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!