Comments

Those were very good questions. The story was very vague in explaining the backstory. Your questions asked most of what wasn't answered in the story.
Griff Strain, Harrison Bergeron September 28

JordonianRSeptember 28, 2016 at 8:03 PM

This was a very entertaining story. I have never had coffee, but I understand the struggle with long lines to get food.

Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron was a very enjoyable short story to read, and brings about many open-ended questions. Will our society become similar to the society written about in Harrison Bergeron? This could be argued about in many different ways. If we keep giving out trophies to our children for participating in things then they might grow up thinking that competition is wrong. Some of these children will grow up to be government officials and leaders that will determine what new law will be, and they might outlaw competition. Others might argue that since we are writing about this faulty society today and see the wrong that it brings forth, then we will not follow down that path and become like them.

Other questions might arise, too. If Harrison was so intelligent and superior to the other citizens, then why did he not understand the risk of escaping jail and throwing off his shackles on live television showing the government where he was and how to kill him? His plan was very smart in the first place to try and get people to let him be the emperor, but this strategy could have used a lot more planning yo prevent himself from dying. And if hazel was mentally average, then how does she forget that her own son is shot and killed on live television within a minute of it happening. I have a bad short term memory, but if forgetting something that quick in their society is "average", then many of the people must have a mental disease. This means that the government has put some device inside of peoples brains so they can not see the flaws in their society.

Short story

   The figure appears outside my window and disappears into the night. All time stood still, and there is a brief moment of complete silence. Then I see the face. Cold, emotionless. The face vanishes and all I hear are footsteps. Each step louder than the last. I lunge for my knife. I reach for the table in desperate hope for protection. The door caves in and the figure reappears.

   It doesn't move. My hand is touching the knife handle. There is a brief standoff between me and this creature. The figure removes its jacket and reveals a middle aged man wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. He extends his hand and points at my television. As I realize I'm being robbed the man grabs a black duffel bag and wraps it around my head. All to be seen is black. I will never see another color again.

Cherub Mission SIx

After reading more of Cherub Mission Six by Robert Muchamore, I have learned more about the author's word choice and writing techniques. He has frequently used vivid detail to describe events and places in each chapter.  He uses the description of scents especially well, which makes this novel more enjoyable to read. His emotional connection to the story adds to the reader's feelings towards the characters. As the story goes on, the pace of the book speeds up.

The main characters, James and Lauren, are sent on a mission by their organization, Cherub,  to prevent animal rights activists from staging attacks on employees working at a local animal testing lab. As they plan to take down the activists, James and Lauren ironically find a puppy and debate whether them would be the right thing to do. The author kept leaving something out of a chapter to add to the overall suspense of the book. This made the reader want to continue reading the book. Overall, Cherub Mission Six is a very well written and developed novel. I would strongly recommend this book to anybody who is a fan of the mystery and spy genres.

Dear 5 year old

   Learn how to keep your balance. Make sure you don't knock other kids down or push them out the way, because your parents will yell at you. Do not climb too high up on the playground monkey bars, because you will fall off and hurt your head. Don't touch your mom's iron right after she tells you to keep away from it and leaves the room. Keep away from all animals that aren't leashed. Even the smallest dog can bite, and if there are no adults around, it wont let go.

   Stay away from sharp objects and never grab one. Don't argue with your parents, or they will take your Nintendo DS away. Refrain from taking your DS back before your parents give it to you, even if you know where they put it. Enjoy being able to come home from school and not have five hours of homework to do before bedtime. Make the most of being small and young while you can, and enjoy your days of fun and adventure before you grow up and have work to do.

102 minutes that changed America

The documentary 102 minutes that changed America described how the September eleventh attack on the World Trade center and The Pentagon shaped America and its future. First, it describes how the first tower was hit and the world was in shock. The fire department showed up and heroic firemen went up the tower while everybody else ran down. This makes me proud of the country and how some tragic events bring out the best in people. As they went up, the people in the second tower evacuate, but are told that it is safe to go back up. The fact that the announcement that it was safe caused hundreds of more deaths makes me wish that they heard about the hijacked plane that was aiming at the north tower just a few minutes earlier.

The documentary then describes how the second tower is hit, causing most of the American population to understand that this is a terrorist attack. The news spreads from England all the way to China as the world starts to pray for the people in the towers. They then go on to describe how two office workers, Frank and Pablo, start to make their way up the tower and rescue over a hundred people on the way up the tower. Frank and Pablo proceed to the 80th floor to the 90th floor and help a man out of an elevator he was trapped in. When the south tower falls, a huge dust cloud forms and Frank and Pablo decide to keep going up despite the danger of their tower collapsing on them. Unfortunately, they do not survive, and I cried while watching a film for the first time in years. The North Tower then collapses and bystanders are covered in dust and debris from the two fallen towers. It then proceeds to announce how many lives Frank and Pablo's brave sacrifice saved on their tragic journey to the top of the tower. Frank and Pablo's saved groups of people are inspired by them and go on to save others, causing a chain reaction that greatly reduced the numbers of deaths on this terrible day.

Cherub Mission Six
Cherub mission six by Robert Muchamore is an intriguing novel about a young boy named James who lives with his sister Lauren. James is blackmailed by Lauren into raiding their school, and is called in by the principal. The author writes in third person point of view, and uses suspense to entertain the reader. He draws you in to the book by being very vague in describing what characters are up to, which makes the reader curious. This book is intended to be an action or thriller novel, but it can be classified as a survival story.

The novel is very inappropriate at times, and the author often uses heavy 'swear words.' In my personal opinion, this only adds on to the tension and drama that this author effectively uses. The author is talented in using descriptive vivid details, and makes me feel like I am there where the story takes place. Characters in the novel are put through a series of mental tests and adventures that entertain the reader, and make the reader feel strongly for the characters. Each chapter ends with un-answered questions and keeps you wanting to turn the page. This book was a must read for me because both Action and Survival genre books are my favorite genres to read.

Comments week 1

JordonianRSeptember 8, 2016 at 5:49 PM
Great word choice when describing this agonizing race. It made me feel like I was actually there.

JordonianRSeptember 8, 2016 at 5:55 PM

That sounds very fun, I've been to a canyon like the one you described. I'm not sure why there would be fake arrowheads on the ground.

About three weeks ago, I went to see the impact of the flooding in Denham Springs. The homes were either untouched or completely gutted. Most of the people living in the neighborhood were outside working on their homes or helping their neighbors. All of the children had stunned looks on their faces as they stared at their destroyed homes.

Streets were lined with food stands that gave out free hot dogs or hamburgers to flood victims. The whole situation didn't seem like it was real. Piles of destroyed furniture and belongings lined the streets. There were even signs written on rubble warning looters to keep off their property. This tragedy ruined the lives of many Louisianians, and makes me thankful my house wasn't flooded.

Summer reading book

I enjoyed reading " Pet Friendly" as one of my summer choice reading books. The story was about a man named Todd, who was engaged to a woman named Qwen. When his uncle passes away, he volunteers to keep his dog, Archie for a short time to find him a home. Todd finds out that the dog can  escape from almost any cage or locked room with ease when he loses him in the countryside and finds his high school girlfriend, Emma, at a hotel.

When they find Archie, Todd stays at the hotel for another day. This makes Qwen jealous after he told her who he met. Todd learns about how there were reports of the hotel being haunted, which turns out to be Archie in the vent system. Overall this book was very interesting and was hard to put down.