Lord of the Flies has certainly gained my reading attention lately. Even though it is a required read, it has me confused and excited about what is going on. The writer picks some interesting words to describe the setting. The most entertaining parts of the novel in my opinion are when each kid attends the meetings every day. The conversations had between them represent how incredibly hard it is to keep kids under control while in a survival situation. The common use of the phrase 'shut up,' shows how children are very rude and do not take kindly to people who disagree with them.

The way that Jack talks and acts while hunting is brought up [most of the time by Jack], he gets a crazed look in his eyes. Jack talks slightly frantically at some points and dismisses other parts of the conversation he is in. Ralph is a mediocre leader, mainly because of the way he bullies Piggy. The lack of  work put forth by most of the kids is very pathetic. This makes me worry that the leadership will take a turn for the worst and the kids will be left with break off groups and fights for food and shelter.

After reading the beginning of Lord of the Flies and learning through years of personal experience, I have come to believe that the basic human nature is selfishness. The book represents my belief perfectly. While Ralph tries to get every kid on the island to work with him to help survive, other kids like Jack and Simon have their own personal desires and ignore the wishes of others. Just the other day, my friend had a bag of chips. This prompted me to ask him for a chip, but he chewed me out and told me to get my own chips. This clearly shows how most people will take things for themselves and not conceive the idea of giving to others.

I have come to a conclusion that most humans will drop the blame thrown their way on other people if they have the chance. A man at Starbucks knocked over a table and broke a glass while I went inside the store to purchase a cookie. When the manager asked who knocked it over, the man blamed a woman in the corner of the store typing on her computer. People will go around stealing from and blaming others without even batting an eye. Overall, while some people do have good intentions, most will put themselves before others no matter what the circumstance.

Fall break free post

My fall break was not very eventful or exciting. I met my cousin and his girlfriend while they were on vacation and sat at my table awkwardly as my dad embarrassed him throughout our dinner. We considered going on a trip for fall break, but decided to postpone our short adventure until Thanksgiving break. As my parents made plans with family, I struggled to complete my homework that I had forgotten to do. After I finished my homework, I was confused and bored and desperately tried to entertain myself. I tried flipping bottles in the kitchen, but my mom came into the room and saw water fly into the air and put an end to that.

I tried throwing a football with my neighbor, but it grew old quickly. The days were going by quickly, and I didn't feel like i was using my time wisely. I started taking frequent naps and completely threw off my sleeping schedule. Although it was a very long and relaxing break, I didn't feel like I enjoyed myself enough. When the time came to go back to school, I got sick and returned on Wednesday.

Quarantine

The book Quarantine is about two brothers that are starting high school. Due to the author's gloomy tone ,I could tell that something strange would happen in the first chapter. The boys catch diseases that harmfully effect only adults. They are quarantined in their school, which is why the author chose to name the book Quarantine. I would not agree with some of the words used by the author at some points. Children do not speak metaphorically or use as many 'big'words that are used in the dialogue.

Because of the lack of backstory, the book confuses me. There is not an explanation of the events leading up to the disease. There are no clues leading you to believe that the disease spread one way or another. The author just wants the reader to understand that there is a disease, and it harms adults instead of kids. I do like the concept of a story about high school kids left alone to fend for themselves, but I think the author could have picked a more creative environment instead of making it take place in an everyday school. Although the school is large, the setting in the novel is somewhat boring.

Should We Abandon Louisiana? In some ways, we already have. Source: Zack Kopplin

Should We Abandon Louisiana? In some ways, we already have, by Zack Kopplin included many great points and ideas, but I disagreed with one of the details mentioned. The author mentions that Louisiana loses a football field of land each hour. This was news to me, and it makes me worry about the future of Louisiana. Because of our location, there wasn't an appropriate amount of media coverage over the flooding in our state. I do not understand why our location impacts the news stories about our natural disasters, but it caused me to feel like the rest of the country doesn't care about my home state. Many critics want people to leave Louisiana and give up on trying to rebuild according to this article. I personally don't think that we should abandon our community in hope for a better life someplace else.

The author blames the flooding on climate change. That is the one statement in the article that I disagree with. There was another huge flood in Louisiana in the eighties that was topped by this one. It was viewed as a natural disaster, just like this flood should be depicted as. The temperature of the world does change; this happened when the ice age ended. Climate change isn't caused by the overuse of fossil fuels because it is a natural occurrence. I do agree that most of the people that moved out of Louisiana did because they couldn't afford to stay. The author makes a great point when he states that people didn't leave Louisiana by choice. Louisiana should be rebuilt instead of ignored and abandoned.

week 6 comments

Ryan F's Blogs-ESports, I agree that it is very fun to play video games with a team. I didn't know what a meta is, but I do now.

Ander's blogs- I agree that people should help out when disasters hit. I'm glad that the football team went out to help.

Fast Food

Over my short lifetime, I have consumed hundreds of pounds of fast-food. Chick-Fil-A and McDonalds have been my main destinations after school. I always order the six piece chicken nuggets with tangy, spicy, barbecue sauce do dip the fries in as I enjoy the five minutes of heaven that the meal I'm having is. A Chick-Fil-A, I order the eight piece chicken nugget meal with a slightly sweeter, more savory, barbecue sauce. I get the fries and a delicious Iced Lemonade to wash them down.

Many critics insult McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A, which offends me as a voracious fast-food consumer. They argue that people who eat there are slobs that have eating problems. I have read many articles putting down McDonalds because eating too many of their fries can cause your arteries to get clogged. To them I say, I would rather die young after a life of fun and fast-food, than live and suffer until I am ninety years old. What good is a long life if you can't enjoy it while you're here?

Reading Response Cherub Mission Six

Cherub mission six is a very emotional novel. The author describes the innermost thoughts and feelings of each character. Even some of the less important characters are complex, and I cant think of any characters in this book that would be classified as flat. There is no overall theme, but the book does teach about trust and loyalty to friends. It is very exciting as I am nearing the end of the book.

James is a teenage boy that is a member of CHERUB, a group of kids under the age of eighteen that help with the law enforcement and justice system. James and his sister, Lauren, are working together on a mission to take down the Animal Alliance that has been terrorizing England by attacking animal lab employees and facilities. They go undercover working for the Animal Alliance, and plant explosives around their buildings. Most of the plot is explained, but some is meant for the reader to interpret. Although the book is very enjoyable, some parts go too slowly and bore the reader a little bit. Overall, I would recommend this book because of the action and suspense the author puts forth.