Why I Write

I often find that I do not have as much time time to write as I would like to, or probably should. I took this compostion class to help prepare me in college, by practicing writing skills and techniques. I mainly write only when I am instructed to do so. If I were to write more, it would be because I believe it can be a big stress reliever! Writing allows you to say whatever is on your mind. The best part about writing is that no one has to known what you’re saying unless you want them to. Or you can publish a book and have everyone know what you wrote. Writing is a very accepting activity. There is poetry, blogs, journals, fictional/nonfictional stories, etc. I garuntee anyone could find at least one from of writing that they enjoy.

Plagiarism

This article states that most students/people don't realize how bad plagiarism really is. They think copying and pasting a few sentences does no harm. Using words that are not your own, is not being honest and it does not show how you would write, personally. At the end of this article, it says "writing is difficult, and it takes time and practice," this quote should be heavily used throughout colleges and highschools around the world. It seems to imply that with the work (time and practice) writing will come easier and plagiarism will not be needed. Taking classes such as composition and free writing classes will help to improve better writing skills and it should come to th point where students shouldn't even be thinking about using someone eleses words for their own.

Reading Respponse 7: Safe Haven

Katie now has transportation thanks to Alex, lending her a bicycle that he had fixed up for her. She explores parts of the island that she had never been able to before. She finds all these beautiful quiet places that she can now go to when she wants to think about things. While finding these new things and places, she is also beginning to find herself. She is thinking a lot about Alex and beleiving that she could some day fall in love with this man. Alex is also thinking the same thing throughout this chapter. This chapter mainly shows what the characters are thinking in their heads. "She wasn't exacty sure when it happened. Or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and right now, she was falling hard and she could only hope that he was feeling the same way," this was a quote from this chapter and it displays her effection for Alex and how much she has changed from the beginning of the book when she first moved, to now.

Reading Respnse 6: Safe Haven

As Katie rides to the beach with Alex and the kids in his jeep, she thinks about how the loneliness she sees in Alex matches her own loneliness. When they get there, Alex's kids run to the water. Katie and Alex unload everything and sit down and relax. They are talking and Alex says "Jo used to do that," then he apologizes to Katie for bringng her up. Katie telles him it's good for him to talk about her. She knows Jo will always be apart of his and the kids life and she is completely fine with that. This chapter, Katie and Alex grow a stronger relationship through the time they have spend together. They spend the whole day at the beach getting to know eachother. "Yeah... Yeah... At first I tried to avoid every place we went together. I tried to put it behind me. I tried to... step forward. But it just didn't work. And I realized if I'm not thinking about her then who is. She didn't deserve that; she was an amazing woman and I loved her, and I want my children to know that." This was a quote from Alex in this chapter. The way he talks about his wife, shows how much he loved and still does love her. He is never going to move on fully from the loss of her but he is ready to start a new life.

Meow

I am a passionate animal lover so I decided I would like my topic to be about animal testing but figured that was a little too broad. I then thought about the cats in my anatomy class that we disect. Ms. Blake, the anatomy teacher tells us all about the cats before we disect them, like where they come from, what we will be learning, etc. These cats are bread especially for anatomy classes. They breed the cats and then inject them and send them to anatomy classrooms around the country. My topic is wheather or not it is right to kill these cats for us to further our education or if there are alternatives to learning about the body without sacrificing these animals. I will be using Ms. Blake, Biologyproducts.com, and peta.org as some of my resources.

Fifth Reading Response: Safe Haven

This Chapter is a reflection from Katies past. She invites Jo, over to her house and while she is cutting up snacks and pouring tea, Katie is realizing how nice her old house used to be and all the things that were in it. She remembers her family and how her father was always drunk but she also sees the happy times they used to have. She realizes that the things she has are not nice like her old things were but she recognizes her old life as her enemy now. Jo notices something is wrong with Katie and has a good guess as to what it is. Jo says to Katie, "I have a curiosity." Jo is curious as to what is wrong with Katie and Katie explains to her some of the troubles she had had before moving.

Article 1 Response

This article is mainly talking about the internet overpowering books. Nicholas Carr states that " Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski." He is implying that before the internet came about, books were all that people had known. He used to read all the time and have a wide vocabulary and attention spand, toward more difficult literature but now he skims the internet. Others are also aware that this has been happening over these past years. Scientists have done studies and they have predicted that the current and upcoming generations will learn differently than people used to because of the internet and how we read.  

Readers Response 4: Safe Haven

This chapter starts off with Katie at the store, talking to Alex's daughter about a "lovely" picture she had drawn. Alex comes in and starts making small conversation with Katie. The conversation somehow gets on the topic about his wife and he explains that she had passed away a couple years ago. Although, she already knew, she showed great sympathy for Alex. Katie and Jo start becoming better friends as the book continues. Jo is always trying to get Katie to go out on a date with Alex but Katie doesn't understand why. It is very obvious that the two like eachother. "That was him making a move" this was a quote from Jo to Katie about Alex.

Readers Response Three: Safe Haven

Alex is a old fashioned store owner whose wife had just died a little over a year ago. He has two children. Alex used to be a military investigator in the army so he notices a lot of little things that most peole would not. He has noticed Katie come in and out of the store over the last couple months. He's watched her transmation, from gaunt with big black circles under her eyes, to gaining a few pounds and looking well rested. Alex's five year old daughter tells him all the time how nice "Miss Katie" is. He's noticed that Katie does not like to conversate very much and when he tries to she seems shy and nervous. Katie finds out she has a neighbor that lives down the road from her named Jo. Katie goes to Alex's store one day and decides to buy yellow paint to paint her kitchen floor. Alex orders the paint for Katie even though the store does not actually sell paint or order it but he does it for Katie.
"When did we start selling paint," asked Roger, one of the other store workers. "Today," said Alex.

FACE TO FACE

The story I found interesting was the story of the boy who was getting irritated by his friend making jokes about 9/11, right after it had occured. I find it extremely disrespectful to joke about anything that has to do with the death of others. People die each day and it doesn't seem like a huge deal but it is to the people who have lost someone. I beleive that it is selfish to act in such a disrespectful way. Maybe this person was not related to anyone that had passed on the day of 9/11, but thousands of others were and they were all greievng from this tragic day. It seems that many people don't see the true meanng of something until it happens to them. I beieve that if the person who was joking around about 9/11, had any relationshions to any of the people who were killed that day, he would have a much different outlook on this aspect.

What Inspires You?

I am inspired by soccer. I have been playing soccer for over seven years now and I love everything about it. I play year round, with my club and school team. My club team plays during the fall and school season is during the spring. Throughout winter, I play indoor with both teams. I play competitive soccer with my club team and we go to out of town tournaments about once a month to big cities like, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Memphis. It really is a fun experience to go out of town with your teamattes and bond with one another. Indoor is also pretty competitive. We go to a tournament in Chicago and get to play several teams from different states. I love soccer because it's not an individual sport. You have to trust and be able to rely on your teamattes during a game, in order to play well. I love getting the chance to meet new people from different cities and states. When I step on a soccer field I instantly am happy. I can forget about everything else and just play the sport that I love. Soccer inspires me.

Reading Response Two: Safe Haven

Katie recently has gotten a job as a waitress, at a resturaunt alongside the ocean. She is extremely greatful for this job because it is a true meaning to her new start in this town. A couple of the men she works with have asked her on dates or if she would like a ride home and each time she politely says no and says that walking is good for her. Katie has a small house a couple miles away that she walks to and from every day to go to work. This chapter doesn't explain too much about her past yet but it is intriguing because it is still in the air on why she has moved to this small town.

First line, Last line

First line: "Once upon a time there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person." This is a quote by Anne Tyler from the book, Back When We Were Grownups. This book is about a 53 year old woman who is finding herself. She's a famous celebrator who throws parties on a daily basis. An attendent of one of her parties catches her eye. The two eventually get married and have a child together right after he divorces his current wife. Later down the road, she asks herself what it is that she wants in life. This book is about finding who you are.

Last line: "Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision."
This is a quote from Virginia Woolf from the book, To The Lighthouse.The novel begins with James Ramsay, age six, wanting to go to the Lighthouse that’s across the bay from the Ramsays’ summer home. His mother, Mrs. Ramsay, holds out hope that the weather will be good tomorrow so they can go to the Lighthouse, but Mr. Ramsay believes that the weather will be awful. The rest of the book is about his trip to the lighthouse and everything that happens there.

I Am..

I am hazel green eyes beige, sun kissed freckly skin,
Long brown hair with soft caramel highlights,
My mother's short height and my father's slender body
I am an animal lover, who wishes she could own a zoo,
A soccer lover since seventh grade,
A star gazer who follows her horoscope religiously
I am a traveler, havng been on fourty-two planes,
A fall kind of girl, loving every bit of the cool breeze and vibrant colors of leaves
I am happy,outgoing, and full of depth,
Family and friend oriented; a social butterfly,
I am the innocent girl who still draws hearts on her homework
I am the understanding one
I worry when people don't feel accepted
I am the person who believes everyone has a place in life
I want to make a difference in this world
I am a girl who has recently had her life changed from the passing of a loved one
I am Grayson's number one fan
I have a beautiful angel that looks after me
I look at life differently, trying to notice all the little things
I am who I want to be.