Katherine's English 1 Blog

Julia - Summer 2017 Grace M - Free Write

Over the summer, while I was in New York, my cousins and I decided it would be nice to go on a hike through the mountains. We all hopped in the mud-covered, shabby, black jeep and took a 45 minute ride to a famous trail. I remember sitting next to my cousin Samantha, passing by hundreds of trees at a time. Once we got to the trail, we parked in the battered, old parking lot and my family piled out of the car. We all huddled up and figured out which path we would take. We finally made a decision on what trail to take after what felt like hours of arguing. We got started hiking. The views of the mountains were breathtaking. The trees were every color of green you could imagine, but these precious moments were short lived. My littlest cousin, Christian, said he heard deep growls and heavy footsteps. My uncle told him not to worry; it was probably just someone's dog. Then, one-by-one everyone in my family started hearing these spine-chilling noises. It was a huge elephant in the room b

               In The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I have noticed a variety of things including the voice and the social structure of the time period in which the book is set. The voice of the book is one of a realistic sounding dialect of an African American maid in the 1960s. Due to the time that Aibeleen and Minny live in, I figure that the two didn't have the same education that some other people got. For example, she says things like, "After while, Miss Leefolt huff and go out to the carport."                I have also noticed the social structure of the time period in which the book is set. The novel is set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, where there is still segregation. For example, many rich, white families have "colored bathrooms" for their maids. These families even go to say that the bathrooms bring more property value to their homes. Another example is when Minny is shocked to have a white woman offer her a drink: " I look at Miss Celie Rae Foot

Dr. D - Blog

               I started off my summer with a summer geometry course. I took the class with Katie and we spent a month constantly doing math homework. After that, I got to take a break and I went to the Adirondacks in New York. There, I visited with friends and family. We celebrated the fourth of July with my cousins by doing fireworks, having a picnic, and making smores. We stayed there for about two weeks. While we were there, we went tubing, paddle boarding, fishing, and hiking. Before we left New York completely, my family and I decided to stop in New York City. There, we spent lots of time shopping down Fifth Avenue. We also took a visit to the Statue of Liberty.                Once we got back from New York, I realized I had a lot of summer reading to do. Once I finished all my summer reading, I went to Marimar Beach, Florida, with my friend and her family. At the beach we swam, tanned, and shopped. We also spent a day on her boat, which was super fun. Right when we got back fr

               One thing I noticed was the way The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho is written. It is written like an ancient fable. Throughout the book, there are words of wisdom and lessons to be learned. Generally, the Alchemist provides these lessons to the novel's protagonist, Santiago. The book is set in a pre-modernistic time, where there is most likely no advanced technology. The wording is simple and the author lays out the scene using vivid details. The author spends his time telling the reader exactly how the setting is rather than providing a lot of action in the novel.                I also noticed that the novel incorporates a lot of old-fashioned views. For example, many women who were married have to wear veils on their heads. This makes sense, though, because it is set in ancient times. They also make women and children stay on the oasis, while men were normally not allowed to do this because it was believed that they didn't need as much protection in wars. This, ag