Blog Reflection

I feel that my blog has developed very well throughout the year, especially this semester. The following link provides my blog post that best exemplifies my analysis of the text:( http://ruesreadingblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/key-to-helping-poor-is-understanding.html ) In this post, I wrote about a column by Krista Ramsey. In the second paragraph, I added a quote from the story, which is where my analysis of the text is the strongest. By adding the quote into the paragraph, I allowed the reader of the blog to connect with the story and it helped emphasis my point; making others feeling wanted, especially the poor, is the key to helping others. Also, when I break down the quote in the last bit of the second paragraph, I help the readers understand what the quote is saying and what each bit means to me.

I have several goals I would like to accomplish in both my reading and writing within the next year. For future reading, I would like to start reading a bigger variety of genres. I tend to stick to books and genres I am more comfortable with reading about, like realistic fiction. My goal for the next year is to read at least 3 books with genres I do not usually read. This goal will help me step out of my comfort zone and into a place where I can experience new things. I would also like to write more throughout the next year. I really enjoy  writing and I would love to grow and expand in it. My goal for next year is to start a blog or a column on Word Press. On this blog, I will try to write on it once or twice a week. Another goal to help me improve my writing is possibly applying for the chronicle. The are also some areas of improvement I would like to work on next year in both my reading and my writing next year. I would love to be able to read books faster, so that is a definite improvement for me to work on. In my writing, I would like to improve on my syntax and diction in different things to help expand my vocabulary.

Paper Towns Final

I finished the book, Paper Towns, this week. It was amazing and the ending tricked me up a little. I did not expect it to end the way it did at all, but I don't want to ruin it for you. I enjoyed this book more than The Fault in Our Stars because of the way it was written. Also, I didn't really know what was going to happen in this book, giving me an incentive to read it quicker. 

The main character, Q, reminded me of the song, Smile, by Uncle Kracker. His reaction to everything Margo did reminded me of the chorus of this song. I attached the entire song in the link below: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI_r0mOaLY4 

The chorus is: 
You make me smile like the sun,
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird,
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record,
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool,
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold,
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

This reminds me of Q and his relationship with Margo because everything she does makes him happy and smile. 

The next book I am going to read is the sequel to If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, There She Went. I have already read the first book and seen the movie. I am excited to read the next book and see if what I think happened will happen in the book.

Paper Towns #2

Wow. I've read so much in Paper Towns since my last blog post. A lot has happened, but I don't want to give too much away. Okay, so in my last post I was talking about how Margo and Q were pulling an all-nighter. During this all-nighter, the two go to different places getting revenge are Margo's "enemies"; her now ex-boyfriend, the girl he was cheating on her with, and  a few others. After the getting revenge, they break into sea world. The next day, Margo is gone. She had disappeared and even Q didn't know where she was. Q goes on to search for clues on her whereabouts and tries to figure out what happened and if she had committed suicide.

That's all I am going to leave you with because I don't want to give anything else away. John Green has done a fantastic job keeping my attention through out the book. I think his writing style has really kept me intrigued. This book is written in first person. By writing in first person, it helps the reader, especially me, connect with the character. It feels like they are telling a story just to me. The diction and syntax in this book is also at a higher level. It uses many complex sentences and high vocabulary words. It makes me think about what is being said.


I have high hopes on what the rest of the book will be about. I keep asking myself different questions like, "Where is Margo?" "Why doesn't Q do this/or that?". It makes me anxious just thinking about what's going to happen and when it will happen. I usually don't read books like this, mystery, but I really enjoy it and want to read more mystery once I finish this one.

Paper Towns

I started reading the book, Paper Towns, by John Green. Being not far into this book, I am already intrigued. John Green is a fascinating author and his topics are relatable to the modern world and the society we live in today. I chose to read this book because of the movie coming out and because I enjoy reading books written by John Green.

So far in the book, Quentin Jacobsen,  the main character, reunites with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Margo breaks into Quentin's room one night at midnight for a favor. Being so late, Quentin freaks out and he doesn't know why she is in his room, considering the fact they haven't spoken in 7 plus years. Not long after Margo opened the window did her dad catch and call her back into the house. After a few minutes, she appears back at the window, covered in black paint. Then they both sneak out of the house into Quentin's car and they take off.

That is as far as I have gotten and I'm anxious to see what happens next. When the chapter ended, they were pulling into a grocery store parking lot and Margo said that they were going to turn wrong from right. I am predicting that Margo is having troubles with her friends and she needs help to fix them. I am excited to see where the book goes and anxious to see why they had to sneak out of the house.

Satire Example

This picture is an example of caricatures. I know this is an example of caricatures because of the way it brings out the facial expression of the men in the picture. Also, it exaggerates the annoyed look of the people in the picture about going/dropping out of high school. The purpose of this satire is to make fun of high school drop outs and make fun of the stereotypical high school drop out.  

Key to Helping Poor is Understanding Them column by Krista Ramsey

In the column, Key to Helping Poor is Understanding Them, by Krista Ramsey, she talks about how to help others. Many people just avoid eye contact with the poor or less fortunate, but in order to help them get to a higher spot in our society, we must try to understand what they are going through and reason with them. 

One line in this column that really stands out to me is, "The key to it all, he says, is having people "sit among" one another." This stands out to me because it is very straight forward. To those who may not understand what it is saying, picture yourself being poor/in poverty. If someone tried to talk to you and help you by getting to know your situation, how would you feel? Having someone "sit among"-as the column states-is a feeling we all strive for. It's the feeling of acceptance and kindness. This line shows/states that in order to understand someone, one must talk to the person they are trying to help. This lines doesn't have diction, however it shows syntax by using the quotation marks. This gives the words inside the marks more meaning and emphasis. 

Krista Ramsey writes with a unique style.She writes from different points of views and from topics not talked about often. For example, in the column, Super Bowl QBs Score Points for Great Style, she wrote from the perspective of two rival quarterbacks going to the Super Bowl. She doesn't talk about what other articles would talk about when writing about the Super Bowl. She sets aside the football aspect of it and writes about each quarterbacks sense of style. How they are always well groomed for press conferences and such. In another column called, For Better Vision, Kids Need Time Outdoors, Ramsey talks about how kids can improve their vision. This writing includes great diction and syntax, as does the rest of her writings. This column however, uses the repetitive use of hyphens. By using the hyphens, she shows the importance of what she is talking about. She also uses short sentences in her columns. The use of short sentences get the point across quickly and effectively. 

Three questions I would like to ask Krista Ramsey are:
-Where do you get your ideas to write about? Do they come from life experiences or do they just pop into your head?
-Has writing always been your dream job?
-What college did you attend?  

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/07/03/krista-ramsey-sherman-bradley/12201889/

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane #2

As I finish this book, I am amazed. Suzanne Collins has astonished me with her writing once again. I, however, enjoyed the first book in Gergor the Overlander series. In the second book, Gregor experiences new challenges. He and his sister Boots have to kill the grest bane before the rest kills Boots.

In the last part of the book, Greogr experiences something a 13 year old boy really shouldn't have to experience. The rat he has to kill, is just a baby and he can't bring himself to kill a baby. His check rides on the life of his baby sister. If he kills the rat, he kills a baby, but if he doesn't kill the rat, it will kill his baby sister. Gregor can't let his sister die, making this challenge more difficult than the others.

As I mentioned in other posts about the Gregor series, I metioned Collins' unique style of writing. She uses very unique syntax. She uses an abudent amount of commas, diction, and her sentence structure is a different style. In a way, she writes like Willam Shakespeare, with her writing backwards with unique word structure.

This was overall a great book. I would recommend the series to anyone who wants to try to read fantasy. I believe Susanne Collins will hook you into the book, and want you to read more.