The Mockingjay Reading Log

The Mockingjay is the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss Everdeen is the main character in all three books, and the main plot line is that she lives in a fictional future world that is controlled by the capitol – where all the rich people live, and the surrounding districts are kept under strict rule. Almost everyone in these twelve districts is poor, and each district is specialized in one specific kind of work – once you’re born in a specific district, you are forced to do that kind of work your whole life. Once every year, two people from each district-one boy and one girl-are forced to participate in the Hunger Games. This is the main source of entertainment for the capitol, and for the participants it is exactly the opposite, because you win the games by being the last one alive. Katniss’s little sister is chosen for district twelve and everyone knows her sister has no chance to win, so Katniss takes her place. She wins the games with the other boy from her district, Peeta and it is the first time in history that two people win. Then, the next year – there is a special hunger games were the people that are chosen have all won the hunger games before. From district twelve, only three people have ever won – and Peeta and Katniss are chosen again. During these hunger games the big rebellion is started, and everyone in the games escapes. This is the second time in history that the districts have an uprising against the capitol. The first time they lost and the hunger games were introduced to remind them that the capitol completely rules over them. This time, they plan on actually beating the capitol, and Katniss is the hero of the rebels – also called ‘The Mockingjay’. This book is about the rebellion.

I have not reached the middle of the book yet, but until now the book has been very enticing. Its beginning was not too promising, but soon after it got very suspenseful. The Hunger Games was an amazing book, then the second book was quite a disappointment, and now I am hoping the third one will live up to my expectations once again. At the part of the book I have reached Katniss lives in the long lost thirteenth district that is thought to be completely wiped out – but has become the center of activities for the rebellion. Everyone lives underground under a meticulous and strict rule by their government. Today while reading, I vividly imagined one specific part of the book. At that part, a guard is hindering Katniss and her friend, Gale, from entering a hallway that is supposed to be open to the public. Katniss has a feeling that something is wrong, and so Gale distracts the guard and Katniss sneaks into the room they wanted to get into in the first place. There, Katniss’s only friends from the capitol, her stylists from the hunger games, are taken hostage, and are the victims of severe beatings. That part of the book was described in a really suspenseful way, and the whole time I wanted to know really badly what was going on behind the door. I could perfectly imagine the meticulous white and grey hallways, and the strange, stale smell that the author describes coming from that one room. I almost had a little video clip playing in my head of the scene.

In the previous book, Peeta is taken hostage, and the first time Katniss sees him again is at the beginning of The Mockingjay. He is being interviewed in the capitol, and Katniss is elated to see him alive - she wasn’t sure where he was, let alone if he was alive. Still, during the interview, Peeta says some very controversial things, and suddenly all the rebels, save Katniss, are completely against him. At that part, I completely understand Peeta. He says that both the rebels and the capitol should stop their fighting, and instead they should all calm down. The rebels are extremely mad about that because it shows Peeta has no faith in them for winning, and also if they do get rid of their plans, the capitol would rule over them stricter than ever, making the whole situation much worse. I can still relate with Peeta though, because President Snow, the leader of the capitol, probably forced him to say those things, and by forced I mean tortured or beat. All the rebels are just blinded by their sudden hate; otherwise they would understand him as well. Katniss has the same opinion as me, and she gives a speech directed at the leader of the rebels, saying that she will only keep being ‘The Mockingjay’ if after the war they pardon Peeta for being a traitor – which is what they now call him. I don’t understand how the capitol has not yet realized that all the rebels are hiding in district thirteen. The rebels that were not caught by the capitol after the previous games all escaped in vehicles that managed to escape the capitol’s grasps. The capitol is strictly ruling over all the districts, so they know that the rebels aren’t there, and so they must realize that they went somewhere else. The only other place they could have gone is district thirteen, or in the middle of the woods, but judging by the amount of people that escaped, it would have been really hard to successfully hideaway in the woods without getting noticed. I think that means either the author’s logic is faulty, or the capitol has noticed, and they will attack district thirteen.

This book’s setting and plot is like nothing I have ever experienced in my life, so I can’t say that I really connect with any part of the book up to now. I can relate to some characters feelings at certain parts of the book, but overall they are dealing with problems that I have never dealt with. Some examples of their problems are: having to kill people, going to war, and having to make decisions that could lead to their friends and family getting killed. I have thankfully never had to deal with problems like these, and so I cannot say that I have had similar experiences to the characters. Of course some simple experiences like wanting to go outside and breathing fresh air after staying inside (or in their case underground) for a long time, I can relate to. I hate it when I have a lot of work to do on the computer for school which leads to me having to stay inside for a whole day. The characters in the book stay inside for weeks, so I can only imagine to what extent they want to go outside and just relax. The author effectively uses lots of imagery in the book, to portray all the complicated situations the characters find themselves in. I can perfectly imagine Katniss’s surroundings as well as feelings due to the phenomenal use of imagery. That is the main reason why I enjoy reading this book, the author manages to perfectly describe the various situations of the characters to the extent were I have Katniss’s whole world worked out in my mind. With the help of imagery making this fictional world feel more believable, I think the author has always stayed true to the general plotline, and has made it very believable. Apart from the one fault that I have described earlier – the fact that the capitol would have realized that the rebels have set up their center in district thirteen – I think the whole book is very believable, and none of the twists in the plotline so far have been exaggerated to the extent of ridiculousness.

I love the way that Katniss thinks, she has a very rational and calm way of thinking, and she reacts this way to any situation thrown at her. I appreciate her being so down to earth, and her love of simplicity is refreshing. I would love to be her friend, because she is very loyal to the people close to her, and she always thinks how her actions can benefit others. Today while reading, my conclusions about Katniss have all been proven to be correct once again, and while I wouldn’t say she is predictable, she definitely is a consistent character. Her manner has always been the same in all three books of the series. Not just Katniss, but lots of other characters have stayed true to their intentions throughout this trilogy. The Mockingjay is a very unique book, in a unique series, so I couldn’t say that it greatly relates to previously read books. Of course some aspects are repeated in other works of literature as well, such as the man vs. self theme. Katniss often struggles with herself, and with previous decisions of hers, much like Sam, the main character in Before I Fall, a book I recently read. Sam also struggles with previous decisions, and is forced to relive the same day over and over again until she finally makes the right choices.

In the next section I read, I think the minor battles will all be in full swing, and I believe someone on Katniss’s side might get attacked – which will spark the fire of a full-on-rebellion. I believe that someone who is not careful enough in concealing their hiding place in district thirteen will give them away, and therefore cause this attack. If I could jump into the book, I would like to get there before the real war starts. I would enjoy seeing the way the people live in district thirteen, because I have never seen anything like it – the people live completely underground, and they’re not even deprived of space – meaning that the area must be absolutely huge. The underground area in district thirteen holds an armory, a place where food is grown, a science lab, a cafeteria, a huge auditorium that fits thousands of people, many sleeping quarters, spaces that store airplanes, etc. I would go check out the way they live in their sleeping quarter and I would love to see the armory – where they keep all the weapons. I am not a weapon fanatic by any means, but the way the armory is described in the book seems absolutely unreal and amazing. It is a huge space filled with the latest technology created by a scientific genius. What this technology is capable of just blows me away. Some settings in the book, like the armory, are like nothing I have ever seen, but other places, such as the forest where Katniss likes to hunt, I can relate rather easily to places I’ve been. She hunted near a spring, and there were flowers and lots of tall trees, which is like Yellowstone National Park. When the author started describing that place, I immediately thought of Yellowstone, and I imagined the whole scene going on there. Yellowstone is known for its beautiful nature, and Katniss’s forest sounded almost enchanting as well.

This book has been written extremely well until now; I can only hope that it continues in the same fashion!

Reading Log #1 Before I Fall

The book, Before I Fall takes place in a small town in Connecticut. Sam, or Samantha, is the typical ‘cool’ girl. Her and her friends, Ally, Elody and Lindsay make fun of the outsiders in school, and they can do whatever they want, because no matter what they do they’ll always be part of the ‘cool’ crowd. One of those ‘outsiders’ in school is Kent – who Sam actually falls in love with throughout the book - and I would like to be friends with him because he doesn’t care what other people think, he just does his own thing – and he never stops smiling while doing it. I would really like to be friends with him, because maybe he could teach me how to gain that much confidence. On their way home one day from just another party, Lindsay’s cigarette bud falls onto her leg – and in an instance she loses control of the car. The next thing Sam realizes is Lindsay screaming something, and then suddenly she remembers just one thing. One day in third grade, Sam and Lindsay were picking on this girl for wearing weird clothes, and the girl’s face turned purple with rage. Sam thinks of how weird it is that she just thought of that one scene in her life so long ago, when she wakes up to the sound of her alarm clock. Sam sits up in bed – surprised at how incredibly vivid her dream was, and notices that the date is what it was ‘yesterday’. After going through the day exactly how it was in her dream, Sam realizes that she is stuck with reliving that one day over and over again. She comes to the conclusion that she must be lying in a coma in some hospital. The book describes Sam’s journey of trying to relive that one day correctly so she can finally ‘wake up’ in a hospital…because she’s in a coma…isn’t she?
When I was reading, I could clearly visualize the scene when Sam wakes up in her bed, and her little sister runs up to her and gives her a hug, and speaks to her with a really cute lisp. The author used a lot of imagery to describe this particular scene, and I can perfectly imagine how her little sister speaks, and the too small pajamas she always wears, and how she clings to Sam’s neck like she’s never going to let go. Even though this story plays in a typical high school, I have trouble really connecting with any characters in the story, of course I can relate to some minor scenes – but not the characters themselves. I think that is because the author has created characters that are very contrasting to each other – so they all have very extreme characters. The character I could still relate to the most is Sam; she tries to make the best of the days that she has left, because she slowly comes to terms with the fact that she might be dead, instead of in a coma. I know how that feels, of course not the extreme extent that Sam must be feeling it with, but I know what it’s like to try and make the best of the time you have left with certain people, and that it feels like time is trying to go faster on purpose just when you are trying to make it last. When I leave a place to go move somewhere new, I have to say goodbye to my friends, and I know I won’t be able to see them for a few more years. Sam feels that just like me – but in a much more severe way. There are a lot of parts in the book when the author describes how Sam and her friends make fun of some ‘losers’ in their school, since I have never been in a school with real ‘cliques’, I don’t know what it is like to be in a situation like that. Some characters are described as being really very mean, and they do horrible things to the other characters. To me that is just foreign, because I have never really experienced someone ganging up on someone else that much.
Apart from imagery, the author also uses a lot of foreshadowing. Since Sam doesn’t know for sure how much time she has left in the world, she tries to cram in as many good deeds as she possibly can. The author uses foreshadowing to hint at which activities Sam will do next. For example, the author actually uses alliteration to exaggerate the scenes when Sam sees her little sister, because it is described in detail what emotion and sadness Sam feels, and how strongly she is going to miss her sister. That hints to the reader that Sam will definitely do something memorable with her in the time she has left. Even though the whole book is fiction, and the idea of coming back to life is not possible, the fact that the characters are down to earth add a lot of realistic elements to the book. I think the plot is actually believable, because Sam’s decisions are not perfect, but absolutely realistic, and also the setting of the book is just like any other town – all of this together makes the book believable despite the fact that it is fiction. There are other fictional books with completely unrealistic ideas – like coming back to life – that are still written in a realistic and believable way, for example the Twilight series. In the Twilight books, the idea of werewolves and vampires is completely foreign and unrealistic, but still overall the books are in a real setting and the characters have believable personalities and qualities.
At the part in the book I’m at right now, Sam has come to the conclusion that she really is dead, but she has to finish off her life in a positive way, so she’s just trying to figure out how. I have an idea how she will accomplish that, and up to now she seems to be following a similar plan. I think that she will definitely figure out what the ‘right’ way is to end her life – and I think it will have something to do with saving the life of this other girl in the book that is on the verge of killing herself. She keeps on trying to save the girl – but the girl always succeeds in killing herself despite Sam’s best efforts. I have a feeling that the only way Sam will succeed is to throw herself between the car and the girl – thereby pushing the girl out of the way, but also forcing Sam to put all her faith into her theory of already being dead. If I could jump into the story right now – I would like to witness not a main scene, but rather one insignificant scene were Sam is standing outside in her garden, looking at the sky – and it’s snowing. I absolutely love it when it snows, because the whole world seems to become quiet as the snowflakes drift down from the sky, so I would really enjoy the wonderful simplicity of being able to stand outside in the snow. That scene reminds me of my garden in my house in Austria, because my family and I always go there in the winter, so I automatically associate snow with it. The whole book is written with a lot of detail, and it keeps the reader entertained with its unique story line.

The Pearl Prompt

Our lives are ruled by fate, no matter what decisions we take, our lives are already planned out for us:

I completely disagree with this statement. Every person can make their own decisions, no matter if that means making mistakes, or doing the right thing. Fate plays a role in no one’s life. Some people think fate exists, for example in the statement, ‘what goes around comes around’. That might be true, but not because of fate. When someone does something unforgivable to someone else, it will always haunt them. For that reason, they will become nervous, or insecure, and in the end they will be the reason for paying for their mistakes, and not anyone, or anything, else. You yourself are the leading figure in your life, not fate.

Sometimes Winning the Lottery is a Bad Thing:

Sometimes winning the lottery can really be a bad thing. A person that hasn’t done any work, or anything positive in life to deserve it can win the lottery. When that happens, they can lean back and enjoy life, while other people are working hard every day just to be in the same situation. People like that are really taking advantage of the lottery, and it’s not a good thing. People like that don’t have any experience in handling money, and they might waste it all. Also, people who suddenly get rocketed to a much higher level of lifestyle often can’t manage, and they might lose their place in life. Winning the lottery can often be a bad thing.

Family is the most important thing in life:

I completely agree with this statement. When saying that family is the most important aspect in your life, you are not necessarily saying that friends and your social life are not important either. Family is just so important, because to be confident in life you need to grow up in a positive environment – a good family. Everyone makes mistakes, but sometimes having a great family can teach you a lesson in a different way rather than by making a mistake. There are many situations were people don’t grow up with a good family, but still end up happy, a supportive family would just have made that person be happy earlier on in life. Family is extremely important when trying to live life to its fullest.

Rohypnol Drug - Health Class

Rohypnol
Maggie Weiss


Street names: Date rape drug, La roche, R2, Rib, Roach, Roofenol, Roofies, Rope, Rophies, Ruffies, The Forget Pill.
Drug Classification: It is a hypnotic.
How it is used: It is swallowed as a pill, dissolved in a drink or snorted. It is also used to enhance a heroin high or to ease coming down from a cocaine or crack high.
Length of effects: It creates sleepy, relaxed and drunk feeling for 2 to 8 hours.
Physical Effects: It can produce physical dependence.Also it can cause dizziness, blackouts, complete loss of memory, disorientation, nausea, and difficulty with speaking.
Psychological Effects: It can produce psychological dependence. It can cause similar psychological effects to Valium, but they are approximately 10 times more potent. Concerns include that it is a date rape drug; it is very effective because it has no taste or odor, so the victims are not conscious of the situation they are in.
Other Interesting Facts: It is not legal in the USA, but it is legally a prescription drug (mostly for insomnia) in Europe and Latin America, so it is often smuggled into the USA via mail and other delivery services.

Rohypnol, like all other drugs, can cause tremendous damage.

reading recording spring break 1

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Democracy Poetry Reading

Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land. I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread. Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need. I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you.

Haiti Podcast Analysis

Children are often portrayed as innocent and insignificant beings. And why is that? Because we don’t try to change our image. We are not insignificant. We can be helpful. As a matter of fact, we can be just as helpful as adults in relation to the Haiti catastrophe. Adults all over the world are collecting money, clothes and other aid for Haitians. Who says that children can’t do the same? We can organize fundraisers just like adults. We can make that little extra effort to help those in need. Just like the doctors on NPR said, the problem is just going to get worse, which means we need to help even more. We need to do everything we possibly can to assist Haitians in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake.

Young people can contribute to the relief efforts by sending clothes, money and food to Haiti. Well, how do you begin? By going through your closet, and checking which clothes still fit you, and if they don’t give them to a charity for Haiti. You could also start by babysitting, organizing a bake-sale or having a yard-sale, and giving all the benefits to Haiti. Lastly, you could either buy canned food – or send food you already have to the cause. All kinds of charities are sending money, and other aids to Haiti, so you can give everything you have collected to one of those charities – and they will do the rest. Your school is also a great place to begin your efforts.

On the NPR Podcast Doctor Daniel Fitzgerald described the different stages of the health aftermath. He claims that ‘the situation will only get worse day by day’. The final stage of the health aftermath is going to be chaos and lack of security. To ease this ‘lack of security’, the Haitians need to be supplied with enough food, so that they aren’t tempted, and in some cases, forced into stealing. Sadly, it has already come to this point...and most Haitians don’t have enough supplies. Many rescue teams are in Haiti, working full time, but it’s just not enough. They need more supplies; and more aid in general. Haitians need all the help they can get, and currently they don’t have that.

Haiti is in chaos, and the rest of the world needs to help.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122556026

TOS Anticipation Guide

1. Politics and political problems are a subject for adults to deal with.
I agree, because children are too young to vote, so even if they have an opinion they can’t change anything in the political world. Even if they were extremely devoted to their cause, children are viewed as immature and rash by adults, so they would never be taken seriously. Also adults are often more informed about politics than children, so they can handle problems relevant to politics more reasonably than children. Adults have experienced more in their lives than children have, so in a crisis they are better prepared. Most decisions that politicians make greatly affect adults, not children. For those reasons adults are much more qualified to deal with political problems than children.

2. All situations can have a happy ending if those involved work hard towards it.
I both agree and disagree. I disagree, because often when terrible scenarios occur, the people involved are depressed and crushed. If a person is so strongly affected by a loss, I don’t believe that person can ever fully recover, which means there is no happy ending. On the other hand, when you lose a family member, or something of the sort, you can keep living your life – and not dwell on the negative things. When someone has achieved this, I think they can be happy regardless. So I believe it actually depends on the person themselves.

3. Literacy is a form of freedom.
I completely agree. Books are full of imagination, and that is definitely a form of freedom, because it distracts you from reality. Writing also evokes imagination, and you can create your own world – giving you endless opportunities. Because of the freedom of speech, you also have the right to write anything, which is a clear form of freedom. So, literacy is definitely a form of freedom – but only for those who realize it is.

4. Civilizations without a written language cannot effectively document history.
I disagree, because lots of ancient civilizations have kept clear records of their lives with songs, paintings, and stories. For example, many African civilizations have kept their ancestries alive just by passing on folk songs to the younger generations. African people also often had story tellers in their villages, and that also helped keep their ancestries alive. Cave drawings have also informed historians nowadays about civilizations long ago, and the people that created them only drew simple paintings on walls. I believe that civilizations can effectively document history without a written language.

5. Love at first sight is not possible. Like all endeavours, love takes time and perseverance.
I disagree. I believe in love at first sight completely, because even though you might not know someone that well, I think you can fall in love. Also, it has happened so many times in history – and it’s been recorded so many times, that I don’t believe all those people were lying. People always say that first impressions are the most important, and I firmly believe that. If someone looks perfect to you – or someone makes you feel so strongly for them immediately, I think it is love at first sight.

The Outsiders Characterization

Socs vs. greasers

Tyler,

You completely fit into our Soc clique. You’ll have fun hanging out with us and you don’t want to be a greaser. We’re the popular ones, unlike them – they’re losers.

Socs have more opportunities than greasers do. We can go to any college we want to go to, because of our money and rep. Greasers are all dropouts, they’ll never get anywhere in life. Our parents are all successful and they make sure society prefers us to greasers. Greasers don’t get any breaks. They’re just dirty and drunk like their parents.

We have Corvettes and Mustangs, because our parents give us whatever we want. Since we have really good reps, our parents trust us and let us stay out late at night. Socs host the coolest parties in town, and beer bashes down at the lake. Greasers like to steal alcohol for their parties and they do everything the illegal way. They’re all lying, no good hoods, and society hates them. They have such trashy reps that whenever the police investigate a case, greasers always get blamed - never us. Greaser criminal records are miles long.

Socs are popular, and our girls look like movie stars. Most of them are cheerleaders and they come to all our parties. No greasers ever get a chance with them. Soc girls are scared of greasers, because they look terrible and are on the run from the police most of the time. Greasers are stuck with their trashy girls. They’re drunken tramps and so ugly even most of the greaser guys hate them.

Join us, we get all the breaks. We have the rep, the cars, the girls, the money, everything. You know you belong with us.

Your buddy,

Charley