Bye sophomore year!

Time goes by very fast; it seems like I just came to Cheshire Academy yesterday. It’s been a year, and in this year, I made big progresses. Once when I read the blog posts that I wrote in the beginning of year, I was so amazed that I wrote those funny words. I did improve a lot in this year, especially in this semester. I have a better reading and writing skills now, I also read some good books, such as Persepolis.

First of all, I learnt myriad things this year, but I like the dramas most. If I did not take this class, I might not watch these fantastic dramas and learn something from them. During this year, I watched several dramas. I saw how hard the actors worked and how beautiful the scenes are, so I started being interested in acting. All of the shows I’ve seen all taught me how the stage worked and how several kinds of art combined and had a good drama finally. In summary, I’m so glad to see these dramas and learn these amazing things from it.

Secondly, I made big progresses in reading and writing parts. At the beginning of the year, I can still remember it clearly. I stayed up until 1 a.m. to finish reading a chapter, however, I can finish Poppy and Dingan in two hours. I had a small vocabulary, so it lowered my reading speed. During this year, I learn vocabulary everyday, as a result, I hardly need to look up unfamiliar words while I am reading. Also, my writing skills also improved; it can be obvious seen through my blog posts. At the beginning of the year, I can only earn about seventy points in a blog post, however, I can get more than ninety points. I almost complained about blog posts everyday in this year, but I cannot deny that I improved because of these “boring” blog posts. At the beginning of the year, I can only write simple sentences, and I can hardly write a complex or compound sentence. Now, I can write compoud-complex sentences easily, and I can coherent a paragraph well. To conclude, because of this class, I can read faster and write more professional.

Even though I had big progresses, I still need to improve my writing speed. I can write a more professional article now, but I cannot write it in a limited time. I always spend more than one hour writing a blog post, which is too slow to handle some big writing tests, such as TOEFL or SAT tests. I have already tried to speed up, but I am always detracted by other things. I can hardly concentrate on writing, therefore, I often divide an article to several parts and write one part a day. Subsequently, I should still work on my writing speed next year.

At last, I want to introduce my favorite book in this year, which is Persepolis. I am interested in Irani culture, so when I knew that this book was about Iran, I was so excited. In this book, I saw the situation in Iran clearly in a little girl’s eyes. In her eyes, everything is so simple that she only tells what she sees and hears. My emotion was influenced by the book; I started sympathizing the girl and Iranians. I like this book, so I borrowed the second book of the serie from library. When I finished the book, I was relaxed, because I finally saw the little girl grew up and became a beautiful and knowledgeable woman. All in all, Persepolis actually brought me to Iran, and I enjoyed reading it.

 In conclusion, before I wrote down this blog, I never realized I made this big progresses. I summarized all my thoughts of my development and this class; I am so glad to take this class in this year. This is not a hard class, but it is interesting. I learn things not only from the books, such as my favorite book, Persepolis, but also from dramas or some creative projects. Although I improved a lot in this year, I will still keep working on my writing next year. Bye, Sophomore year! Go, Junior year! 

The Best Drama in the Year

“Life is like a drama, everything depends on your acting. ” When I was watching the drama, Bone Chiller!, I kept thinking about this sentence. The drama was written by Monk Ferris and presented by Cheshire Academy varsity players. It was a mystery which was about a murder and a puzzle. I really enjoyed the show. The music, lights and actors are extremely professional, and the plots were pretty tense which made me feel excited. 

First, the plots were extremely tense and exciting; this made me feel that I was a real detective while I was watching the show. The story began with a will which was written by a rich man, however, the will was actually a puzzle. He did not only write where the money was, but also wrote who the killer was. He asked his lawyer to invite twelve people to decode the puzzle, and he promised that whoever could decode the puzzle would get a large amount of money. The thirteen people all had their own experiences and opinions about the puzzle, and they finally found out who the killers were. During the show, I was always trying to figure out who the killers were. I had a prediction, which was about the actors’ nail colors. There were ten female characters on the stage, but only three of them colored their nails, who were Zita, Kissy and Pippi. Also, Zita had Gypsy power, which meant she might have the power to kill Mauve without moving her feet. Thus, I thought they three were killers. As more and more details came out, I realized I was wrong, nevertheless, I never expected an ending like this. The lawyer and Dan were killers, and I had never thought about the Halloween tradition. This was so surprising and impressive that I still could remember all the details of the show. In summary, the show and the plots were so memorable, and it was a real enjoyment. 

Second, the music, lights and actors were also professional. It is so important to have good music and light for a drama. The mysterious atmosphere was all depended on the music or lights. In Bone Chiller!, Richard and the technical group did wonderful job. Richard used his Guitar to make the ambience more scary and mysterious. Also, the light and the sound effects were big roles in a drama, especially a mystery. In this show, several colors of lights made it easier to change the scene and adjust atmosphere. The technical part was excellent; they changed the lights very proper. In any good dramas, the actors are always professional. In Bone Chiller!, actors presented their best to the audience. Jaime was actually surprised me, and her acting totally changed my perception of her. I used to think she was an introvert girl who only played little girls in dramas, like her role in Spelling Bee. However, she played a rebellious and extroverted roll this time, and this showed me that she was a extremely professional actor. Except Jaime, other actors were also very professional. As a result, professional facilities and actors were actually one of the biggest reasons of why Bone Chiller was so successful. 

In conclusion, I was so happy to watch this fantastic show. A good show should contain fascinating plots, proper music or lights and professional actors. Obviously, Bone Chiller! fulfilled all the conditions, and it was the best drama I’ve ever seen since I got to Cheshire. 

Ghost or imagination?

Compare to imagination, I'd rather believe Gat, Johnny and Mirren became ghosts. First, after the fire, Cadence never sees the liars, and she tries to email them. If the liars are ghosts, they will be with Cadence all the time, but they don't. Second, ghosts can have their own minds, but imagination can hardly do that, because imagination is only from Cadence's mind. In the book, Mirren even goes to Windemere and reads the emails Cadence writes to her. Also, in the book, the liars always have different opinions, which means they are not from one man's mind. Third, there is such a big mess in Cuddledown, Cadence cannot make it by herself. At last, when the liars go to the cliff and jump to the sea, Gat and Johnny jump first, and Mirren just lie on the ground. Everything is so real, and they all have their own mind. In conclusion, I think Gat, Johnny and Mirren are ghosts. In addition, I really hope they are ghosts, because they can continue living in this way and being with Cadence.

A good story with a bad ending

People always say a sad surprising ending can make the story more significant. However, as far as I am concerned, not all of the surprising endings make the stories more impressive. In the book, We Were Liars, the author told the readers a story about an accident which happened to a girl, Cadence. I like the story, but I do not like the ending at all. 

I enjoyed reading this book, because the author used a special way to narrate the story, which made us read the story in Cadence’s eyes. When I started reading the book, I did not expect an accident would happen, because everything seemed to be so peaceful. Cadence played with the liars, and even it was always sunny in the island. However, the family was not really happy; since grandma died, the family fell apart actually. It did not influence Cadence that much, and she played with liars as usual. Then she hurt her head; she could not remember what happened. She started looking for the memories, and I was like a camera which recorded everything she saw. She thought, I thought; she loved Gat, I loved Gat. Her emotion influenced me; I desired the truth as she did. I love the way how the author wrote the book, this made me truly understand the book. 

However, I never expected an ending like this. I could not wait for reading the ending, so I stayed up until 2 a.m. The ending actually disappointed me, because I expected a very impressive ending which was not a fire. In the book, the liars set a fire in the Clairmont, but three of them died because of Cadence. Cadence thought they already got out, but actually they did not. They could have thrown a match in or used phones to contact to each other; Cadence should have double checked the house or called fire apartments immediately. However, they did not do all of these things, they just died! That did not make sense, and the author tried to explain everything by the alcohol, which still made no sense. In addition, the author left many mysteries to us, and she just arranged a fire to erase everything. This ending may be surprising, but it was not a good ending. 

In conclusion, in the past few weeks, I really enjoyed reading this book. I like the way how the author narrated the story; I followed Cadence’s steps to find out the truth. However, I extremely dislike this ending, because it was unreasonable. Even though the ending was surprising, it was not impressive, and it still left numerous unsolved questions. In another word, I think the ending actually ruined the book. 

Cadence's memory

Cadence remembered that aunt Carrie was crying and wearing Johnny's coat. Then she remembered that summer 15, the liars were trying to spin on the tire which was hung on the tree in front of clairmont. she remembered that the liars, they set up a big fire on clairmont.
Cadence had a new memory: on summer 15, Grandad gave Boston house to Bess, and the rest aunts had a fight. Also on summer 15, Gat and Cadence stole chocolate in clairmont. On summer 15, aunts and grandad had another fight in a meal.

Quiz Questions

1. Cadence did not want liars to console her, why?
2. What do you think the meaning of Mirren's motto?

Chapter 31-40 Notes

Chapter 31
Mirren found that Cady wanted to give her drawings, books and stuffs away, and they had a talk. Cadence was still mad at Mirrent, because she did not reply to her. Mirrent tried to persuade Cady to live with them, but her mom did not allow her to do that.

Chapter 32
Cadence and Gat went to a low hill, and they kissed. Cady told Gat that she was mad at him, and she said he was suboptimal. Finally, they decided to start over.

Chapter 33
Cadence went to lunch in Clairmont, and she found grandad erased his life also. When cadence mentioned Aunt Carrie's last night behaviors, Carrie seemed have no idea about what she was talking about.

Chapter 34
Cadence had a unhappy conversation with will and Taft, and Cadence found twins checked her room.

Chapter 35
The liars redecorated the Cuddledown, and Mirren told Cadence that Penny told the family everything.

Chapter 36
The liars played tennis together, and they talked about Cadence's Europe trip. Cadence told them she was not happy; liars all consoled her.

Chapter 37
Cadence's mother was happy to see Cadence played tennis again, and she invited Cadence to play with her, but Cadence refused. During the dinner in Clairmont, Cadence remembered a piece of her memory: once they had dinner few weeks before her accident. Compare to now, Cadence felt the relationship between grandad and aunties is different.

Chapter 38
The liars were playing scrabble, and they talked about their mottos.

Chapter 39
Cady and Gat kissed upstairs, and they had a short talk. Gat felt that Grandad did not like him; he was so inferior, however, Cadence thought he was perfect.

Chapter 40
Cadence wrote another fairy tale. It was about a little princess. She fell in love with a mouse, but her family did not like mice. Then they ran away from the Palace.

Chapter 16-25 Notes

Chapter 16:
In this chapter, Cadence told us a story she wrote. It was about three princesses competed for the inherit of the king. They proved how much they loved the king. However, the youngest princess got the inherit, she was not happy.

Chapter 17:
Cadence mailed her friends gifts, but neither of them replied her. She also gave the photo of her grandma away.

Chapter 18:
After the accident, Cadence lost some of her memory, and she always forgot things. She asked her mother about the accident everyday, because she could not remember it.

Chapter 19:
Cadence's father wanted to take her to Australia and New Zealand, but Cadence didn't want to go. She wanted to stay with her mom and friends in the Beechwood Island. In the meanwhile, Cadence's granddad came, and he changed a lot.

Chapter 20:
Cadence told us another story. In this story, the king sent his three daughters to beg the evil dragon's mercy, but the dragon just simply ate them all. After grandpa's leaves, Cadence's mother called her father, and told him Cadence would not go to Australia. Instead, Cadence was going to Beechwood for four weeks.

Chapter 21:
Cadence started packing her things. When she thought of Gat, she still felt hurt.

Chapter 22:
Taft called, and he asked whether Cadence was a drug addict. Cadence liked Taft, and she promised that she would take Taft to snorkel and swim.

Chapter 23:
Cadence and her mother arrived in the Island finally, and Cadence found there was a huge change happened to the island.

Chapter 24
Cadence met the littles. The littles lived with Grandad, and liars lived in Cuddledown alone except Cadence. Cadence found grandad had some mental problems, he always called her Mirren.

Chapter 25
The liars had a conversation. They talked about colleges, and Cadence told them she could not go to college this year. Liars felt Cadence was pitiful, but Cadence told them not to be sorry for her.

Questions

Who is gat?
Where does penny and cadence live on island?
Who is the eldest grandchild?
What's the name of Gat's girlfriend in New York ?
What is the name of the island where Sinclairs spend summer?

Think about what do Sinclairs think of Gat.
Analyze what is the relationship with gat and Cadence?
Why do you think four young children lie?

Sinclair----unhappy old-money family

In the book, We Were Liars, the story takes place in Massachusetts America, specifically a private island; it is about a distinguished family, Sinclairs. This family spends every summer in their own private island, and the story starts when the main character, Cadence is eight years old. Cadence and her cousins have a good time in the first few years, until an accident takes place suddenly.

Sinclairs are all white, blonde, athletic and beautiful, however, they are not actually as perfect as they seem like. Sinclair is an old-money family, but they are almost running out of their money. Harris and Tipper are Cadence’s grandparents, and they hold the money. They are deceitful; they also teach their children to smile all the time, even though they are in a bad mood. When Carrie brings Ed to the island, even if they do not like Ed, they still smile to him and praise him. Also, Carrie and Penny have failed marriage. When Cadence’s father leaves, Cadence is sad and upset, but her mother said to “get hold of myself. Be normal, now, she said. Right now, she said. “ (E. Lockhart, We Were Liars, Kindle Locations 182-183). People in this family actually live in other’s eyes. They fear that other people know they are not happy, so they smile all the time. They hide their true emotion, and they wear masks everyday.

Children are more honest and happy than the adults in the Sinclair family. Cadence has six cousins: Johnny, Will, Mirren, Taft and twins. When Cadence is eight, Gat starts coming to the island and playing with them. Since then, Johnny, Mirren, Gat and Cadence are called liars. Gat is not like Sinclairs at all. Gat has dark skin, and he does not have blonde hair. Gat is a quiet boy; he is not as active as Johnny. He likes reading books alone in the hammock. Although Gat is just a kid, but he is clever. He understands that he is not a Sinclair, and he cannot borrow the boat by himself. Though he is close to Sinclair kids, there is still a line between them. He comes to Cadence, because he likes Cadence. The “liars” are so naive so far; they just play together. Johnny is a naughty, bounce boy, and he hates girls. He kicked his cousins, instead saying hi. “ Back then he would hang our Barbies by the necks or shoot us with guns made of Lego.” (E. Lockhart, We Were Liars, Kindle Locations 209-210) In addition, Johnny is the first grandson, so the grandparents hardly refuse his requests. This makes Johnny spoiled. Oppositely, Mirren is a sweet, curious but wet girl. Cadence is a sensitive and clever girl, but she is not happy. Through the words, Cadence always uses a sarcastic tone; she actually hates her family and the way they live. Her father’s departure hurts Cadence, but she does not say that, like all the Sinclairs do. Cadence is also a clever girl; she understands her situation all the time. When her father leaves, she follows her mother’s orders, because she does not want to lose her mother. When other kids live in the appearance happily, Cadence knows the real situation the family is in. Like what she said:“Suffer migraines. Do not suffer fools.” (E. Lockhart, We Were Liars, Kindle Location 164) Though these kids have different personalities, skin color or background, they are still close friends.

In conclusion, Sinclair is an old-money family, but people are not happy. They hide too many secrets, and they actually live for other people’s eyes. The first five chapters are just beginning. Readers have not known about the accident Cadence suffers, the secrets Sinclairs hide, the lies they tell yet. 

Notes

In this two chapters, Lorenzo went to the hospital where his grandma lived to find some medicines for Olivia. Lorenzo started changing in these two chapters, he wanted to help and save his sister. When he got the pills, he woke his grandma, and she thought Lorenzo came to visit her. Lorenzo then told her a story about the robot which cleaned their swimming pools. The robot's name was K19, which had an electronic brain. It was designed for assassinating Saddam, however, the postman made a mistake. The robot was sent to a family in California. Because K19 is a weapon, it killed thousands of people who lived in California. The government sent armies to kill K19; K19 then jumped into the sea. It seemed like a sad ending, so Lorenzo made up a new ending. K19 lived in the sea with turtles, and it had its own babies. After telling the story, someone saw Lorenzo, so he had to run away. On the way to the cellar, he destroyed Silver Monkey's soup and stole his beer. When he got to the cellar, he saw his sister was lying on the bed. He thought she was dead, but she was not. She just took some sleeping pills and slept.

reaction

When I finished reading chapter 10, I thought this is a good ending. They danced and sang to celebrate the last night. Olivia promised that she would never take drugs, and Lorenzo promised they would meet again. I started imagining the picture of their second meeting. I really hope I didn't keep reading, I should've end in chapter 10! I know I should've go to bed immediately! His sister died because of overdose! She broke her promise, and they met after she dead. This ending made me sad and angry. I feel sad for Olivia, because Roman did not be with her when she was dying, and she was alone again at last. I was mad, because how could the author make up this ending! After reading this book, I only learned one thing: never take drugs, because once you take, it is hard to live without it. 

Revised Haiku Poems

Moonlight

Moonlight is so sweet, 

It lay on my bed tonight , 

say good night to me. 

Go outside

You need to listen,

ha, birds are singing outside, 

but you are working. 

Umbrella 

My heart is raining,

Please give me an umbrella, 

Now it is sunny. 

Three thinking questions

1. What do Lorenzo's parents think about Olivia?
2. Why Olivia has nowhere to go?
3. Why Olivia doesn't ask Lorenzo's parents for help?

Lorenzo's sister

In my opinion, Lorenzo's sister, Olivia is a sensitive and rebel girl who lives in absence of affection, but she is also a poor girl. She smokes, takes nude photos, and keeps getting into trouble. She seems like a bad girl, but this is not all her fault. She lives in a divorced family, and she did not get enough love from her father. However, a father is a big role in either a family or a kid's life. In kids' development, there should be a father to teach them something necessary. In the book, when Olivia gets into trouble, Lorenzo's father just gives money, and he does not teach Olivia the rules in the society that she is supposed to know. Even when they are together, Lorenzo's father is just telling Olivia negative things about her mother. Thus, Olivia keeps making trouble. She is so sensitive that when she saw her box was in the cellar, she was angry. In my opinion, Olivia actually loves her father, and she cares about his feelings. That is why she keeps the stuff and memory of her father in the box. Lorenzo mentioned that when he saw his sister in a party which was held by his father, his sister looked pretty good. When he saw his sister in the cellar, she looked bad. Olivia loves her father, and she wants to get his attention. That might be the reason of why she dressed well in the party and rebel. Olivia wants her father's attention and love, but she goes the wrong way which makes her sensitive and rebel. 

Summary of chapter 5

At the beginning of the chapter, Lorenzo imagined himself as Countess Nunziante. He held a party, everything was interesting. However, his sister Olivia just came, and they were looking for a box together. His sister did not ask why he was hiding in the cellar; she just took her book and left. After she left, Lorenzo read a letter from Olivia to his father. The letter showed how much Olivia hated their father, and then Lorenzo was angry at Olivia. In the midnight, his sister came and asked Lorenzo to let her sleep here. If Lorenzo did not agree, she would tell his parents that he was hiding in the cellar, so Lorenzo allowed Olivia to sleep here for a night. 

Questions

Lorenzo's mother extremely hates the traffic issues in the city, so she wants to bring Lorenzo to countryside. His mother wants to live here, but Lorenzo does not like this idea. One day, she drives into one man's car, and the man's mirror is crashed. He was so aggressive. He wants his mother to pay, and the man says some dirty words to his mother. 

Lorenzo is angry, guilty, afraid, and confused. He does not know what to do. He wants to get out of the car and have a fight with the men, but he has to control his anger. On the other hand, he is afraid of the man. He feels guilty, because he is not able to protect his mother. He is so confused about what he should do. Then he fainted. 

This is important, because he is different from the way he was. He used to be so aggressive; if someone pushed him so hard, he would fight them back. He is not able to save his mother now, however, he thinks he can kill the man. He changed a lot, and he is not as strong as he thinks he is. Thus, it is important. 

Summary

This chapter describes Lorenzo's "ski trip". Lorenzo lied to his mother about the trip, and he had nowhere to go, so he decided to spend his time in the basement. He only ate a bar of chocolate for lunch. He listened to music and imagined what his mother was doing above.

Lorenzo

I like Lorenzo as a character in this book. He is totally different from others in this book or out of this book. This makes me like Lorenzo. He is an interesting character who has a special mental problem, too much self-importance. I haven't seen people who have this problem in my past 17 years life, so I am curious about him and this book. Lorenzo's life is different from normal people's. Going to school is a easy thing for all of us, but it is the most difficult thing for Lorenzo. He should wear mask everyday, if he does not, he will be bullied. For example, when he is young, if somebody does not leave him alone or push him too hard, he wIll shout and throw things to the person. Because of his much self-importance, he thinks everybody is stupid, except his family. All of these differences between him and normal people make this book and this character beautiful. Sometimes strange people are more attractive, so I like Lorenzo as a character I this book.

Me and you chapter 1

I do not like this book so far, because of the author's slow rhythm. When I was reading the first chapter, I almost fell asleep, because the slots run so slow. The author writes lots of descriptive things, such as the description of environment or argument between Lorenzo and Lorenzo's mother. Too much description makes the book boring, that is why I like mystery and fancy novels, because there are less description and more slots. I like the books which have strong and fast rhythm or slots; however, chapter 1 has many boring things, so I do not like this chapter.

Three best choices

1. 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear
2. We were liars
3. The Target

Developing in Spelling Bee

“If you like strange people, you will find I am beautiful”. This is a part of lyrics from my favorite song, which tells a sad love story. This Wednesday, I watched a fantastic musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally quirky grown-ups. This show not only has good characters or actors, but also has excellent musical team, so this is an excellent show.

First of all, the characters are all distinct, this makes this musical interesting and meaningful. My favorite spellers are Leaf, William. They all have their own unique way to live and spell words. For example, Leaf shows up with a pair of pants with mends, a helmet, and a cloak. When he spells words, he yells the words and letters. He seems like a confident boy, but actually he is humbled. He has been told that he was not smart for years. In my opinion, the most important reason of why he joins this competition is that he wants to prove himself. This character makes the show not only interesting, but also significant. William is an arrogant boy, and he spells words by his feet. Before he says the letters aloud, he must use his feet to spell words on the ground. At first, I think this character is so funny, after watching this whole musical, I find this character expresses the main idea. Every character develops during this competition, so does William. In the beginning of the show, he behaves so arrogant, and he seems to be angry all the time. He hardly talks to other spellers, except irony. Even when Olive tries to help him, he refused and pushed Olive. However, in the last few scenes, many things happen, and he changes a lot. Logainne’s father pour some coke on the ground, which means he cannot use his feet to spell words anymore. He is anxious; however, he tries to spell words without his feet, and he succeeds. At last, he becomes more happy and appreciates everything he receives; he even dances with Olive. In my opinion, these two characters are kind of similar; however they both look funny, but they both develop during this competition, which makes this whole show not only interesting but also significant.

Besides distinct characters, good music was the icing on the cake. The musical team works fantastic. This show is musical, so music is necessary. During this musical, I can hear numerous instruments. Several of my friends are performers, and they work so hard that they hardly show up in the dining hall on time. As a result, they make an extremely fantastic show; they express the emotions perfectly. For example, the most impressive scene is when four spellers spell words together, and the music is tensive and intense. The beat of drums is with a sound of pianos or keyboards. Good music makes the plots even the entire drama more impressive, and our musical team does it. Music is the most important part of a musical, so good music was the icing on a cupcake; a cupcake cannot stand alone without icing, and music makes the musical perfect.


In conclusion, this is the most interesting show I have seen in the past one year. I recommend it to all of my friends. In addition, a good book, few distinct characters, professional actors, and fantastic musical band make an excellent show, which is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  

Books

1. We were liars.
This is a novel.
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

2. The Hobbit
This is a fancy fiction.
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a fantasy novel and children's book by English author J. R. R. Tolkien.
Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men",[1] The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug.

3. The truth about forever.
This is a novel.
The story is about a girl named Macy.

4. Crazy Little Thing
This is a novel.
Sadie Turner can organize just about anything — except her own life. When her cheating spouse topples Sadie’s impeccably tidy world, she packs up her kids for a summer vacation at her aunt’s lake house, hoping to relax, reboot, and formulate a new plan — one that does not include men.

5. The target
This is a novel.
Will Robie and his partner Jessica Reel are called in by the President to take down an international criminal. Baldacci's thrilling page-turner keeps the reader hooked as Robie and Reel hunt down their target, yet become targets themselves.

Spelling bee research

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a long one-act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally quirky grown-ups. 
The musical was based upon C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original improvisational play created by Rebecca Feldman and performed by The Farm, a New-York-based improvisational comedy troupe. 
The musical begins with Rona Lisa Peretti entering the gymnasium to set up. As she passes by the microphone, she has a flashback to the moment when she won the third annual spelling bee by correctly spelling syzygy.
The spelling bee begins, and as each non-audience speller is called forward, the audience learns about his or her background through flashbacks (with other characters in the flashbacks being played by the other spellers on stage, including simple nonspeaking roles played by the audience spellers, as guided by the actors). 

Character: 

• Rona Lisa Peretti
• Vice Principal Douglas Panch 
• Mitch Mahoney
• Olive Ostrovsky
• William Morris Barfée
• Logainne "Schwarzy" SchwartzandGrubenniere 
• Marcy Park
• Leaf Coneybear
• Charlito "Chip" Tolentino 
• Three or four spellers from the audience 

Minor characters (All can be doubled by the actors playing the major characters)

• Carl Grubenierre 
• Dan Schwartz 
• Leaf's Dad
• Leaf’s Mom
• Leaf’s Siblings
• Olive’s Mom and Dad
• Jesus Christ

poems

Goat
The goat slow eats grass 
A girl comes and gives it water, 
She brings it to home. 

Umbrella It is sunny here, 
But it is raining in my heart, 
give me a umbrella.

If you jump I jump,
I rather never meet you,
Love is dangerous.

Haiku

Today Was Not Oursby Odhiambo Gilbert Francis

Today was not ours 
Two souls plan as their hearts wish 
The gods have said NO

Haiku Poems

1. Basho Matsuo

Here are three examples of the haiku of Basho Matsuo, the first great poet of haiku in the 1600s:

An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

Autumn moonlight—

a worm digs silently

into the chestnut.

Lightning flash—

what I thought were faces

are plumes of pampas grass.

2. Natsume Soseki

Natsume Soseki lived from 1867 - 1916.  He was a novelist and master of the haiku. Here are a couple of examples of his poems:

Over the wintry

forest, winds howl in  rage

with no leaves to blow.

The crow has flown away:

swaying in the evening sun,

a leafless tree.  

3. Yosa Buson

Three examples of the haiku of Yosa Buson from the late 1700s are offered here:

A summer river being crossed

how pleasing

with sandals in my hands!

Light of the moon

Moves west, flowers' shadows

Creep eastward.

In the moonlight,

The color and scent of the wisteria

Seems far away.

A Pearl Life

A Pearl Life

“Difficult times can make you rich and strong.” (Sook, Page 145) Oysters went through painful processes, then get beautiful pearls. In the book, Gathering of Pearls, the main character, Sookan has a great mother who told her this story to encourage her work hard and overcome bad time. In the cover, a girl with a black dress is gathering pearls on the floor. She is kneeling on the floor and keeping her head down; few plum blossoms are around her. This girl is Sookan, and she wears a black dress which is made by her mother. Once she got a necklace from her teacher; she broke it, so she is gathering the pearls. Sookan seems to be stuck in the black room, gathering pearls that have fallen; this image suggests that she has a sad life. However actually she gets her friends' and mother's love to support her, just like the beautiful flowers that surround her, and therefore she can fix the pearl necklace, which represents her future. 

First, these pearls represent difficulties, and a beautiful necklace means a great future. Like the cover says, Sookan's life is difficult, but it is a necessary part of her life. In this book, Sookan has numerous troubles or problems in her first year in America, such as language problem or cultural differences. For example, at first, Sookan takes some douses which are too difficult to her, such as world literature, world religious and early Europe history. However she works extremely hard; still, she cannot get fantastic grades. Once she even fainted in the bathroom on an early morning, because she stays up to study for the test. Also, she spends all her time on studying or working to remain scholarship, so Sookan even does not have time to choose an art class which she likes. However, she seems like suffering a lot, but this is good for her, which means she takes high-level classes to learn some more professional knowledge. If she wants a perfect life, she must go through the hard time and overcome these difficulties. If she wants to get a beautiful pearl necklace, she must gather the pearls and thread them. After overcoming these problems and gathering all the pearls, Sookan gets a good life and a beautiful necklace. Sookan is in a hard time, but the only way to getting through these troubles is facing them. Like her mother says in the letter: ”Your life has been hard, and you have come through all those difficult times enriched with enormous wisdom for someone so young”. (Sook, page 145) Thus, Sookan's bad life is just a while, there is a beautiful life or necklace waiting for her. 

Although Sookan is going through a hard time, she still gets encouragement or help from her family and friends. In the cover, there are several plum blossoms which makes the cover colorful. Like the flowers, friends’ and family’s help and support bring Sookan’s life more happiness. For instance, Sookan has two good friends, Ellen and Marci. No matter what happens, they are always on Sookan’s side and help her. When Sookan is confused about whether she should obey her sister or choose her own way, Ellen and Marci give her advice which can really help her out. Ellen told Sookan that: “You can be married , have a family, and still be a teacher, or a social worker, or a volunteer if you want. You don't have to be a nun to help others.” (Sook, page 59) Actually, those words change Sookan’s life. Sookan used to think she should obey her sister blindly and go back to Korea after graduating, but she then realizes that she should follow her heart. At last, she stays in America. Two of Sookan’s friends are like the most evergreen blossoms in her life; they always be with her and give her right direction. Also, Sookan’s mother always supports Sookan as much as possible. She cares about Sookan all the time. She knows she is dying, so she writes her last letter to Sookan and asks her son to send this letter after she dies, because she hope Sookan can focus on her study. She encourages Sookan to be strong and not to be sad for her death. She is like the most bright blossom in Sookan’s life; she guides Sookan to step out of darkness every time. These blossoms, her friends and family give Sookan much help, they are like lamps which help Sookan find her way in the dark. 

In conclusion, Sookan goes through hard times; however, she feels much pain, but she knows difficulties can make her strong. Moreover, there are still some people who support her to overcome difficulties and get a wonderful life. They are almost the most colorful blossoms in Sookan’s life. Overall, Sookan must have a pearl life. 

Citation:

Choi, Sook Nyul., and Sook Nyul. Choi. Gathering of Pearls. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.

An Adventurous New Life

The famous scientist, Niels Bohr said that: ” Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future.” People never know what will happen in five years, so does Sookan. In the last chapter of Gathering Of Pearls, Sookan decides to follow her heart and accept her sister without obeying her blindly, and she gets a new life.

First of all, I think Sookan may not stay in America, nor return to Korea. She will become a leader of an international organization, like WWF or U.N., especially something medical. She may be in Nepal or Kenya to help poor people. Her mother’s sudden death influences her much. She regrets to not stay with her mother in the last few months of her life, so she may give this love to needy people. She will help people as a voluntary nurse. In the book, she never says she wants to return to Korea and be a nun; this is her sister’s opinion. Now, Sookan decides to follow her heart, and her dearest mother was already dead. Especially after talking to Ellen, she knows there are numerous ways to help others, so she has no reason to go back. She wants to be a volunteer more than a nun; to be a volunteer can give her more freedom. Also, she will not become an elementary school teacher. This is a great job, but it doesn't suit Sookan. In my opinion, Sookan seems like a tender girl, but actually she is an adventurous person. She chose to study in America, even if everyone disagreed with her. Her family thought that she was too young to go abroad alone, but the fact is she did it. She does not like this job; she likes interesting and adventurous job which is volunteer. After 5 years’ volunteering and working, Sookan is a leader of the group. She keeps working and helping poor people.

Second, I do not think she will marry Tom. People always say first love is a disaster, and only a few people can marry their first lovers. They

are too young, and Sookan even does not have love experience. They do not know how to love or how to care for each other. Tom is a charming boy, so there must be many girls like him. He may not treat Sookan really serious. Sookan is kind of conservative, so she must be annoyed by those girls who like Tom. They are not fit to each other, therefore, they will not get married.

Also, I think she will run off with Marci to Greece. As I wrote above, Sookan now follow her heart. She’d like to do something that she is interested. For example, she takes an art class, because she likes drawing. She does not think that is wasting her study hours anymore. Sookan likes Greece, also she needs a relaxing environment. She took Greek culture in her first year in America. I think she must want to visit Greece, and this is a good chance to visit this beautiful place with her friend. At that time, Sookan is suffering from her mother’s death. She really needs a relaxing place where can make her forget these sad things. Thus, it is good for her to go to Greece, and I think she will go.

In conclusion, Sookan will be a member of an international volunteer organization. About her life, I think she will not marry Tom. These decisions show Sookan is totally a tough, adventurous and independent girl. After realizing and following her heart, she gets a really different life. 

GOP chapter 13-18

Chapter 13

1. Marci has a bad relationship with her parents. She feels awkward to talk to her parents. There is a big conflict between her parents and her, so they always have a fight when they talk. 
2. First, throw out the letters, and do not think about them. Second, tell her sister the truth. Third, live her own life and not just imitate her sister’s. 
3. I don’t think Sookan will follow Marci’s advice, because she will feel guilty. She still cares about her family and the traditions in the Korean culture. She feels that if she does it, she will be a disgrace to her family. 

Chapter 14

1. Sister Reed gives a beautiful pearl necklace to Sookan, because she thinks Sookan is a truly extraordinary young woman. 
2. Ellen is engaged to Kyle in this chapter. 
3. Her parents are so upset, they said Ellen should give the ring back. After Sister Reed called her parents, her parents were furious. They also asked her to call the announcement off and  come home right away. 
4. I agree with her position. We can see Sookan is a true friend of Ellen. She really care about Ellen’s happiness. If Ellen elopes, she will be happy for one moment. After that moment, she may regret. Though, she gets married with Kyle, but she will not be happy without her parents’ benediction. Her parents love her, Ellen should talk to her parents. 

Chapter 15

1. She spent all her money for the party. She spent her time on the party and drank alcohol. She feels guilty, because she played instead of studying. She thinks her sister will disappoint at her. However, she really enjoys the party. She is confused that whether it is her problem or her sister’s problem. Also, she starts thinking whether she should obey to her sister. 
2. If I were Sookan, I would not spend much money on the clothes, instead, I would put on my hanbok. I would keep attending parties and hang out with my friends, but I would only do these things every two weeks. I would not tell my sister these things. 

Chapter 16

1. I think she has accomplished. She got great job on her study. Second, she remains the scholarship and keep studying in America by working so hard. Third, she fits in well in her first year. She makes good friends. 
2. At first, she thinks the only important thing in her life is to study, she took many difficult classes. Also, she cares her sister too much, she even cannot live for herself. She changed a lot. Now she understands studying is not the only important thing. She takes painting class. She starts to enjoy her college life. 

Chapter 17

1. Her mother died. 
2. First, she could not believe that, she sat, buried her face in her hands and sobbed. She stayed in her room and cried for the rest of the day.  She regretted to come to America when her mother needed her most. At last, she decided to work hard. 

Chapter 18

1. She realizes that no one is infallible, she needs to accept her sister and respect her without obeying her blindly. She has to follow her heart. 
2. I will suggest her not to be sad for long and talk to her sister and brothers more. Something happened, we cannot change it, but we should appreciate what we have. Her sister and brothers are her only relatives, so she need to appreciate them and talk to them more. 

Decisions

“ To be or not to be, that’s a question. ” In our life, we have many things to decide. Every decision we make will influence our life. In this book, Sookan, the main character is an 18-year-old girl who decided to study in America alone. The author writes a lot of things about her study and life in America. That is the reason why I like this book, it is resonant. Sookan and I have similarities. 

First of all, this book had stuck a chord in my heart. As an international student in a strange country, I can see part of my life in the book. Sometimes we have same moods, feelings and experiences. I learn how to solve same problems from this book. For example, once Sookan fainted in the bathroom, because she was too tired. She is a hard-working student. She does not want her family to be disappointed at her, and she has to remain her scholarship. These things push her to work hard. Sometimes I also have this feeling. I always want to be a good student or a good daughter. I extremely care about grades, because I want to prove that I work hard and I get good grades by myself. I spend their money in a right way. I hope they feel that they made a good decision, and I wish they can be proud of me. Sookan is like another me, I can see my feelings from her. 

Second, In my opinion, Sookan is a tough girl, I learnt many things from her. She never regrets at her decisions. She wants to study abroad, everyone is against her. They think she is too young to go abroad alone, but Sookan believes she can do it. However, the facts show us Sookan is a tough girl and she made a right decision. No matter how difficult the things she faces, she never gives up. Besides, she wants to be the best one. Numerous international students give up their study and come back to their own countries when they have difficulties. In this book, we can see Sookan struggle many times, but she only thinks how to solve the problems. She never thinks she can give up. This is her, a good problem solver. I learnt a lot from her. Every time I feel it is too difficult to me, I cannot do it. I will think about her, I want to be a tough girl like her. Then I just take a deep breath and move on. I studied and improved myself by reading this book and getting to know this girl. 

In conclusion, this is good book for international students. I must recommend this book to all my friends. I found another me in this book. I hope it can resonant with my friends. I learnt many things from this book, and I hope this book can help some struggling people out. We make decisions whole time. We do not have to make everything right, but we should try our best to have persistence. 

Gathering of pearls thinking questions

1. Do you think Sookan will keep obeying her sister or listen to Ellen?
2. According to the letters, list 3 differences between Korea and America.

Gathering of pearls questions (Chapter 6-12)

Chapter 6

1. Sookan and her sister’s conflict is her sister wanted her to write the letter as soon as possible. However Sookan has much work to do, she does not have enough time to do this. Her sister’s tone in that letter was really strict, that made Sookan think her sister does not care her feelings. That’s the conflict. Actually, the internal conflict is Sookan is in a period of changing. She started fitting in American culture, and there are many differences from Korean culture and American culture. Sookan used to totally obey her sister. Now, she is wondering if she should abbey her sister everything. That is the internal conflict. This part is really important for this book, because this is a important period for Sookan. Sookan started changing and fitting in America. This is a transition period, so it is important. 

Chapter 7

1. Ellen thinks social scenes are important to college life. 

2. Sookan used to want to go back to Korea and be a nun like her sister after she graduate. However, Ellen told her she can married, have a family, and still be a teacher, or a social worker, or a volunteer if she wants. She does not need to help others as a nun. 

3. In my opinion, Sookan needs to listen to Ellen, because she needs to fit in America society. She is no longer in Korea, so she should change a thinking mind. 

Chapter 8

1. Because she missed the afternoon attendance for meeting. 

2. I don't think she made a right decision, because writing a letter did not deserve five demerits. If I were she, I would stay up for a while at night to write this letter. I would not sneak out from the meeting. 

3. She writes about her babysitting job and her opinions for if men should do housework. The most thing she writes is she lists the differences between America and Korea, and she writes her own opinions. She also writes something about the election day. She shares part of her life with her sister. She also expresses her love and apology to her sister. 

4. First, her sister will ask her not to forget Korean culture, she will tell her Korean culture is better than American culture. Then, she may encourage Sookan to work hard. 

Chapter 9

1. Good: 1. Sookan has a chance to have a rest, and Ellen's mother's gift makes Sookan be touched. 

           2. Ellen's family makes Sookan feel warm. Also, it is good for Sookan to fit in America. 

     Bad: 1. Ellen's family makes Sookan get a little bit homesick. 

               2. Sookan has less time to study. 

Chapter 10

1. Shower room is her secret study spot. 

2. She suffered from exhaustion, and she had a fever. She fainted. 

3. She and Marci and Ellen can all get together over vacation, but she is not to take any books with her to Marci's. 

Chapter 11

1. The difference is mother is concerned about Sookan more, sister requires Sookan more. Mother loves Sookan, and she does not want Sookan to be so tired and worried about the family. Mother's life is all about the family. She talks about her daughters and brothers all the time. Sister has more requirements for Sookan. She cannot understand Sookan' difficulties and struggling. She wants Sookan to work really hard and complete her requirements excellent. Sister's life is more about her job and helping others. 

Chapter 12

1. She prepares Korean foods, such as Bulgogi, salad and rice. 

2. Ellen makes butter cookies, and Marci makes brownies.

3. Sister Reed joins them. 

4. First, this gathering makes Sookan think of her family and her life in Korea. It also gives Sookan a chance to relax and be with her friends, Bennetts family and sister Reed. These things and people make her happy. Also, she understands why her mom love to see people enjoy the foods that she cooks and why she loves cooking.