Animal Farm

Poetry Out Loud Performances.

Shawntay A. Henry recited the poem, "Frederick Douglass" by Robert E. Hayden. Shawntay did a very good job performing this poem with a powerful, and clear voice so I could hear and take in every word she said. She displays her body language perfectly, by not being over dramatic, yet dramatic at the right times. Although, Shawntay's voice and articulation was her supreme point. Her strong voice really helped me understand the entire meaning behind this poem.


I interpreted that this poem's purpose is the predict Frederick Douglasses' future praise. It states "this man shall be remembered". Also, instead of referring to Douglass directly, he labels him "this Douglass". This emphasizes the importance of Frederick, elevating him from the status of a single man to an idea or noun. Also, Hayden gives Douglass the ultimate title, comparing him to the earth itself. Hayden uses distinct word choice to detail Douglasses' legacy; "Lives" are "grown out of his life" and are "fleshing his dream". It seems to me as if Douglass's life is the soil that the lives of freed blacks will grow. In addition, this poem salutes freedom, while mentioning its drawbacks. Two words used to describe freedom are; "beautiful" and "needful", which shows that freedom is a great thing, although also has its cons.

Mockingbird Motif.

While I was doing the summer assignment, I didn't have any idea what the word motif really meant, and even after writing the definition for it, I was still pretty unclear as to what it really was. By definition motif is; a recurring theme in a novel that helps a book progress or get across a message more easily. While reading; To Kill a Mockingbird, I got a much better understanding of what it means, mostly due to the Mockingbird Motif throughout the novel. It seems to run the plot and motivate the themes of the book which were; . I understood the motif exceptionally well in this book because the different themes in the book were tied together with the motif.

It is referred to the most with Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. These two characters are known to be innocent and fragile just like a mockingbird. It would be a sin to kill them, which is where the title of the book comes from. Tom Robinson was respectful and eager to help Mayella and ended up being accused of her rape. Although it was completely obvious that he was innocent, the jury found him guilty because of his race. Toms theme obviously represents racism. The entire book is based on the fact that 'whites are better than blacks'. Boo Radley lived a secluded life in his house, although Jem and Scout were always curious to find out more about him. He never did anything bad to anyone and was continuously oppressed by his brother Nathan. Boo exemplifies the theme of loss of innocence. At the start he seems to be this quite person and ends up murdering Bob Ewell at the end.

Life Lesson.

When walking through a toy or candy store, it is virtually impossible for a small child to get through without wanting something inside. Although at that age, I thought that rather than just wanting it, I needed it. My parents would continuously tell me that there is a large different between a need and a want, although being the stubborn kid I was, I wouldn't ever give it up. I would see something in the store that caught my eye and I demanded it. I NEEDED it. I would go over every reason in the book as to why I needed it and how detrimental it would be if I did not get it. My parents could have easily purchased me these gifts, however I am now glad that they did not enable my behavior no matter how much of a fit I would throw.

Now when I look at purchasing at item that I think I need, or just really want, I try to ask myself if this is actually an essential. I try to consider if there are cheaper alternatives or if this is something I will continue to use, or just get tired of it after using it only a few times. Although I have been taught many 'life lessons' through out my life, I think this one will stick with me forever and I will always hear my dad's voice in my head asking if I really need it or if I just want it.


-Mariah. :]

My Best Friends.

I have four best friends, that have been my best friends since 5th grade.

First of all, there is Mikayla Hougan. She has medium length, light brown hair that is very curly and bouncy. She is a medium height, and always seems to have a smile on her recently braces-free face. She is the kind of person that you can always count on to Cheer you up, get the best advice from, and trust with your life. I think her sense of style and fashion tells a lot about her bubbly personality, she always has on the cutest clothes that only she could pull off. She is an awesome soccer player, and amazing writer.
And then there is Erika Francks. She also has curly hair that is always volumized to the max, and has the perfect slim and tall figure. She has the most outrageous personality and can make me laugh even when I'm in the worst mood. She probably has both the worst and best jokes, and I think she laughs at them more than the people she's telling them to. Erika spends 99% of her life with ballet, and the rest with theatre and singing. She is also a major perfectionist, and cares a little too much about her grades, and I know a lot of people who care about their grades, but she is the only one who would freak out and not stop talking about her A- on one assignment.
Kate Wilburn is next. Her black hair that she claims is dark brown is always so shiny and perfect, and although she tends to slouch over all the time, she is a medium height. She has a personality that makes you always want to be around her, and makes it impossible for you to stay mad at her for more than a few minutes. Although her sense of humor is a little on the weird side, I must say. She is really into theatre, drama, singing and soccer.
Last but not least is Blake Kanz. Her long, dark brown hair is always worn down and straight, and her bangs always have that desirable swoop that we all want. She likes to play soccer, and is quite the artist. I also believe she has many hidden talents. She has the loudest, most obnoxious laugh that I secretly like, and she is always herself, no matter what.


I wouldn't consider any of my best friends to be either egoists or egotists, because I don't enjoy hanging around people who have that kind of attitude. Although, we all have our moments where we are egoists, we are only human. I would say that each of them are mostly altruist and extrovert people. All five of us are all so different, although very much the same.


-Mariah. :]

Earliest Memory.

When I think back as far as I can, the only thing that comes to my mind is the earthquake that happened when I was in Kindergarten. I have a very vivid memory in my mind of that entire day. It was just after lunch, and it was recess time. Mikayla Hougan and I were just sitting on the bark talking about what we wanted to do for the Science Fair, because well, the play toys at Pioneer Elementary School weren't that much of an interest to us. All of the sudden the ground began to shake. We had gone through earthquake drills before, although they always took place inside. We didn't know what to do, or where to go; so we just stood there and held hands. We looked around and saw all the other kids running around and screaming, but we just stood there completely calm and silent, holding each others hand.

After the ground stopped shaking, teachers brought out the tub full of food that we were supposed to eat in case of an emergency. I sat there and ate my animal crackers until my mom could get off work and take me home. Ever since that day so many years ago, Mikayla and I have been the best of friends. I guess an earthquake can really bring two people together.

-Mariah. :]

The Metamorphosis - imagery.

In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafta, imagery is the dominant literary element in my mind. It is used heavily throughout the entire book to describe Gregor, the main characters', thoughts, actions and appearance. The author does a great job describing how pathetic his life seems to be before, and then how even more pointless it turns out to be after he is turned into a giant cockroach. Without all of the many parts of the novel describing how Gregor has to struggle to do simple everyday things in the body of a cockroach, this book would not have been nearly as enjoyable. With all of the graphic imagery, I felt as if I was a character witnessing everything going on.

The entire book focuses mainly on how horrible his life has turned out to be, and it goes from one negative event to another. Without the vivid detail and imagery explaining each and every event that happened, it would have easily been a boring read. It seemed as if I was putting sticky note after sticky note that said IMAGERY on it into my copy of the novel. Without the images nothing would have seemed realistic. I got emotionally attached and felt as if I was in Gregor's shoes multiple times.

-Mariah. :]

Outside Reading.

I am currently reading The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafta, and am thoroughly enjoying it! A lot of times it takes me a few chapters to start to really get into a book, although that was not the case this time. From the very first sentence I was completely engaged. Gregor, the main character, turns into a bug from the very beginning, which was interesting to me, because I had no background information on him, and I surprisingly like this tactic the author used. I have been slowly learning throughout every page who Gregor really is. I'm the kind of reader that is fond of books that keep me entertained from start to finish, and it looks like Franz Kafta is doing just that.

So far imagery has completely taken over. Every page is packed with details which make me feel like I'm a character in it, and am witnessing everything that is going on. I'd say that this literary element is fairly obvious. The author didn't really have a choice but to add imagery, because without it The Metamorphosis would not be a good book at all in my mind. Kafta has to explain how Gregor sees things differently as a cockroach as opposed to a human. Also, just describing how his appearance has changed made it so much more intriguing and fun to read.

Language is used to create the tone in The Metamorphose. Franz Kafta uses humerus dialog to help set the mood. The style changes when it switches from Gregor's point of view, to third person. The setting takes place mostly in Gregor's room, so he feels isolated and trapped, which also relates to the tone.

-Mariah. :]

Writing About Reading!

No matter how bad or good my day goes, I always know that I can come home to my book and it will completely take my mind off of everything that I have been worrying and stressing about. Reading is the one thing that I can always count on.

When I just can't seem to get into the book I'm reading, I tend to continue reading it because there is always a good reason I'm reading it in the first place. Either it was recommend by a friend or family member, or I am reading it for an assignment. I trust my friends and families' opinions and know that teachers pick books for us to read for a reason. I almost never start a book and don't finish it. I would continuously wonder what happened in the book if I didn't finish it.

When the reading place that I am yearning for just isn't available, I cope with it. There are always times when you get stuck in loud and obnoxious environments, yet you have to continue reading. I try to zone out everything going on around me and really focus on what I'm reading. Although I do read better in quiet places where I am alone, I don't find it too hard to read when there are things going on around me, although for some people, it is almost impossible.

When I read a book, everything seems to depend on my mood. If I'm in a great mood and all is well, I make everything that is going on seem really happy, usually way happier than it really is. But if my mood isn't the best, I sometimes twist the author's words and make things duller than they actually are. The style of books I'm interested in are ones that keep me 100% engaged through the entire book. I like suspenseful, comical, and depressing books the most. It may seem that those three genres are completely different from each other, but in my mind they are very much the same. To me, those books never fail to keep me flipping the pages until I'm finished with the entire book.

I'd say I read fiction for two main reasons. One is because it makes me think. Think about where the author even got those ideas from, or think about if that made up place could be real, some where out there. Also, because I love comedic books, and for a majority of the time, fiction books are fun stories where you can never expect what will happen next, what will jump out at you, what surprising twist the author will throw in there.

-Mariah. :]