Outside Reading Post #2

Post #2 pg. 42-102. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls



Ten Loaded Words:

1. car (pg 46)- To me this is a loaded word because I will be getting my license in 4 days and a car is going to become an important thing in my life.
2. Sun-bleached (pg. 51)- This word has a positive connotation because it remindes me of bleached out summer hair and going to the pool in the summer.
3. Piano (pg 52)- Piano to me is a loaded word because it is something that I have played for 10 years now.
4. Fools-gold (pg 59)- This word is a loaded word to me because my brother and I would always buy fools-gold at this little store when we would go to Beaver Creek, CO when we were little.
5. Sulfer (pg 65)- This word has a negative connotation because it reminds me of the horrible smell.
6. Drug-dealer (pg 73)- This word is a negative connotative word because it is a bad thing that is a big problem in our society today.
7. Halloween (pg 74)- This word is positive connation because it is a very fun holiday that is coming up soon!
8. Rape (pg 87)- This word has a strong negative connotation because of the fact it is a horrible thing.
9. Gun (pg 89)- This is a loaded word because it is a super controversial word that can have both positive and negative connotations
10. Gazillion (pg 100)- this word has so much uniqueness to it and emphasizes so much that it is a loaded word

Summary:
This portion of the story starts off with the Wall's family living in Blythe, California. All 3 of the childred started school. As a result of Jeanette being very advanced educationally she was teased and called a teachers pet. She was beaten up numerous times on her was to and from school. Also Mrs. Walls has a baby and names it Lilly Ruth Maureen. Rex Wall's soon decides that it was time to pack up and leave again. So the family rented a U-Haul and left Blythe.
The next stop for the Walls' family was the Battle Mountains in Nevada. Rex brought them there in hopes of prospecting the gold. The town was small but they found a nice place to stay. The family gets accustomed with the new hometown. The kids explore the desert while Mrs. Walls continues painting and Rex works as an electrician in a mine. The neighborhood was filled with kids and the Walls kids met many friends. They liked their new home although the budget was extremely tight. The next couple of chapters are descriptive of the days of the Walls' family not containing and exciting or unusual happenings. The kids get to know the 'employees' of the Green Lantern, which was an unwritten whore house. An important event in Jeanette's life was when she learned to swim. Things got difficult for the Walls family a few times throughout this portion of the story. They went for days without a solid meal. Mrs. Walls got herself a job as a teacher to gain more income for the family. This extra money helped the family out a lot. Also in this part of the book Jeanette meets Billy Deel. This boy is eight just like Jeanette at the time and claimes Jeanette to being his girlfriend. Jeanette isn't so sure about this but goes along with it until Billy comes close to 'raping' her. After the incident Jeanette told Billy that she was no longer going to be called his girlfriend. That night Billy came her her house and started shooting a BB gun at her house. In self-defense Jeanette's older sister shot back with her father's pistol. The police came and this resulted in another move for the Walls' family. The family moved into Mrs. Wall's dead mother's house in Pheonix, Arizona. It was the biggest house the family had ever lived in and came with beds, a grand piano, and a counted 14 rooms. Rex got a job as an electrician and the income for the family was good. The family now has enough money for luxerys they couldn't afford before.

Reaction:
I think the story is getting a little repetitive with all of the moving to different places. Its the same ideas just in different parts of the western united states. Although there are some exciting parts they last for a very short time and then it is just filler in stuff until the next somewhat exciting part. Hopefully something more dramatic will happen for the next part!

Outside Reading Book Post #1

Blog #1 pg. 1-42 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The story starts off with the main character, Jeanette, sitting in a taxi driving to a party. On her way she looks over to see her mom digging through a dumpster for any useful items. This brings the main character to re-tell the story of how her parents and her family went from a well-off life to rags and living on the streets.
The first recalled memory of Jeanette occured when she was 3. She was trying to make herself a hotdog by putting it in boiling water. She ended up burning more than half of her body. Jeanette was taken to the hospital where she was bandaged and recovered. Her father, Rex Walls, was not happy with her staying in the hospital for very long so one day he came and took her out without nurse's permission.
Next, one random night Rex came and woke up their family from bed, he told them it was time to leave so they packed what they could in the car and left. Their first stop was her grandmother's house in Pheonex, Arizona. Rex and her grandmother got into an arguement one night and ended up leaving. The family drove from town to town sleeping in a sandy desert or a cheap motel. One of the most detailed stops of their adventure was Las Vegas where Rex had found a way to rig the system of blackjack and ended up winning a lot of money. The Wall's family lived a life of the riches for the time spent in Las Vegas; but eventually the casinos caught on to his scam and chased the Wall's out of Nevada. The next stop on their drive was San Fransisco. Rex got a job in the mines.
The next and last portion of my book so far was about the Wall's family christmas spent in a cheap motel in the desert. The family had no money for presents so Rex (an admireror of astronomy) took each of his 3 kids out to pick out a star for Christmas. This was his way of giving his children something for Christmas.

REACTION:
So far I think that the story is really interesting. I'm just starting to get to know the characters by the things they say and the actions they make. The one thing that stands out to me is how mature that Jeanette is. At the age of three she was boiling her own water to make herself lunch. And also living in a car at the age of five. I think that it shows extreme maturity. I predict that the family finally finds a place to live and that Rex's alcoholism gets worse. And the alcohol is what leads the Wall's family to poverty.

This I Believe

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9249892
By Judith Jamison
To Thyne Own Self Be True

Her belief is that during the short period of time that we are on earth we should do our best to be as good as possible and by being honest shows goodness.

Ex.1 : Judith is a dancer and in the studio she tries to be completely honest with herself and tells her and her students her honest opinions to better herself and others.

Ex.2 : A true performance (while dancing) involves showing your emotions and your personal journey. Judith realizes that you have to be honest with your emotions otherwise the dance cannot be as good as it can be.

Favorite Passage: It's about reaching for perfection, and, most of all, it's about honesty. I like this passage because being true to yourself creates a feeling of perfection because you can only be as good as you can when you strive for complete truth in yourself.

anxiousness and goals

This year I am very anxious for many things and also have set a few goals for myself. I am very looking forward to being with all of the older kids and also with my friends from Southview. I'm glad that I get to know so many more people. I also am anxious to have shorter classes. This year I hope that I can continue to get good grades even though I am busy with hockey and church. Also I hope I can gain new friends along with staying friends with my new friends.

English

Hello this is my english blog