aspect of this Epic. Here, a prayer is sent up to the god Apollo, to punish the people that disrespected the priest. Symbolism is used here to represent Apollo coming down and stricking down all of the soliders, but he actually struck them with disease.


3. Line 379-412: In this passage, not only is the good side of the hero shown, but also a weak side. The hero breaks down into tears instead of being all heroic and strong.




For me, this picture represents an epic because it shows a scene that might be portrayed to be larger than life, it also show a struggle, and maybe the storm is begin cause by Gods or something.

My Public Hero: Amy Winehouse

Though most people only see her as an alcholic / drugee, people don't realized the true talent the lies underneath.


Amy Winehouse is my hero because she has an amazing voice for one thing. She sings a way different genre of music, bringing back the wonderful soulful music of the fifties and sixties. She has redefined pop music, and now superstar singers such as Beyonce and Christina Aguilera are following her example and making throwback albums.

Unfortunately, many people view her as a 'villian' because she has had many run ins with the law, she is addicted to drugs and alcohol, and she is out of control in public. In addition, many people think that she is a bad public influence and roll model. For that reason, people stereotype her to be in the same class as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, which is totally frivolous. Unlike those two, Amy Winehouse actually has talent and she has worked hard to get to the place she's in. (After all, five Grammys in one night doesn't just happen to anybody.) So it is very unfortunate that people are so shallow as to not see her true talent.

I think that she deserves special recognition as my hero because she is very talented and falls into many stereotypes.

30 Things You Wouldn't Know About Me

To start off this blog, I would like to share 30 things you wouldn't know about me.


1. Chicken Nuggets from McDonalds make me sick.

2. is my favorite number.

3. I love brussell sprouts.

4. My favorite drink from Starbucks is a Mocha Frappuchino.

5. My favorite TV shows are American Idol, Family Guy, and I Love New York.

6. I haven't eaten any fast food in at least a year.

7. My favorite color is purple.

8. I have never left the continent.

9. I want to either live in New York or Los Angeles.

10. When I was a little kid I wanted to be an artist.

11. I love to wake skate. (it's like wake boarding but without the bindings)

12. I know how to sail a Hobie Cat.

13. I hate kayaking.

14. I love dogs, and I have 3!

15. I have one older brother.

16. I love to go to the beach.

17. My favorite kind of books are fantasy.

18. I don't like cole slaw.

19. I can't eat lemon flavored things in a car.

20. I only been out of the country twice.

21. I love the way it smells after it rains.

22. I once stole a brussell sprout from a store (when I was a kid, of course).

23. One of my dogs if OBSESSED with oatmeal.

24. I like reading mangas.

25. Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, and Keyisha Cole are my favorite singers.

26. I have never seen the movie Grease.

27. I love Costco Pizza!

28. I can't eat the skin of kiwi's.

28. I have played the piano for eight years.

29. If I sniff daffodils, I always sneeze.

3o. The only kind of sushi I like is California Rolls.