The Final Post

This has probably been one of the most busiest classes I have had all semester. However, while there was a lot of work involved, I ended up enjoying a great deal of the class. I have read over 1000 pages this semester, more than any semester of my high school career. Before this class I really wouldn't read anything outside of school unless it was completely necessary. I didn't find reading enjoying at all, it was more like a chore. However after reading again frequently in the class I realized that reading isn't all that boring. It's a great way to pass time when you're bored, and you get a really neat story out of it too. Most of the books I read were literary fiction, as I enjoy this type of genre the best. It wasn't too hard to find books that I'm interested in because I'm always willing to try something new and give it a chance. I usually read in complete silence in my bedroom, away from most other distractions. I don't think I could concentrate enough to read next to the computer or with my phone. I never had the urge to discuss books with anyone though. I always had a feeling they haven't read the book and don't know what I would be talking about. I have found I still like pretty much the same types of novels as I did before this class. I don't think I can change what I have grown up liking. There is a much higher chance of me reading independently during the summer, especially during long road trips with nothing to do. Before this class I hated poetry and I couldn't understand it at all. I really enjoy how the class was taught in way where you could read a poem and analyze it for what you thought it meant, there wasn't a right answer. This freedom let me really embrace poetry. I also learned a lot about how to write effectively about poetry, and I will be sure to use this skill in many future classes.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire pages 75-156

Chapter 7 begins with Harry and the Weasley's arriving at the Quidditch World Cup. To try to hide themselves, many of the wizards are living in tents. Yet these tents have chimneys and purple fires out front. They used magic to create two extremely large and spacious tents which could house the whole family. Harry explores the area and finds many other wizards that are all supporting their own team. The rest of the family soon apparates in and they all enjoy the time. Fred and George bet all of their money on the game hoping that Ireland will win.

In chapter 8, the quidditch game is starting and Harry notices a house elf named Winky. Malfoy and the head of the Ministry of Magic join the Weasleys in the box office seats. The game beings by each team sending out their mascots which entertain the audience. The game is going wildly fast and Harry is amazed. The game ends with Victor Krum getting the snitch, which ends the game with Ireland still winning. Fred and George win their bets.

In Chapter 9, everyone is very hyped about the game. After a few hours everyone goes to bed. Shortly after Harry, Ron, and Hermione are shaken awake as they see men in black cloaks rampaging against mud bloods. The three friends run to the woods, where they meet Malfoy and Harry finds he does not have his wand. A green mark appears in the sky, then suddenly everyone is screaming. The friends all run away only to be questioned by everyone about what has actually happened. They then find Winky with the wand and assume she has conjured the mark. Mr. Weasley explains that the mark was used as a signal by Voldemort to let everyone know someone had died, and that it was probably just a false alarm.

In Chapter 10, the Weasleys all go home. Mrs. Weasley is happy that everyone is safe after the incident. Mr. Weasley spends the rest of the week at the Ministry of Magic to dispel any false rumors that might have come up, while the rest of the children get their materials to prepare for school. As in every other book, Harry feels sorry for the Weasleys' financial status, since he was blessed by his parents leaving him a massive amount of money.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Pages 1-75

The first chapter in this book is quite suspenseful. There is talk about a Riddle House which the Riddle family lived in. The Riddle family was killed without any bodily harm. The village blamed Frank the gardener, who was found innocent. 50 years later Frank is at the house when he sees a light inside. He goes in and hears a man named Voldemort talking to a man named Wormtail. They discuss plans to kill Harry Potter after the quidditch cup. Then a snake talks to Voldemort, who calls Frank in. In a burst of green light, Frank is dead.

In chapter two we find that Harry wakes up and feels the scar on his head throbbing. He looks around expecting to see Voldemort but he finds he is safe. Unsure about who to ask about this unusual event, he writes a letter to his godfather, Sirius Black. Black was wrongfully imprisoned for killing 13 people, who where actually all killed by Wormtail.

In chapter 3, the chapter starts out with Harry coming down to the Dursleys, who hate Harry. They are all under an extreme diet which is miserable for Harry. A postman then comes and delivers a letter. The letter from Molly Weasley is asking for Harry to attend the Quidditch World Cup and stay with them for the rest of the summer. Harry is aloud to go and feels quite happy about the rest of the summer.

In chapter 4, Harry packs his trunks and is ready to leave. The Weasleys arrive through the fire place using Floo Powder. Then the whole family comes out and introduces themselves to the Dursleys. The Dursleys are simply quiet and walk away. Dudley finds a sweet that Fred and George had dropped, which caused his tongue to grow out of control. Mr. Weasley tries to fix the tongue while trying to keep peace.

In Chapter 5, Harry reaches the Weasleys' house through the Floo Powder method and is very dizzy. Mrs. Weasley arrives shortly after and scolds the older twins for giving Dudley the sweets. All the children then go upstairs to avoid Mrs. Weasley's rage. They all remain in Ron's room for a bit, discussing Percy's job and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, a line of magical jokes that Fred and George have been perfecting. Harry feels happy and at peace at the Weasley's.

In Chapter 6, Harry is awakened the next morning to find that he is to leave early with the other children to get to the Quidditch Cup. To have everyone quickly reach the destination without cramming trains, a transportation method known as the Portkey was used. They reach the top of a hill where they find Cedric and Amos Diggory. They have found the Porkey, which is a boot. At 5:00 AM they all touch the boot which transports them to the Cup.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 345-end

In chapter 18, Ron is unwilling to believe that his faithful pet rat is really an animagus, a transformed version of a man named Peter Pettigrew. Lupin explains the story that Lupin's good friends, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, noticed his monthly absence and figured out he was a werewolf. They then worked toward becoming animagi so they could assume animal form and keep Lupin company without placing themselves in danger. The four friends roamed everywhere and learned every part of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, and they ultimately used this information to create the Marauder's Map. As Lupin finishes explaining this, Snape suddenly appears in the corner of the room, shedding Harry's invisibility cloak. In chapter 19, Snape sneers and says that he found the invisibility cloak where Harry had dropped it, at the base of the Whomping Willow. Harry, Ron and Hermione all disarm him at once, knocking him out. Black then explains that he recognized Scabbers as Peter Pettigrew in a photo in the newspaper Cornelius Fudge gave him during a visit, and he set out to Hogwarts after him. Harry is frightened and skeptical, and so, to clarify things once and for all, Lupin reverses Scabbes' form. Peter finally admits, after much evasion, that he is and was the servant of Lord Voldemort. Lupin and Black prepare to kill Peter, when Harry stops them by saying that his dad probably wouldn't have wanted his two best friends to become murderers. In chapter 20, As the group returns through the tunnels, Black informs Harry of his role as his godfather. He invites Harry to live with him, once his name is cleared. They turn to see Black in human form, cowering at the approach of over a hundred Dementors. Harry and Hermione run to help, but none of Harry's patroni are strong enough. . Suddenly one of the Dementors lowers its hood, revealing gray skin and empty eye sockets and a shapeless sucking hole of a mouth, and the Dementor grasps Harry's head and prepares to administer the soul-sucking kiss to him. Harry feels himself drowning in cold and misery, when all of a sudden a bright shape begins to drive the Dementors away. In chapter 21, the children are back at Hogwarts. They explain their story to Dumbledore, who believes them. He says that they need more time to save two lives and Hermione reveals a watch that can turn back time. They are meant to go save two lives. The first one is Buckbeak's who is about to be executed. The children set him free and then go to find themselves. Harry unleashes a Patronus to save himself, Black, and Hermione from the Dementors kiss. He succeeds and then he flies Buckbeak to the tower where Black is being held. He then releases Black who rides off to freedom. The next day is calm, until Hagrid informs Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Buckbeak escaped, and then that Lupin has resigned from the school. Harry runs to visit him as he is leaving the castle, and he listens as Lupin explains in his usual good-natured manner that after the events of last night, he really shouldn't be allowed near students during his transformations. In the end Harry receives a note from Black saying he is safe and that all is well.

Project Poems- Fall Themed

October
By Bobbi Katz

Falling Leaves and Early Snow
By Kenneth Rexroth


For the Chipmunk in My Yard
By Robert Gibb

Darkling Summer, Ominous Dusk, Rumorous Rain - VIDEO
By Delmore Schwartz

October
By Robert Frost

Neighbors in October
By David Baker

Return in Autumn
By Paul Engle

The Heat of Autumn
By Jane Hirshfield

The November Angels
By Jane Hirshfield

My Autumn Leaves
By Bruce Weigl

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 310-345

Chapter 16 takes place after the Quidditch victory, when final exams come around. verybody is hard at work preparing. The care of magical creatures exam is easy. Harry receives full points on the defense against the dark arts exam, which requires that he combat several of the creatures studied over the term. In Divination, Professor Trelawney asks Harry to find signs of the future inside a crystal ball. Suddenly, Professor Trelawney's voice changes, her eyes look hypnotized, and she predicts that the Dark Lord's servant will rejoin him tonight before midnight. She snaps out of the trance and has no recollection of the prediction. Harry runs out to tell Ron, but before he can say anything, Ron and Hermione tell him that Buckbeak lost the appeal and will be executed at sunset. At Hagrid's cabin, they find Hagrid shaky but not hysterical as he explains that Lucius Malfoy must have threatened the Committee for Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Hermione discovers Scabbers inside a milk jug in Hagrid's cabin. The executioners come and they hear the axe.

In Chapter 17, As Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk sadly away from Hagrid's cabin, they have difficulties staying hidden under Harry's cloak because Scabbers will not stay still. A black dog then comes and attacks Ron. The dog takes ron away into the forest. The dog pulls Ron under the Whomping Willow. A passage is revealed to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. . In an upstairs room they find Ron, seated by Crookshanks, and guarded by Sirius Black, who the black dog has transformed into. Black disarms Harry and Hermione through the expelliarmus spell. The kids rush Black to recover their wands while they hold Black in the corner, at their mercy. Before Harry can gather his courage to kill Black, Professor Lupin bursts through the door, disarming Harry. Hermione shrieks at Lupin that he is a traitor, and that she should have exposed him as a werewolf long ago. She says that she thought of him as a werewolf from seeing his Boggart turn into the moon, and from noting that he was out sick during each month's full moon. An exasperated Lupin gives each one of them back their wands, and explains that he was examining the Marauder's Map, watching Ron, Harry and Hermione exit Hagrid's cabin. He saw the name Peter Pettigrew alongside Ron's. At that point, he realized that Peter must alive and disguised as Scabbers.

Behind the Hunt for Bin Laden

Yesterday the New York Times released an article of the operations behind finding and killing Bin Laden, the man on top of the American Most Wanted list for the past decade. The article goes in depth to discuss that the license plate of one of Bin Ladens most trusted men was taken note of. This vehicle was monitored for quite a while and led the US to Bin Ladens hideout, a large compound off a dirt road. The president had the option of either bombing the compound or sending in a team of highly specialized individuals to make sure the deed would be done. He opted for the commandos, who broke into the compound and killed Bin Laden. A picture of Bin Laden was then taken and sent to the CIA where facial recognition was used to confirm his identity. His body was taken and then thrown into the sea. While I agree its all great that Bin Laden has paid for his crimes, the time and effort this one mans life didnt seem worth the trouble. On top of that the body was thrown into the water. This seems very peculiar to me as I would have thought that great pride would have been taken in finally killing Bin Laden. I was not expecting them to get rid of the body so quickly, even though it sounds pretty bad. Overall Im glad the biggest enemy of the country is gone, yet I am disappointed at the measures taken just to kill one man.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 252-310

In chapter 13, To cheer Ron up, Harry offers him a ride on the new Firebolt after Quidditch practice, and Ron happily accepts. The Gryffindor team is busily preparing for the game against Ravenclaw. Harry is playing seeker against Cho Chang, a pretty and athletic Ravenclaw fourth-year girl on whom Harry seems to be developing somewhat of a crush. Once, Oliver Wood has to yell at Harry for being too much of a gentleman and not pushing her out of the way to get to the Snitch. When Harry finally returns to his dormitory to sleep, he is woken before dawn to a scream from Ron, who claims that Sirius Black had slashed open the curtain around his bed.

In chapter 14, After the second Black break-in, Hogwarts tightens its security measures. Doors are taught to recognize Black's face, and the Fat Lady's portrait is returned and guarded by several trolls. Another Hogsmeade visit comes around, and this time Harry goes through the tunnels with his invisibility cloak. In Hogsmeade, he and Ron visit the Shrieking Shack. Harry hides his cloak in the tunnel just in time, because Snape greets him in the hallway soon after he has emerged and summons him into his office, where Snape insults Harry's troublemaking tendencies and compares his arrogance to that of his father. Snape summons Lupin through his fireplace, and Lupin arrives, looks at the map and excuses it as a trick from Zonko's joke-shop. At that moment, Ron arrives and assures them all that he had bought it for Harry months ago. Snape is forced to let the boys go, but Lupin calls them into his office and scolds them gravely for having the map in their possession when Black was on the loose, and he notes that the map-makers may be trying to lure them out of the castle.

In chapter 15, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stare at Hagrid's note explaining Buckbeak's verdict, and Hermione takes the opportunity to apologize for Scabbers's death. Things return to normal between Ron and her. During the next care of magical creatures lesson, Hagrid speaks sadly about Buckbeak. Tension escalates as exams and the final Quidditch match approach; Gryffindor and Slytherin are competing for the Cup. Harry catches the snitch, winning both the game and the Quidditch Cup.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 211-252

In chapter 11, Harry is miserable about the conversation he overheard and angry at Sirius Black. Ron and Hermione try to talk him out of doing anything risky, such as pursuing Black for revenge. They decide to visit Hagrid. Hagrid has just received note that Buckbeak, the hippogriff that attacked the Malfoy, is going to be put to trial in April and potentially executed. On Christmas day, Harry wakes up to find a Firebolt broomstick in his pile of presents. Hermione is unsure and reports the broomstick to Professor McGonagall, who comes into the common room that night to take it away for examination, in case it had been sent by Sirius Black.

In chapter 12, Classes resume, and Oliver Wood promises to persuade Professor McGonagall to give back Harry's Firebolt. Harry begins meeting weekly with Lupin to practice the anti-Dementor spell, which is intended to conjure up a Patronus, a silvery protective charm. Harry tries this complicated spell several times with varying happy thoughts—flying on a broomstick, winning the House Championship, and leaving Privet Drive for Hogwarts. The last thought brings him some success, but he is still weak after the encounter. During another lesson with Lupin, Harry inquires what is below a Dementor's cloak. Lupin answers that the only people who truly know are not in the state to report it, because the Dementor will only lower its cloak when it is preparing to administer the "kiss," which essentially sucks the soul out of the person who is kissed. Lupin adds that the Ministry of Magic has given the Dementors permission to administer the kiss to Black if they find him. Harry is a bit shaken by these thoughts as he leaves, and runs into Professor McGonagall, who returns to him the Firebolt.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 162- 210

In chapter 10, The night after Black's break-in, all the students sleep in the Great Hall, while the professors search the castle for Black and find nothing. Sir Cadogan replaces the Fat Lady as the Gryffindor entrance portrait, and he spends the days making up complicated passwords and challenging students to duels. Harry enters his Defense Against the Dark Arts class to find Snape substituting, snarling at students, and scrapping Lupin's lesson plans in order to teach the class about werewolves. The weather takes a turn for the worse, and Gryffindor House approaches its first game against Hufflepuff, who has always been an unformidable opponent. ll of a sudden, Harry catches sight of a large black dog silhouetted against the bleachers; the next moment he spies the Snitch, and finally, as he pursues it on his trusty Nimbus 2000 broomstick, he looks down to see hundreds of Dementors milling around alongside the field. Harry feels intensely cold, hears the scream of his mother as Voldemort murdered her, and falls out of the sky. He wakes in the hospital wing to find that Cedric caught the Snitch, the Hufflepuffs won the game.

In chapter 11, Lupin returns to teach and excuses them from Snape's overload of werewolf homework. Hw explains to Harry that the Dementors affect him because his past is more horrible than other people's pasts, and the Dementors are creatures designed to drown humans in misery. Finally, Lupin promises to teach Harry an anti-Dementor spell after Christmas. Fred and George Weasley, who surreptitiously introduce him to a map that locates all Hogwarts' rooms, passages, and even people. It is called The Marauder's Map. Harry hides underneath overhears a c onversation that Black's role not only in killing thirteen people, a dozen innocent Muggles and a wizard named Peter Pettigrew, but also in betraying Harry's parents. Harry finds that Black was responsible for his parents' deaths.

Most interesting blog

I definately think that the most interesting blog was Piggy Back ride. He has a wide variety of funny pictures and videos. For example this picure is very entertaining. Overall the large amounts of entertaining picutres and videos really personalize the blog.

Long weekend

This was one of the better long weekends I have had in a while. My aunt, uncle, and grandma came over from Canada for the weekend. They came and we spent a good while talking about various things. After that, on Saturday my mom, dad, aunt, and uncle all went out to shop for what seemed like forever at places like Barnes and Nobles at Glenbrook. I had the house to myself and decided to be lazy and play some xbox. The next day everyone decided it was a good idea to start planning my graduation party...even though it is still a whole year away. They had to leave at noon on Sunday. My grandma is staying with us for a few months too, which should be fun.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 122-161

During Potions class with Professor Snape, Malfoy sits watching other students do his cutting and mixing, while he gossips to his fellow Slytherins about his father's influence on Hagrid's job. Harry is mad, but is also puzzled by something Malfoy says about how he should want revenge on Sirius Black. Professor Lupin leads them all into an empty classroom to combat a Boggart that had lodged itself in a wardrobe. Lupin says that he wants Neville to be the first to fight the Boggart. Neville is terrified but manages quite competently to perform the "Riddikulus" spell, in which he transforms the Boggart from the shape that terrifies him most into something that makes him laugh. From this point on, defense against the dark arts becomes everybody's favorite class. Gryffindor House begins practicing Quidditch in the hope of winning the Quidditch House Cup. Halloween is near , signifying the first visit to Hogsmeade. Harry is still distraught at being unable to go, so his friends promise to bring him back lots of sweets. During the Hogsmeade visit, Professor Lupin invites Harry for tea in his office. At one point, Harry asks why he was not given the chance to fight the Boggart, and Lupin answers that he didn't want Voldemort to appear in the classroom.This is a surprise to Harry, who explains that he was more concerned about the Dementors.When the students return from Hogsmeade, Harry receives a bundle of candy from Ron and Hermione. He informs them of what he saw with Lupin. They attend the Halloween feast, and on their walk back to Gryffindor Tower, they are horrified to see that the portrait of the Fat Lady, who guards the entrance to Gryffindor, has been slashed, the Fat Lady herself missing. Peeves the Poltergeist is cackling midair during the commotion as he informs them that Sirius Black had attacked the portrait.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 49-122

Harry spends the next weeks happily wandering through Diagon Alley. He finishes his homework, explores the market, and buys his school books. Harry reunites with Ron and Hermione, and while discussing their summers and coming classes, they stop by a pet store. The three friends join the Weasleys, where each of Ron's siblings is his or her usual self. They eat together, and after dinner Harry passes by the bedroom where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are in a heated argument about whether or not to tell Harry that Sirius Black escaped Azbaban with the supposed intention of finding and killing Harry. The following morning, company cars from the Ministry of Magic drive Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Weasley family to King's Cross Station; this special treatment is unusual. They all walk through the divider between platforms nine and ten, onto platform nine-and-three-quarters, where they catch the Hogwarts Express train to school. While on their way, the train stops and all the lights go out. A tall, robed creature enters Harry's compartment, and Harry feels a painful, intense, miserable cold feeling and hears screams. He passes out. He wakes to explanations that the creature is a Dementor, one of the guards of Azkaban, and that Lupin sent it away by sending something silvery in its direction. Lupin gives chocolate to him and to the other shaken students, and soon afterwards they all arrive at Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, Dumbledore, the headmaster, announce grudgingly that the castle entrances will be guarded by Dementors as precautions against Black. At breakfast the next morning, Malfoy and his cronies are still taunting Harry about the Dementor, and Harry ignores them while he, Ron, and Hermione prepare for class. Hermione is signed up for three classes that meet at nine o'clock, but when Ron questions her, she changes the subject. The three friends troop up toward the tower where Divination meets, and after many stairs and turns, they are led to the classroom by a short and belligerent knight named Sir Cadogan. Professor Trelawney joins the Harry and Ron while they read their tea and finds a Grim, the black dog who haunts churchyards and is seen as a death-omen, in Harry's cup.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pages 1-48

The story opens with it being Harry's 13th birthday. Harry notices an odd flapping thing coming toward his window, and he soon sees that it is three owls, The owls deliver birthday cards and gifts from Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid. From Ron, Harry receives a pocket Sneakoscope. From Hermione, he receives a Broomstick Servicing Kit From Hagrid, he receives a schoolbook entitled "The Monster Book of Monsters." Lastly, Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts requesting forms from parents allowing the students to go to the wizard village of Hogsmeade. Harry walks down to breakfast the following morning to find his cousin Dudley, his uncle Vernon, and his aunt Petunia watching a television report about a dangerous escaped convict named Black. Aunt Marge arrives, roaring praise at Dudley, sharing her tea with her dog, Ripper, and asking Harry whether he is being caned enough at his school. Harry's anger at her rude comments causes her wine glass to break, and from that point on, Harry is even more cautious. Finally, one night at dinner Aunt Marge says that Harry's parents were irresponsible enough to get themselves killed in a car crash, and Harry is so mad that he causes her to expand and float. Harry leaves the Dursleys and is not sure what to do next. He is certain that he will be expelled from Hogwarts for having practiced magic outside of school, and so he considers flying on his brookstick to London, where he could live as a wizard outcast. He then boards the Knight Bus for wizard outcasts and overhears a conversation about the escape of Sirius Black. He was a follower of Voldemort and spent 12 years in prison for killing 13 people. He gets off the bus to meet Cornelius Fudge, head of the Ministry of Magic. He will stay with Fudge until school begins.

Tuesday Response April 19

The dark and solitary enviornment of Loren Laws Heart painting portrays an image of extreme seclusion and intense separation. The most notable aspect of this photo emphasizes that the heart is locked away in its own lonely place. This is amplified by the dark gray walls and the barred window in the lower left hand corner. The heart in the image is also slowly dripping blood, claiming that the heart is injured, perhaps due to an emotional problem. The vivid detail of the pictured heart brings a realization that even the things we take for granted can become injured. We must always stop and make sure that we are thankful for what we have and that we keep what we have in the best condition possible.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Pages 282-end

Ron and Harry speculate about ways to enter Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and question her about her death. Three days before the first exam, Professor McGonagall announces that the Mandrakes are ready to be cut and used to restore the petrified victims. The boys trudge to the infirmary and find, clasped in Hermione's hand, a piece of paper that, once wrenched out, displays a paragraph of information about the basilisk. The boys dash to the staff room to show their findings to McGonagall, only to hear an announcement that another attack has occurred and teachers must report to the staff room immediately. They question Myrtle about her death, which was in fact caused by a pair of large, yellow eyes, and where Harry spies a small snake carved onto the taps on her sink. Speaking Parseltongue, Harry tells the tap to open and it does, revealing a large pipe into which Harry, Ron, and a reluctant Lockhart descend. Harry enters the snake statue-lined Chamber of Secrets and approaches an enormous stone figure of Salazar Slytherin, at whose feet lies Ginny Weasley. Harry desperately asks Tom to help him rescue Ginny and escape the Chamber of Secrets, but Tom remains where he is. He tells how Ginny found his diary and poured all of her worries about Hogwarts and her crushes on Harry into it, and how Tom wrote back, comforting her. Tom grew stronger and ultimately poured a little of his soul into Ginny, manipulating her to kill Hagrid's roosters and open the Chamber of Secrets. . Tom then begins to question Harry about Voldemort, and Harry grows suspicious and more impatient. Tom then traces the letters of his name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, into the air, and rearranges them to read "I am Lord Voldemort." Suddenly, a strange singing bird appears, and Harry soon recognizes it as Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, carrying in his beak the school Sorting Hat. Tom hisses for the basilisk to emerge from its chamber, and Harry closes his eyes and feels Fawkes leave his shoulder. Fawkes claws out the basilisks eyes blinding it. Harry puts it on and wishes desperately for it to help him, and out of nowhere it produces a glittering sword, which Harry then slides into the mouth of the striking serpent, killing it, but getting injured by a fang in the process. Harry thrusts the basilisk tooth into the center of it, causing Tom to scream in agony and disappear. While Dumbledore is alone with Harry, he explains that Fawkes came to his aid because of the true loyalty Harry showed Dumbledore down in the Chamber.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Pages 226-282

Harry and Ron hear Filch yelling at someone, and they round the corner to see a flood of water seeping out of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The boys step inside to look around, and they immediately spy a diary bobbing in the toilet. Harry feels a strange familiarity to the name, and so he pockets the diary. He writes his name on a page and watches it disappear, and suddenly the ink rises up again, forming the words. Riddle writes that he was in fact awarded his medal for catching the person who had opened the Chamber, and he invites Harry to visit his memory. Harry agrees, and within seconds he is blown into the pages of the diary to the headmaster's room. Here he witnesses a conversation between Riddle and the old headmaster. Harry then follows Riddle through the corridors, once running into a younger, Dumbledore who warns Riddle to head back to his dormitory. Riddle and Harry wait in the dungeons for a long time, and finally they hear and follow nearby footsteps. . Riddle explains that he must turn Hagrid in for possessing the guilty monster. Riddle pulls out his wand, casting open the box and releasing a giant, hairy spider that scuttles over him and out through the corridor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spend endless conversations discussing Harry's journey into the diary and the possibility that Hagrid could be the culprit. The morning of the quidditch match, Harry hears the hissing, disembodied voice again, and Hermione leaps up and dashes to the library. Professor McGonagall step into the field and stop the game, instructing all students to return to their houses, and Harry and Ron to follow her to the hospital wing, where they find Hermione and a Ravenclaw petrified. The two boys decide to follow the line of spiders that Hagrid had told them to follow. Beneath the invisibility cloak, Ron and Harry set out into the forest with Fang scampering nearby. They soon spy a few solitary spiders scuttling deep into the forest, away from the paths, and so they follow them for a long time. Eventually, they hear something large moving behind the trees, and they are greatly relieved to see that it is Ron's once-flying car, the Ford Anglia. The spiders carry them into a clearing with a giant domed web, where they are met with an elderly blind spider, Aragog, who first dismisses Ron and Harry to be killed, but then speaks with them when they claim to have been sent by Hagrid. Aragog instructs his children to eat the humans and dog after he told them about the history of the chamber. For a moment Harry and Ron know that they are doomed, and then all of a sudden they hear a horn and see the Weasley's car rumbling over to them

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Pages 160-226

In the first chapter, Hermione approaches Lockhart at the end of class and asks for permission to get a book out of the restricted section of the library. They read about the painful and complicated steps to making and using Polyjuice potion, and by the end Hermione is the only one still interested in trying to make it. Their is also a quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. The game begins, and as soon as Harry is circling through the air looking for the Snitch, a Bludger streaks toward him, and continues to aim for him, even after knocked away by Fred and George. Harry grabs the snitch, falls out of the sky, and wins the game. During the night, he is visited by Dobby, who explains that he had closed up the train platform and bewitched the Bludger, both in hopes that Harry would give up and return home and away from Hogwarts. He also sees a patient enter who has been petrified. Dumbeldore claims that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Ron and Hermione have spent the morning concocting the beginning of the Polyjuice Potion. In Potions class, Harry distracts Snape by throwing a firecracker into a Slytherin cauldron, splashing potion on the faces of students, while Hermione sneaks out of the room to get Polyjuice ingredients from Snape's personal collection. In the dueling club a snake is sent after him. He quickly diverts the snakes attention. Harry is relieved, but the class is terrified, and only after class does he find out through Ron and Hermione that he spoke Parseltongue-snake language-a feat for which Salazar Slytherin himself was famous. Harry begins to question if, in fact, he really could be the heir. Soon the term ends, and on Christmas day Ron, Hermione, and Harry open their presents and plan for their Polyjuice Potion adventure later that night. Unfortunately, they don't know where the Slytherin common room is, so they wander around, accidentally asking a Ravenclaw girl, and suddenly they run into Percy, who is emerging from a side room. Malfoy is pleased with himself for obtaining a copy of the Daily Prophet, a wizard newspaper, and he shows Ron and Harry an article about Ron's father being fined for bewitching a Muggle car. He says that he wished he knew who the heir was, so that he could help him, and finally he reveals information about a hidden chamber under his family's drawing room floor, in which dark wizarding paraphernalia is kept.

April 12th, 2011 Tuesday Response

The unique and anomalous house of Pharell Williams Miami home exudes a feeling of amusing absurdity that Pharrell Williams enjoys. The various objects within his house range from a life size poster of Brian, the dog from Family guy, to a chair which has feet at the base of its legs. This all brings together a feeling of playfulness and easiness that we can all expect from Pharrel Williams. There is a contrast in style when an individual comes to see the styles and serene locations of his pools. These places seem as if they are in a completely different place altogether. The beautiful and marvelous house brings together a mixture of cool composure and boisterous enjoyment.

Spring Break 2011

My Spring break was not the most exciting this year at all. We went to Canada for the first 2 days of spring break. The first day was mostly spent driving there. I was required to drive for 4 hours, the first time id ever driven so long. I almost fell asleep! Once we arrive at our cousins house, the reason we were going to Canada, we ate dinner and went to bed. The next morning we woke up late and decided to go to the mall. The Yorkdale mall was extremely large, with so many different types of companies there. In the end I found a nice pair of shoes that I bought, as well as some other shoes. Overall the experience was great.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets page Pages 104-160

In chapter 9 we find that time is going by quickly at Hogwarts. Harry is woken every morning to go practice quidditch for his team. The chapter then explains how the game is played and the objective, which I am familiar with because I have read the first book. At the practice field, Slytherin walks on to train their new seeker, Malfoy. There is a conflict as Gryffindor had reserved the field, but Slytherin would not leave. They then arrive to Hagrid's house. We find out that Hagrid was mysteriously expelled from Hogwarts and serves as gamekeeper. He is not allowed to use magic but shows Harry his pumpkins which he grows with magic. Towards the end of the chapter Harry hears a voice calling to him and asking to rip him. This alarms Harry, but no one else can hear it. In the next chapter, it is around October and Quidditch practice continues. He meets Filch who he finds out he is a wizard that is not truly magical. The story goes on about how Harry attends Headless Nick's 500th Deathday party. Later Harry is walking alone with his friends and hears a strange voice that leads him to blood scrawled on the wall. The wall read, "The chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware." Norris, Filch's dead cat was also hung up. Many people soon arrive at the scene. In chapter we find that Filch accuses Harry for the mess. Dumbeldore quickly whisks Harry, Hermione, and Ron off to Lockhart's office, where they discuss the events of that night. Dumbledore quickly covers for Harry and does not punish the three children. In the History of Magic class, Hermione persuades the teacher to explain the Chamber of Secrets. We learn that the 4 founders of Hogwarts wanted to teach young wizards about magic. However Salazar Slytherin didnt want any non pureblood wizards. SO he left the school after he created a Chamber of Secrets. The Chamber is claimed to have a monster that would destroy any non purebloods. Only the heir of Salazar Slytherin can control it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione believe that Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin. They decide to make Pollyjuice potions to turn into Malfoy's friends to figure out if he is.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets page Pages 64-104

Here we find Harry still living with the Weasley's at the Burrow. The night before they leave for Hogwarts, preparations are made. The flying car is enchanted to fit everyone's luggage. They arrive at the platform for the Hogwarts train, but miss the train after the passage will not open. They decided to go ahead and use the flying car to follow the train to Hogwarts. The boys have a great time and are enjoying themselves. They then begin to get bored and the car is running out of gas. They start plummeting towards the Hogwarts Lake. They crash the car into a "Whomping Willow". This is quite a unique tree that will actually strike back if hit. Harry and Ron have to quickly gather all their supplies and run out towards Hogwarts. They arrive just in time for the sorting ceremony that all the first years have to go through. The boys get caught by Snape who is giddy to punish them. He calls Dumbeldore and McGonagall hoping for a severe punishment. He is disappointed when he finds they only receive a small detention and are still allowed to attend Hogwarts. In the next chapter we find that a huge flock of Owls arrive with packages for everyone. Ron gets a message known as a "Howler". Mrs. Weasley's voice explodes loudly in the hall, yelling at Ron for ruining the Car. They Meet Ghilderoy Lockhart. This character seems quite obsessed with himself and what he has done. The students go through their first day of classes and all the magical events they learn there. Overall the book seems to be following the story line pretty well, however particular actions such as the Whomping Willow are explained more thoroughly in the book.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets page Pages 1-64

In the first chapter we see that Harry is now living back with the Dursley's after his first term at Hogwarts. He is still treated very poorly by the Dursley's, who you thought would have recognized Harry for his wizard status. Most of the chapter just recounts the basics of Harry Potter's world, such as who the Dursleys are, what happened to Harry's parents, and who Harry is. In the second chapter we find out that on Harry's bed is a creature named Dobby. Dobby is a house elf that has come to warn Harry about Hogwarts. He claims that there is danger there and that he cannot go there at all. The Dursley's then catch Harry and his elf friend, and become very angry. Harry locks himself in his room and wakes up to find that Ron is outside his window. Ron arrives in a floating car with his Brothers Fred and George. They get Harry and his supplies out of the house and start flying to Hogwarts. They arrive at the Weasley's house to see Mrs. Weasley, who really likes Harry. Harry is then put to some tasks around the house to help the Weasley's. Harry then spends the night. Harry spends a week at The Burrow where he is cared for very well. They decide to go to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies by a method called Floo powder. It's thrown in a fireplace to create a passageway. However Harry misspeaks and enters a suspicious and old workshop. Here he sees Malfoy and watches him buy some unusual objects. Hagrid finds him and quickly takes him back to Diagon Alley where he meets up with the Weasleys.

Highschool Senior Response

1)I relate most to the guy who wants to be a doctor. Ive always wanted to be a doctor since I was a child. I think the most interesting and must diluted at the same time is the Marijuana Baker. This seems so crazy because it seems so far fetched, yet he seems genuine in his goal to help others.

In 10 years I find myself doing a residency program for some type of doctor. I'm not sure what type of doctor I am going to be. In the next 4 years I will have finished college, and in 4 years after that I will have finished Medical School (hopefully). In medical school I plan on finally choosing what type of sub specialty I would be interesting in working. It seems so far yet it seems so close at the same time.

2) I have just read the article about the 21 year old poker kid who has won millions of dollars in online poker. This is quite an amazing feat. He listed a few reasons as to perhaps why he had such an upper hand compared to the older players. I agree with everyone of them. One of his claims were that younger individuals had access to video games which required quick on the go thinking, such as counterstrike and Call of Duty. These types of games require quick reflexes and a specific type of thought process. When these children are exposed to this process as such a young age, they have a lot of experience with it and are growing up with it. I also noticed that he didn't treat money for what it was. He described it as a "point system" in which he was only trying to get the most points. He didn't really relate the money that he was playing for with actual money. The other thing that I thought really helped him was that he is "not very materialistic". This means that of all the money he has made, he has more of it to use on poker. While the risks may be bigger, he seems to know what he is doing and will make more money. Since he is so young, he does not have a family or other major expenses to worry about. He has a larger amount of money to lose before he is truly in trouble.

Favorite Poem

My favorite poem from this semester is "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. I really like how the author takls about fire and ice, which are opposites. He talks about how he would choose the world to end with fire, and not with ice. But then he also talks about how he would be okay if for the world to end with ice if he suffered a second time. In then end the two contrasting images really help portray an image of yin and yang.

Friday Movie Compare/Contrast

The movie we watched on Friday was really interesting. It told the story about two children named Cody and Chris. Both of these children have had some problems in their lives and have to tough it out. Chris seems like quite an interesting man. He has had some anger issues but really works to keep it under control. He also seems like a great individual because he volunteered to make the school newspaper and keep it updated. He seems very hardworking and focused, he wants to do something with his life. He does not want to end up a drunk like his father was. Cody on the other hand is a bit different. He has a girlfriend which he really uses to help him with his life. He saw his parents get killed and it has left a profound impact on his life. Without his grandmother being there for him there is not telling what Chris would have done. It is also apparent that he is very bold and does not really care what others think of him. This is definitely a great characteristic to have. He really seems to be his own individual and also wants to make a better life for himself.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone page 242-309

The end of the year is approaching and final exams are near. We learn that nothing really eventful happens during the exams and that they occur with little incident. Harry learns while talking to Hagrid that he told Voldemort that anyone would be able to get past Fluffy by playing him some music and making him go to sleep. They go to tell Dumbeldore who is away, so they realize they must take the stone tonight. They reach Fluffy only to find a harp, hinting that someone had already been there that night to pass him. Harry plays his flute and helps his friends get past Fluffy. They then fall into a moving plant which entraps everyone, but Hermione gets out and quickly uses fire to burn the plant. They then enter a room with many flying keys. They spot the correct key and then Harry uses quidditch skills to get the key and open the door. Then they enter a chess game in which they are pieces. Ron uses his expertise to win but had to sacrifice getting beaten in order to win. Hermione and Harry go to the next room to figure out the correct potion to drink. Hermione then goes back to help Ron while Harry moves on to get the Stone.

The next chapter is probably one of the most action packed sequences. Harry meets up with Voldemort and Quirrel. Harry finds out that Voldemort is a shape shifter and is using Quirrels body. His head is in the back of Quirrel's head. Harry has the stone appear in his pocket after using the mirror to find that it was the object he wanted most. Voldemort wants Harry to hand it over to him. Voldemort then tells Quirrel to grab Harry, but Quirrle's hands burn every time he touches Harry. The pain in Harry's scar is quite painful and he evetually blackens out. Dumbeldore comes just in time to save Harry from Quirrel. We find out that Harry couldn't be touched because of his mother's love. We also learned the reason he found the stone was because he was the only one to want it for what it was instead of for what it had to offer. Nicholas Flamel and Dumbeldore later destroyed the stone. Gryffindor also wins the house championship because of his efforts. Everything is well and it is time for everyone to pack up and leave.

The story here is quite accurate compared to the movie. The movie provided a great visual to use as a base for all the characters and setting. By then applying the text to the situation, it was very easy to see the situations of the story unfold. I think the combination between reading a book and then watching the movie really helps people out in their understanding of the story as a whole.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerrer's Stone page 195-241

In this chapter half of the semester has passed and Christmas is near. Harry gets teased because he has no one to go home to and he must remain at Hogwarts. Lucky for him though because Ron is also staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. They later decide to try to get more information on Nicholas Flamel, but get kicked out once they are found in the restricted section. On Christmas day Harry and Ron wake up to presents. Harry receives an awesome cloak which makes him invisible. There is a note that says that the cloak belonged to his father. He tests it out in the restricted books section only to find out that the book started to scream once he had taken it out. This made him quickly leave and find a room that had a mirror in it. However this mirror was no ordinary mirror at all. He looks in the mirror to find his parents behind him, but when he looks back he finds no one. Dumbledore comes in and explains that the mirror shows anyone the thing they want the most.

In the next chapter we find that Harry listens to Dumbledore's advice and does not return to the mirror every night so he doesn't become addicted to it. It is after Christmas break and the three friends are trying to learn more about Nicholas Flamel. However Harry has so much quidditch practice it is getting in his way. We also learn that Snape will referee the next match. Harry then later remembers he saw the name Nicholas Flamel and that he was a partner to Dumbeldore. We also learned that Nicholas Flamel created an item known as the Sorcerer's Stone. The stone turns any metal into gold and has an elixir that lets people live forever. The quidditch match is the next day and Gryffindor will be ahead in house points if they win. Harry is a great quidditch player and catches the snitch within 5 minutes.

So far reading the Harry Potter books are much more interesting than actually watching the movies. There is just so many more small details that really help us create this fictional world. Also the book does a better job in creating more vivid images.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerrer's Stone page 152-194

In this chapter we begin with Harry and Ron just coming back from Hagrid's house and seeing fluffy, who seems as if it was guarding something. They contemplate what he's guarding when the mail comes and Harry receives a quidditch broomstick. Around this time he also begins learning the basics of quidditch and how the game works, a very peculiar and interesting game. Then one night the defense against the dark arts teacher comes in and claims that there is a troll in the building. Everyone begins to panic and is sent back to their dorms. Ron and Harry don't know where Hermione is and go look for her. They end up seeing the troll but are able to trap it in the girls bathroom. However they then realize that Hermione is also in the girls bathroom. The three of them work together and use what little magic they know to somehow take down the troll. Then Hermione really comes through for them when Ron and Harry are in trouble and she then becomes their friend.

This chapter is probably one of the more interesting ones. In this chapter the quidditch season begins and will be playing against Slytherin. Harry finds a unique book that may help him while he is playing quidditch, but professor Snape sees it and confiscates it because library books are not allowed to be taken outside. The next day the quidditch match is starting and Harry plays the roll of a seeker. His job is to go after the golden snitch, which is the main purpose of the whole game. The game ends when the snitch is caught. However Harry's broomstick is moving around uncontrollably and Hermione sees that Snape is staring at it while muttering, probably a spell. Hermione then quickly sets Snape's cloak on fire, so the spell is broken. Harry loses control and plummets to the ground, while luckily managing to catch the snitch, end the game, and help Gryffindor win. Harry also gets Hagrid to mention Nicholas Flamel.

Overall I really enjoy the quidditch aspect of Harry Potter. Just the way the game is run and how it is played truly amazes me. It must have taken a large amount of imagination to come up with such a brilliant idea. I have to give credit to JK Rowlings for bring such an amazing and creative writer in her settings and characters.

Let Kids Rule the School.

The article "Let Kids Rule the School" By Susan Engel is a great project that works to alter the boring monotonous student lifestyle. I really believe this approach really opens a student's mind to change and learning. If there is an enviornment where a student wants to learn, then the student will be more active in pursuing his education and his other goals. It is much easier to have a student succeed in academics if he finds the subject material interesting. If the subject material is not interesting perhaps the method in which the material is introduced will spark interest in the topic. This program could possibly work here at Homestead. I have a number of friends who dislike the way some teachers teach and the way classes are run. There is no doubt they would volunteer themselves to experience a more relaxed and entertaining education that still provides an equal amount of substance

SAT

Test day was today. I have just taken my first ever SAT. It was at Southside and I drove their myself. I was fifteen minutes early only to find a line that stretched clear across the whole parking lot. When we got inside it was apparent that the line was snaking through the school. It took us an hour just to get checked in and directed to our rooms. On top of that the desks at Southside were about half the size of the desks at Homestead. This made it quite difficult and irritating to take the test with so many papers. I had a feeling I did really well on my essay. I also have a feeling the overall writing parts were quite easy. The time we spent in class over SAT was definitely worth it. I found that the reading comprehension and vocabulary sections were the hardest. Overall I think I did pretty good, at least I hope.

Harry Potter 112-151

Chapter 7 starts out with the students arriving at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall receives them and tells them they will be sorted into on of 4 houses. Each house will become a family. The houses also are a yearlong competition to acquire the most points. Points are earned by winning quid itch games and lost for rule breaking. They all go to the great hall where they see the sorting hat. He dislikes the Slitherin house after he finds that Voldemort was in it. It is Harrys turn for the hat. The hat is suggesting that he should go to Slitherin, yet Harry begs to go to Gryffindor and succeeds. After everyone is sorted there is a big feast. Harry meets many new students, including Neville. Harry also glances at the teachers and feels a sharp pain when he sees Snape. Dumbeldore then introduces himself and lists a few rules.

This chapter discusses Harry's life at Hogwarts. He finds life unfamiliar and confusing, as anyone would in his position. Harry loves his classes and finds them very interesting. Harry is also quite pleased to find that most of the other students are just as lost as he is. Harry receives a letter from his owl from Hagrid inviting Harry to tea. He also finds that professor Snape severely dislikes Harry. He brings Ron and Hermoine with him who are awed by Hagrids size and his big dog Fang. Harry also has many questions when he sees a newspaper saying a vault was emptied when he went to the bank with Hagrid. He is unsure what it was that Hagrid had put in his pocket that day.

Overall the first few chapters of this book are reproduced quite accurately. Again there is nothing noticeably variable between the 2 stories, just the fact that understanding the Harry Potter world is much easier at your own pace than the pace of the movie.

Harry Potter 46-112

I got a lot of reading done today. This book just keeps pulling me in, its amazing. It turns out I was right and that the thump at the Door is Hagrid. Who would have guessed? Hagrid is described as a giant that easily bends the gun that Mr. Dursely points at him. This scary man then pulls out a birthday cake out of nowhere just for Harry. He introduces himself and calls himself the "Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts". Hagrid is disappointed that the Durselys have not told him about hogwarts or his past. Harry learns that he is a wizard and has been accepted into a school where he can train his powers. He also learns his parents were killed by Voldemort. Mr. Dursely says he will not allow Harry to go to Hogwarts, yet Hagrid takes Harry anyways.

In the next chapter we find that Harry goes to London to buy his school supplies. Harry is concerned about money but Hagrid assures Harry that his parents have left him enough. They go to Gringotts bank to get some money. The wizards in the area automatically recognize and respect Harry for who he is. Then Hagrid leads him to the secret wizard street where all the shopping will take place. He then goes to get his uniform fitted where he meets Malfoy, who continually talks down to Harry because his family is not as great as his. They then go to Olivanders where Harry gets his wand. After trying many of them he ends up picking one. The only other wand that is similar to his was picked by Voldemort.

This chapter talks about Harrys last few days with the Dursleys. He then realizes that his train leaves from platform 9 and 3 quarters. He is unable to find such a number and waits between platforms 9 and 10. He then sees a group of red haired children. Their mother tells him to run through the wall. He reluctantly does and finds himself on the right platform. On the train Harry meets the Weasleys. He also meets Ron who is the same age as him. He debriefs Harry about the wizard world and everything in it. They also meet Hermione Granger. She seems to talk a lot and also becomes friends with Ron and Harry.

Overall this part of the book is quite similar to the movie. There are more small details which add to the overall experience of the story. For example it is easier to understand all the history and relationships of wizards through text instead of a movie. It is easier to slow down and reread anything that you don't understand.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerrer's Stone 1-46

I have always watched all the Harry Potter movies and have always been interested in Harry Potter. However I have never had the time to actually read all the books. I have heard from many individuals that the movie did not follow the book too accurately. For this reason I have decided to read the series and see how accurate the movies truly are.

The story starts out with us meeting up with the Dursleys. They are a normal reguarl status-conscious family who want to live a normal live. However one day Mr. Dursley starts to notice strange events. He sees cats reading maps, people in cloaks walking around. and random excited people saying smuggles should be happy. Later that night professor Dumbledore form Hogwarts arrives. He speaks to the cat who we find out is professor McGonagall. They discuss Voldemort and his intentions of killing Harry Potter and his parents. He failed to kill Harry and his powers have weakened ever since. Harry is then left on the Dursleys' doorstep.

In this next chapter we flash forward 10 years. Harris is now almost 11 years old and is living a miserable life. He is in a cupboard under the stairs in the house. Dudley, the Dursley's son, torments Harry. It is quite apparent that the whole family dislikes Harry and treat him as extra baggage. He goes to the zoo one day and sees a boa constrictor. To Harry's surprise he is having a conversation with the snake. The snake suddenly leaves his cage and slithers away. Harry is blamed for the whole incident.

Harry is locked up in his room until the summer. He is finally free and decided to have some fun and play outside as much as he can. He is excited he will start school away form the Dursleys. One day he finds that a letter is addressed to him. However Mr. Dursely and Mrs. Dursley are astonished and refuse to tell him anything. The next day another letter comes but again Mr. Dursely refuses to let Harry see it. On the third day Mr. Dursely decides to take the family to the hotel after dozens of letters are coming into the house. Here hundreds of letters arrive at the hotel. Then Mr. Dursely takes the family to a single room shack for complete isolation. The chapter ends with a knock on the door.

So far the book seems to be decently accurate. However there are a few added details that the book has. Nothing too story breaking though. Overall the Harry Potter book seems interesting and it has rekindled my desire. I have a feeling that the knock on the door will be Hagrid, using the movie as a source.

Jane Eyre 171-219

This section begins with the fact that Jane is sad that Rochester has been gone for a week. We also learn that he may continue on to Europe without returning to Thornfield at all. This sis bad news because according to Mrs. Fairfax, Rochester could be gone for over a year. We learn later that Rochester will be arriving back in about 10 days with some guests. While she is waiting for Mr. Rochester to come back Jane hears two other servants discussing Grace Poole's high salary. There is something interesting and weird about that girl and her role at Thornfield. Rochester soon arrives and has many high end gusts. Jane is forced to join the group of people but she prefers not to. Balanche and her mother are some of the guests that arrived with Rochester. They treat Jane badly and with cruelty. Jane tries to leave the party but Rochester doesn't let her. However he then lets her go and tells her she must come every evening. The guests stay at Thornfield for several days. Jane realizes that Balanche and Rochester will be married soon. However she also realizes that they do not seem to love each other. It seems as if this marriage was happening for social status and wealth. Also one day Mr. Mason arrives at Thornfield. He is a strange man from the West Indies. When Rochester finds out that Mason has arrived he looks troubled.

In this section of the book it is quite apparent that Jane has actual feelings for Rochester. She longs for him to comeback to Thornfield. She would be quite disappointed if she found out that Rochester would be gone for a year. However she must have been more disappointed when she found out that Rochester was bringing guests home. One of these guests was Balanche who treated Jane poorly. To make it worse she finds out that Balanche and Rochester are going to be married soon, not because they love each other but for wealth and social status.

Jane Eyre 149-171

In this section of the book, Rochester explains to Jane about his and Adele's pasts. He had a long affair with Adele's mother. She was a French singer and dancer named Celine Varens. He found out Celine had a relationship with another man. Rochester then ended the relationship. He also always denied that Adele was his daughter. However after Celine decided to abandon her daughter, Rochester brought Adele to England so that she could be taken care of. Jane is lying in her room and thinking about all this new information she has learned. She then suddenly hears a laugh and scratching sounds. She sees smoke from Mr. Rochester's room and finds that the curtains are ablaze. She puts out the fire but Mr. Rochester only goes to the third floor. He returns and says that he has figured it all out. He asks Jane if she has ever heard the laughter before, and she replies yes. He is thankful for Jane saving his life but asks her not to mention this to anyone else in the house. Jane wakes up the next morning and is surprised when no one knows about what had happened last night. The servants were told that Rochester had fallen asleep with a candle which ignited the curtains. We also realize that Jane is beginning to have feelings for Rochester. She finds out that he will be away for a few days she is sad. He left to go to a party with Blanche Ingram, a beautiful lady. Jane hates herself for being disappointed at the news and continues to think she will not stand a chance against Blanche.

In this section of the story many strange events had happened. We find out even more about Rochester's past and everything else that has happened. He seems to be quite a troubled man. Also the incident with his curtains on fire are quite interesting. The issue has not been resolved yet as to who or what actually started it. It was really crazy when we found out that Mr. Rochester wanted to keep this all a secret. We also learned that Jane has feelings for Mr. Rochester, which was bound to happen. The new woman, Balanche, should cause an interesting rivalry between herself and Jane.

SpellBound Assignment

Spellbound is quite a unique and interesting movie that follows a select group of students on their daunting journey to become the Spelling Bee Champion. One of the individuals was Neil Kadakia. Niel is a 14 year old 8th grader that is competing in the Spelling Bee. His main source of motivation doesn't seem to be his own intentions but rather those of his fathers. He seems to be pressured by his father to do well and perform well. He also had the added pressure of feeding 5000 people in India if he won. There seemed to be a lot riding on him winning. It seemed to me as if Neil's father was using Niel's spelling talent to project his own name and emotions into winning the Bee. On the other hand we have Nurpur Lala. Nurpur is quite an interesting contestant. She comes from a small town and has relatively few friends that respect her, as do most of the contestants. The one thing that I think sets Nurpur apart from Niel is that she genuinely enjoys spelling. Spelling seems to be more of a hobby or competitive sport for Nurpur, where success is important but the journey to success is just as important. I think for this reason she has a better base motivation for doing well in the competition since it seems as if Neil is being forced to participate and to well.

Jane Eyre 114-148

In this section of the book we find that Jane finds it pleasant and comfortable at Thornfield. She finds that the girl she has to teach is quite intelligent but somewhat spoiled. Most of her time here is uneventful. However one night she sees a horse coming into Thornfield. This first reminds Jane of one of the stories that Bessy used to tell. The horse trips and its rider falls to the ground. Jane goes to help the man to his feet. She then goes inside to find out that the man she had helped was Mr. Rochester, the owner to Thornfield. The fall had sprained his ankle. The next day Mr. Rochester has tea with Jane and Adele. He is pretty sharp and serious when he talks to both of them. It is quite apparent that he really enjoys Jane's drawings. We also learn a little bit about Mr. Rochester's history. He was considered a family outcast. When his father died, Mr. Rochester's older brother inherited Thornnfield. His older brother eventually died 9 years ago. Since then Mr. Rochester has been the owner of Thornfield. During Mr. Rochester's first few days at Thornfield, Jane does not see much of him. One night while Mr. Rochester is drunk he calls Jane and Adele to his office. He gives Adele a present and starts talking to Jane. He asks Jane if she thinks he is handsome. She says no and then Mr. Rochester becomes angry and says their relationship is not just a formal work relationship. Adele mentions her mother and Jane is quite interested at this, but Rochester says that he will explain it to her on a different occasion.

So far Jane seems to be settling in Thornfield quite well. Compared to her previous live at Lowood or at her aunt's house, Jane is living a life of luxury. She has access to so many different things. She also makes a good first impression with Mr. Rochester. Perhaps they will have a stronger relationship.

3.1 Diction Exercise: Poetry

a) gristle, explosives, inexorable, leap, crave, barrels, triggering, flesh

b) Elevation: candid, apathetic
Sound: Remorseless, Contentious

c) The remorseless and contentious eloquence of Brian Tuner's "Here Bullet" portrays a grim and candid image of this man's languid attitude towards his greatest assailant.

2.23 Diction Exercise.

a) debilitating, cynicism, prone, pessimism, strenuous, loyal, stubborn, and involuntary.

b) diction: flowing, perplexed
Connotation: astonished, faithful
Sound: reposeful, unique

c) The faithful yet perplexed expression of Alain De Botton's Idealization conveys a sense of ambivalent and foreboding skepticism about love and its slanderous turmoil of emotions.

Friday Teachers In Service

A relaxing day off with the thought of doing nothing. Just what we need to make this week feel great. I think its hard to believe that we've only had one normal full week since Christmas break! Thats crazy! We always end up getting a delay or cancellation. Cancellations aren't good anymore since we have to go till mid June now though pretty much. Anyways on this Teachers in service day I didn't do much at all. I spent the time sleeping and playing video games. I did go shopping with my friend to Glenbrook and ended up buying a great pair of new nikes. They look awesome! I cant wait to wear them. Hopefully the weather isn't bad!

Jane Eyre 80-113

This section starts out with Lowood receiving a major upgrade. Since so many children had died of and or had become sick of Typhus, Lowood was under investigation. It was made quite apparent that the school was no being ran properly and that Mr. Brocklehurst was not the right man for the job. Many other children were dying. Other benefactors came in and decided to oversee the school. The conditions at the school improved greatly. The food was better, the sanitary conditions were better, and the general lifestyle of the whole school were better. Life at Lowood seemed to have progressed nicely. Jane was a student at Lowood for 6 years. At the end she became number one in the number one class. This means she was head girl, a great honor at the time. Then Jane becomes a teacher at Lowood for two years. She teaches many children and uses Miss Temple as a role model for herself. But then Jane decides she is ready for a change. One of the reasons is because Miss Temple gets married and leaves the school. She advertises in search of a job as a governess and accepts a position at a place named Thornfield. Before Jane leaves, she also meets Bessie. Bessie tells Jane of everything that happened at Lowood since she left. Georgina tried running away and getting married but failed. John fell into a life of debauchery and dissolution. We also learn that John Eyre came looking for Jane.

Overall we learn that conditions in Lowood change for the better. This is great because now this place is much better than the Reed's house. We also learn that Jane excels as a student. She became head girl, a great accomplishment. However it is a new phase of her life now and she wants some change. She will to wherever life takes her so that she will be able to have more experiences.

Jane Eyre 36-79

This section starts out 4 days after Jane talks to Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane ends up finally leaving the Reed home and traveling to a school named Lowood. Leaving The Reeds is probably one of the greatest things that has ever happened in Jane's life. She arrives to the new school on a dark and rainy day. The next day she learnds the daily routine and gets to know the place. She also meets Miss Temple, one of the few kind teachers at the school. She also meets the unpleasant Miss Scatchard. Jane makes a new friend by the name of Helen Burns. Miss Scatchard hates Helen and is constantly harassing her. On the second day of her visit, Jane learns about the hard life at the school. The pitcher that they were to wash themselves with was frozen. She saw that the girls were overworked and underfed. Jane constantly looks to Helen for some morale support. Helen is quite a unique character. She notices that Miss Scatchard dislikes her. However she is convinced she is only trying to help her in the long run. For this reasons Helen obeys by Miss Scathcard's rule as often as she can. She says that she would rather be embrace this Christian practice. We also know that Mr. Brocklehurst spends most of his time away from the school. When he returns Jane is nervous. She drops her slate infront of Mr. Brocklehurst, who becomes quite angry. He calls Jane a liar and says that she must stand on a stool to be ridiculed on for the rest of the day. Helen is there to comfort Jane by providing her smiles. Jane then explains to Miss Temple how she is framed for her lying. We also find that Helen is suffering from consumption. This is a terrible disease we know that Helen dies.

A lot of interesting things happen this chapter. Jane finally sets out for her new school. She arrives and finds that it is better than the Reeds place, but still not the best. She also makes her first real friend. She also has comfort in Miss Temple who seems to understand her. However things really take a turn for the worse when we find out that Helen dies. This is a major setback for Jane. Hopefully she will be able to cope.

Jane Eyre 1-35

This book starts out with us learning of a 10 year old girl named Jane Eyre. She is part of the Reed family, and is a very avid learner. She loves to read books of great difficulty at such an early age like The Bible and Gulliver's Travels. However Jane is in a horrible situation since Mrs. Reed will dislikes her very much. She will not allow Jane to associate herself with the other children, not that Jane would want to anyways. One of Jane's cousins, John, calls Jane out for reading. He says she is an orphan and that she should not be fit to read. He then starts a physical fight with Jane. Mrs. Reed blames Jane for the fight and says she should be looked up in the "red room". Here Jane has time to think about her life and where she is. While pondering her situation, she believes she sees the Spirit of Mr. Reed. Scared out of her mind, Jane ends up fainting. When Jane awakes she finds herself with Mr. Lloyd, the family apothecary. Bessie, a house servant fond of Jane, is also present. Jane is healing in the bed and Mr. Lloyd suggests that the Reed family should send Jane of to school. Jane is excited about his prospect since she hates life with the Reeds, who hate life with Jane. Jane also overhears a conversation about her past which indicates that her mom was Mrs. Reed's sister. Her mom was a rich individual of high class and married some normal man. Both her parents died of Typhus, and Jane was left 4with the Reeds. Later we find out that Jane will end up going to a school. However she needs to have an interview with a man named Mr. Brocklehurst first. The interview does not go as planned. Jane has a pretty experienced and educated mind, however she says she dislikes psalms. This angers Mr. Brocklehurst a lot. Mrs. Reed also calls Jane a liar. In the end they plan on having Jane enter the school.

Jane has an extremely harsh life. She is stuck with a family that hates her and will punish her for no apparent reason. Luckily a few of the housekeepers feel pity for her. Because of Mr. Lloyd's suggestion, she is now able to leave the Reed family and go to a school. Hopefully life will be better there. She might make new friends.

Saturday ACT

So today I took the ACT at Homestead. There were a lot of people there I knew. I was surprised to find that there were Freshman from Canterbury taking the same test I was. It really surprised me. Those kids are too young to be taking that test. Overall I have a good feeling about the test. I was able to finish all the sections of the test, and I thought I did pretty well on the math. I had 25 whole minutes for the last 10 questions on the math section. That really surprised me. However, in the reading, science, and English sections I finished with only a minute or two remaining. I didn't have enough time to check all my work there, so that was disappointing. This is my second time taking the test. Hopefully I can get the 30 I need to get the scholarship for IU. That should take a decent amount of stress off of me and my parents.

Close Reading #1

In Pablo Picasso's, The Blind Man's Meal, subtle colors, varied table arrangements, and scenic man asser the bitter, taunting life of a man suffering from an overbearing disease. The use of stark, cool colors indicate a world of seclusion and loneliness. This gives a sense of a disdainful, cynical mood of the painting and the man. Based on the haphazard arrangement of the elementary, unexciting utensils, one can assume that the man is lost. He seems to be lost in his own secluded yet elevated world which is not governed by the normal forces of nature. The man himself portrays a facial expression that is both foreboding and perplexed. Perhaps the scenic world which he has been unjustly trapped within burden him with an uneasy sorrow. He seems to be disheartened by the fact that his actual senses provide him with a glimpse into reality, a reality which he has lost forever. The suffering man must cope with the devious knowledge of the world in which he cannot experience completely.

Leviathan 180-217

This section of Leviathan returns back to Alek and his crew. They are just about a mile away from the Swiss border, their final destination. Once they cross the border they will be able to put away a lot of their stress. However their is one big problem. Just at the border, there is an enemy war machine. This machine is obviously staking out for Alek and his crew. The crew knows that they can't go during the day because its far too obvious. However they are able to attempt to sneak past the machine during the night hours. This is quite risky though since the Stormwalker is not meant to be driven in the darkness. However, Alek has always been trained to control it in the darkness. This training will come in handy as they decide to head out. However, when night falls they see that the enemy machine has 2 large searchlights looking for them. The searchlights are not easily avoidable since their is no specific search pattern. They decided to push their luck and continue on their way. Their progress is good and they seem to be making good time. However, they then find enemy German ground troops who spot them. This is bad, because as soon as they were spotted, the machine at the border began to roar into life. It would take a couple of minutes for the machine to start up all the way. They were able to quickly push through the German troops. The cannons of the enemy ship were pointing right at them but they did not fire. This was because their were other scout units coming up behind the Stormwalker. They chased after the Stormwalker, until one of them finally got a lucky hit. The scouts decided to retreat after that, which confused Alek and his crew. Then he realized the hit was actually a maker. The enemy ship now had a clear view of Alek and his crew. Alek then decided to risk his life and get out of the cockpit. He used a sword to take off the marker. This hit the ground, which gave the enemy the signal or thought that Alek and the Stormwalker were severely injured. This gave them the ample time and security they need to get to the Swiss border safely.

Overall this section was quite action packed. There were many sequences of suspense and action that really made the story interesting. It is also quite apparent that Alek has earned a lot more responsibility. He is viewed less as the main cargo that needs to be taken to Switzerland, and more as a part of the team that helps them survive.

Leviathan 141-180

This portion of the book switches back to Deryn and her adventures in the sky. The section starts out with her eating some food with the other middies. Apparently they haven't seen London before, and all rush to the window when they are flying over it. Deryn continued to eat and take other peoples food. However there was an exchange of words made and it became apparent that Deryn and another boy, Fitzroy, were pretty much enemies. In the midst of their debates though, they realized that the captain of the Leviathan is there. He tells them that they will be landing in London to pick up a passenger to fly to the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately this would cause the weight of the ship, which has to be as dense as the air around it, to become unbalanced. So to make room for the extra weight, some of the middies will be forced to leave the Leviathan. This brings a spirit of great competition between all the middies. Deryn feels confident she can win with her experience, yet she is still somewhat unsure. She is assigned to be one of the first few people down to help assist the passenger.

Once they are over London, Deryn sees that she is the first one to actually reach the ground. This is a good thing because she got done quicker than Fitzroy, the other middy who is responsible for running ground operations. She arrives quickly and then out of curiosity goes to the monkey cages, since they landed at the zoo. Suddenly a woman appears asking if Deryn is her assistant. At first she is wonder why this random lady would be asking her that. It turns out that the lady was Dr. Barlow, a famous scientist who helped create the Leviathan herself. She was also the passenger that needed to be taken to the Ottoman Empire. After meeting this lady, Deryn became somewhat close to her. Deryn also knew she would be a problem. Dr. Barlow was a woman and might be able to blow Deryn's secret. Not a good predicament.

In the end we find out that there is something very important with Dr. Barlow and her equipment. It seems like it is a great experiment which would be able to help Britain if they needed it in the war. Dr. Barlow makes it quite apparent that they equipment is very fragile and important. Whatever it is, it will be interesting to find out.

Leviathan 117-140

A great deal of exciting events occur in this small section of the book. We first find that Alek and his crew need to go into the city to find supplies for their walker machine. They specifically need fuel and other necessities such as food and water. They have to be extremely careful not to bring attention to Alek or themselves, or they might be discovered. They arrive at a store that looks promising. However the owner comes across as a man who is not interested in helping them. His attitude completely changes after Volger flashes a bag brimming with gold coins. The owner is then all ears and gets all of the required parts for the team. However he seems to be in a good mood and tries to throw in a toy for Alek, a replica of the Stormwalker. Alek knows about the Stormwalkers and how they operate since he has been in one for almost a month. Without thinking, Alec quickly began to criticize the small model and was comparing it to the actual thing. This would have been fine for a normal person, but considering that Alek was only 10, this was quite odd. The store owner then began to threaten the boy for his dishonesty and his misbehavior. Alek, being trained the way he is, quickly grabs for his sword....which isn't there. This looks extremely suspicious and the store owner catches on. They leave after bribing the owner and telling him that they were never there, however it probably did not work.

On their way back to the StormWalker, they hear horses in the background. Sensing the danger Alek is instructed to run for cover and to get to the Stormbringer. The rest of the crew would attempt to hold off the enemies. Alek is getting away, but then one of the soldiers sees him. Alek hides in the bushes and waits for the enemy to get close. Then using his training, he quickly surprises the man and takes his sword and his horse. He leaves the man to die there and quickly gets to the Stormbwalker, which he then uses to pick up the rest of his crew. They seem to be safe...for now atleast.

I think that Alek should have been much more careful in the way in which he acted. He gave himself and his crew away to the enemy, who will be hunting him for quite some time. Their journey will probably be much more difficult, all because one man thought Alek to be a child. I also find it crazy how Alek was able to take control of the situation with the scout on the horse. He had the element of surprise on his side, which aided him a lot. So far they seem to be safe.

Teenage Driving and Peers

According to the New York Times article about teenage driving, Teen drivers tend to take more risks when they are with their friends. They studied this by having a group of teenagers play a driving simulation game. They would have a few games where they play the game as if they are alone. Then they tell the testers that their friends are watching their next games. On the games where people thought other people were watching, the testers were ran yellow lights and crashed into other cars at a much higher rate. These finding show that peer pressure is present even if other children do not directly force a child to do something. I personally believe this is true. Most people our age are overly concerned with what others think. We go out of our way to make ourselves look cool or spectacular. This is our downfall as it leads to stupid decisions. The idea of acceptance truly drives teenagers to the brink of their destruction and sometimes too far...

Superbowl Sunday - The Great American Tradition

So how was your Superbowl weekend? Did you enjoy the night with a group of great friends or do you prefer to watch the game in a more peaceful environment, alone? What kind of snacks and food did you enjoy on this momentous day? And the most important question: Are you a fan of the the Green Bay Packers?

As I'm sure you all know, Superbowl Sunday was yesterday and the excitement was unparalleled. The day was filled with great celebrations and entertainment option. Superbowl 45 was an epic showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the underdog GreenBay Packers. The game itself was pretty close. The fate of the game pretty much depended on a play in the 4th quarter. The Steelers were down 6 and it was 4th down. If they didn't make the play, they would lose their chance at another Superbowl title. Roethlisberger threw the ball and his receiver just missed the catch. With that the Steelers had lost any hope they had left. The underdogs came out on top and the scene was amazing.

Superbowl Commercials themselves are a treat to many individuals. Many people watch only to experience the best and most humorous commercials. These are insanely expensive though with a hefty price of 2.8 million dollars for a single 30 second shot. No wonder the commercials are so great!

Leviathan 91-117

We last left Alek in a barn learning about the plans that Vlador had for him. We now rejoin him and his first lesson of using the walker. Alek starts out perfectly, easing the walker into an upright position. He begins to put one foot in front of the other. Soon he was walking. He began moving faster and faster, and soon walking became running. He was able to move quickly, but then there was a problem. The walker was going to fast and began to fall. Alek quickly gave up the controls and they were saved. It turns out that everyone falls on their first time running. We also found out that Vlador has a large amount of gold. This is apparently only a small amount that was entrusted to them in ALek's inheritance. At least we know they wont be strapped for cash. They continue on their Journey to Switzerland.

The book then shifts focus back to Deryn. She is now on the Leviathan and will be there for a while. She is enjoying it there and is learning a lot about how a ship is run. She has to do everything the middys have to do. This includes everything from reading the charts to calculating the altitude of the ship . She is getting a lot of hands on experience. The only concern she has is if she can continue to pull off being a boy. Hiding her body for showers and bathroom breaks is easy, but its a lot more difficult to act like a boy constantly. However she is learning and she will be able to fool almost anyone.

We also find that Deryn meets a boy on the Leviathan. His name is Newkirk and he is quite a character. He is pretty afraid of all the animals that the Leviathan uses to operate. He is kind of like Deryn's opposite because he always seems to rely on her for the answers. This is also somewhat ironic because it shows that the man needs a woman's help every now and then too. However, they still only let men work in the service. Either way the book is pretty interesting at the moment. Hopefully it will only get better. I can only imagine how Deryn and Alek will meet, because this meeting is inevitable.