Fall Break

For fall break, my family and I went to Oklahoma. While there, we toured two colleges for my sister. I got to tag along and look at the campuses too. After that, we went to my older brother’s house. It was so much fun to see him and his wife again! The week of fall break happened to full of various celebrations. We had my brother’s birthday, his one year anniversary with his wife, and my dad’s birthday! In addition, my sister-in-law’s birthday is coming up next week. We had so much fun celebrating and spending time with them.

After staying at my brother’s house, we drove for a few hours down to my grandma’s house. She lives in a small town, so there isn’t much to do. However, that gives us time to just relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. My fall break ended with a twelve hour drive back to Colorado. However, my brother and sister-in-law came back with us to spend more time with us and visit her parents!

Intertextuality and Cultural Literacy

It is said that all stories are the same. At first, my natural reaction is to argue that they are not all the same. However, when week look at the concept more closely, we can find that they are all the same. In any story, we can find the basic plot line of rising action, to a climax, to a resolution. We also see problems along the way the main character must face. While these problems can be different when comparing book to book, they still all have the same idea. If you think about it, books would be boring without issues the character has to work out. Therefore, all stories have the same backbone. They all have the basic idea of overcoming a big problem with smaller problems along the way.

There are many book that everyone should read. The fist book absolutely everyone should read is the Bible. Even if you don’t believe its teachings, there is still a lot you can get out of it. It has many touching stories, archetypes, and characters that are easy to relate to. It also is the most widely published book in the world. Another book everyone should read is Animal Farm. George Orwell does a terrific job of using symbolism. If not Animal Farm, you should read at least one of his other books. It is a great way to get used to symbolism because he uses symbolism in all parts of his books. Finally, everyone should read The Chronicles of Narnia.  There is plenty of religious symbolism. In addition, C.S Lewis does a great job of telling an engaging story. These aren’t the only books you should read, but they definitely should be on your list.

Three Day Weekend!

As you already know, we have a three day weekend. Life with three day weekends is always better. So instead of waking up early for school, I still had to wake up early to go to the orthodontist. Why my appointment was so early didn’t seem clear to me. However, after that, we got to go up to Boulder. The first thing we did there was go tour the Celestial Seasonings factory. It is the only factory for that company, and it is right here in Colorado! They give free tours and tea samples before the tour starts. We actually got to go inside and watch the whole tea making process. My favorite part was when they took us the the mint room. It is (obviously) the room where they store all the mint. As soon as they open the doors, you are overwhelmed by the minty air. Once you go inside, the smell is even stronger! In fact, the smell is so strong that is started to make my eyes burn.

After going to the factory, we went to the planetarium in Boulder. If you don’t know what a planetarium is, it is basically a movie theater with screen in the shape of a dome. Instead of looking straight at a screen, you look up and around. We watched a short movie about the sun, and they also taught us about stars and constellations. The animation is defiantly was ties the package together. They move objects on the screen around and it feels like you are moving with the stars. After that, we walked up to the observatory. Every Friday night they let you come in for free and you can look at stars and planets. Unfortunately, bad weather rolled in and it just wasn’t clear enough to look at anything anyway. It was still cool to see the giant telescopes though. So, if you every have a free day with nothing to do, just head up to Boulder!

Patterns in Literature

Memory, pattern, and symbol are some of the common things that affect literature. In books from any kind of genre we can see these things take place. This gives literature more hidden meanings. It causes the reader to have to read between the lines and analyze the book more. By recognizing these patterns, life for the reader becomes a whole lot easier. When a pattern is recognized, it enables the reader to make inferences, predictions, and connect more with the book. The reader is also able to find a common theme and overall allows them to understand the book better.

A time I was able to put this skill to use was when I read Animal Farm. George Orwell always uses lots of symbolism in his books. If a person took the book  Animal Farm for how it was, they would reach the end and not understood the point. However, with knowledge of the Russian revolution, I was able to connect his characters in the book with real life historic figures.As well as events with events that actually took place in Soviet Russia. Animal Farm happens to be a book where symbolism is easier to catch on to. I think that by reading this book, it prepared me for searching for symbolism that is hidden deeper in other books. By practicing the skills used to find patterns and symbolism, I am able to over all appreciate the thought that goes into some works of literature.

Pip’s Character Development

Throughout Great Expectations, Pip shows major moral development right from the start. The reader is shown how submissive Pip is. He is always trying to do what his sister tells him and is not one to argue. When he doesn’t follow through with directions, you can practically feel his guilt too! I believe Pip is always trying to do the right thing. Even when he knows what he is doing is technically wrong, he is doing it for the “right reason”. For an example, when Pip stole food, he knew with all his heart it was wrong. He obviously did it out of fear, however, I think he was somewhat happy he was able to help the starving man.

Pip wants to do the right thing, but seems to struggle with what is truly right. My prediction is that this internal conflict will continue throughout the book. Pip’s actions are already haunting him, and I think they will continue to do so. While bringing the man food was a life threatening situation, it still would’ve been better if he told and adult. However, he doesn’t seem to have many adults that he feels safe talking to. It still would’ve been the right thing. One day, he will have to come clean and learn from his actions. His actions are sculpting his character.

Creative Writing

Sometimes at dusk, we could see him come out from the hidden interiors of his island. For years, we had no idea who he was until a few months ago. My best friend, Lucy, and I were walking home from school together. We had science project to work on. As we were walking home, we turned the corner and BAM! I ran right into him. It was the strange man who lived right of the coast of our hometown. Everyone in town had seen him a some point, but no one had actually seen him in the town. He always seemed so creepy, but when I saw him face to face, everything seemed different. He was a man with eyes that have seen a lot. He grabbed me and ducked behind some old dumpsters. “Who are you and what do you want from me?” I shouted. “Now isn’t the time for questions. Just come with me and everything will be explained.” he whispered.

Naturally, I couldn’t turn down an adventure. I agreed to go, but first I reunited with Lucy and told her our project would have to wait. She seemed very confused, but agreed on meeting up another time. I found the strange man. He took me to and old wooden row boat. I guess we were going to his island. Because row boats aren’t the fastest ships out there, it took us a while. As he was rowing, I realized that he was not an old, as a matter of fact he was a young man. My guess was that he was in his early twenties, just around my age. I tried to make small talk with him, but only got a few shrugs or grunts from him. Finally, we made it to the island. He led me to a small cottage buried deep in the middle of the island. I was tempted to ask what he wanted from me, but I figured I just need to be patient. He sat down and finally began to speak.

“You are one of my favorite inventors of all time” he began. “Hold up right there,” I said half laughing, “You must have the wrong person, because I haven’t invented anything.” “Not yet you haven’t, but you will. And I know how it ends, and I would like to change it.” “How what ends?” I asked nervously. He scratched his head while trying to look for words, and then I knew he meant how I end. So many questions filled my head like how does he now how my life ends. “I know this doesn’t make a lot a sense and you might not believe me, but I need you to try.” he said. “You and your friend are working on a science project correct?” he asked. “Um yeah…” I stammered. “Okay, and you want to design a machine that will give you instructions how to cook anything. Correct?” “Well, it was a thought,” I said, “I guess it sounds kind of stupid when I think about it now.” “Well others won’t think so. It will lead to you towards creating many more inventions. Doesn’t sound bad at all, right? Well it is going to lead to inventions that you make to help advance society. Then, these inventions will be misused, and well, its not going to be good for you… or humanity in general. I know that I sound ridiculous, but I need you to believe me and not ask any other questions.” he nervously explained. “This is stupid!” I said. “I don’t know how to believe you, but I feel like I have to. If I don’t make the cooking machine thingy, then all of humanity will be saved?” I asked “Well, um, just don’t do it” he stammered. I could tell he was absolutely serious. I agreed not to make it and not to tell anyone about what happened. He was relieved and offered took me back to the mainland.

As I hopped off the boat, I turned and asked “Can I at least know your name?” He grinned and said “That’s for you to find out later on in life.”

Now is the day of the science fair. Lucy and I went with her idea of resistant fabric. I wasn’t easy, but we did it, and even won the science fair! As I left the building busy in my thoughts, I ran right into someone. It was him, the mystery man I ran into weeks before. “Good job kid,” he said happily, “Want to go help me save one of our presidents?” Of course I agreed, because I had so much to learn about this. Like how he knew my future, what his name even was, and where did he come from. So, off we went, knowing this was only the beginning of a new adventure.

Great Expectations Chapter 1&2

While reading chapter one of Great Expectations, I had many reactions. Charles Dickens did a great job of depicting how hard Pip’s life was. For a start, it would be very hard loosing both parents as a young child. In addition, he also had five siblings that died. As he is remembering his diseased family, a strange man approaches him. When he is beat up and bossed around by this man, it seems like Pip is pretty accustomed to an abusive or controlling situation (As we later find out, his sister is very controlling). In fact, he doesn’t really hesitate to agree to bringing a file and wittle. This is most likely because he was threatened, but he still handles the situation pretty well.

Charles Dickens helped my visualize this scene through terrific imagery. I was able to picture the graves and the strange man. He also did a good job in telling us what happened previously in Pip’s life. He did it in a way where I had an idea what happened, but it still left me wondering. Dickens overall did a great job of hooking the reader by leaving series of unanswered questions. It keeps you wanting to find out what happens next. In conclusion, I enjoyed reading the first chapters and am excited to find out what happens next!

My Summer

Over the summer, I stayed very busy. My favorite part was when my family and I went to Arizona. We left the day after school let out, so we could beat the extreme summer heat. While there, we stayed with some family friends that moved there a few years ago. It was really nice to reconnect and see them again. After staying at their house, we all went camping near the Grand Canyon. The view was breath taking! So was hiking in 90 degree weather! However, I don’t recall spending one dull moment in Arizona.

When we got back from Arizona, we occupied ourselves with multiple things. First, my family and I went camping any weekend we could. I had a great time camping with my cousins because we were able to build a pretty sweet fort right on the edge of a stream. When not camping I went swimming quite a bit. Because my sister was working, it was usually my little brother and I making up fun pool games. I also was able to hang out with a lot of friends. It was really nice staying in touch with them even though we would be going to different schools. Unfortunately, the summer ended suddenly. However, I have a feeling this year at Sky View will be great!

About me

      My name is Faith and I am new to Sky View Academy this year. My favorite subject in school is science, and I really enjoy learning about outer space and our solar system. I am excited to learn about a new field of science this year in biology. I also really enjoy singing, so naturally choir is a great class for me. I am very excited about the upcoming concerts! I am also in honors western literature (obviously). It is the only honors class that I enrolled in this year. I was nervous at first, but everything will relax more once we are all settled into the new school year. So far Sky View had been great and I look forward to a great year!

    I have various different hobbies. First, you should now that I’m one of four kids in my family and I’m native to Colorado. We all enjoy going up to the mountains and doing various activities. Over the summer time we love going up to our land and camping. While up there, I enjoy hiking, biking, and sometimes fishing. Even though I like summer time in the mountains, winter still is pretty great. I love going skiing and snowshoeing with my whole family. I am very thankful that we live so close to the mountains.

When not in the mountains, I enjoy relaxing. I love hanging out with my friends no matter what we are doing. It can be anything from taking a long walk to watching a movie. When alone, I listen to music a lot. I really love typography, which is the art of styling letters. It helps relieve stress and is very relaxing. One day, I hope to go into engineering for computer sciences. Both jobs would be great because I love science, technology, and math. I am looking forward to a great year and overall high school experience with everyone!