I Believe I am Rock and Roll

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I, Evan Louis Sale, believe in Rock and Roll.  

Rock and Roll has done so much for me in my life that it has shaped the way I live it. I grew up in my dad’s car on my way to preschool listening to bands like The Smiths, The Cure, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I have always been surrounded by this style of music, and I believe it made me the person I am today.

I believe music has the power to tell your mind to do something or act someway. An example of a song that can make me feel like a beast is the song “Bawitdaba” by Kid Rock. During 8th grade, I used to listen to this song on the drive to lacrosse with my dad before every game. This song is one of my dad’s and my favorites. I would get the chills rolling into the opposing team’s parking lot blaring “MY NAME IS KID ROCK”. I would get out of the car with the thought that I could not be stopped. This song was unmatched by any other song on my pump up playlist. The song could get me to become a mad man.

For the CYO championship against Our Lady of Victory on the U of D Jesuit back field, I was so nervous for the game because OLV had already beaten us twice that year. I was so nervous that I felt sick. However, that all changed when I heard the slow chant of the beginning of the Kid Rock song. As soon as I heard it, a wave of calmness came over me, and I knew it was my turn to take control. Rock and Roll can take me from being a nice polite boy before the game and turn me into an animal during the game. I got out of my dad’s jeep, and I was positive we were going to win. Something about the song that day just sent me over the edge. In the back of my head all game, I continued to think about the lyrics and how they rocked so hard. I wanted to play just as hard as Kid Rock rocked. I had a great game that day. I scored a goal and got an assist, all thanks to the influence of rock and roll.

Music really gets my juices flowing. It stimulates my brain to the point that when I am listening to a song that I get mentally and physically engulfed in the music. When my headphones are in, the world is tuned out.  I get so into the music that it takes someone yelling to get my attention. Music transports me to a new world. My music is a little piece that defines who I am. For example, when I am listening to Bob Dylan or Sublime, I can be the person I truly am because the songs have themes of intellect and happiness. I am a firm believer of appreciating the fun side of life, which I have been taught by The Beastie Boys who “fight for the right to party”. I have been taught by Nirvana to question everything and be an individual. The music makes me who I am because I am so connected to it. Music is a powerful thing.

I believe in Rock and Roll.

Vera Dietz Summary Ques

In the novel Please Ignore Vera Dietz a lot of things that traditional high school students go through are very popular in the novel.  Vera is a closet alcoholic, and gets in trouble with her dad when he finds out that she got drunk and made out with her 23 year old co-worker. She claims to be in love with this guy named James.  She gets drunk all the time and ends up hanging out with this weird burnt out guy. Vera is also very weird towards people since charlie has died, she feels that she wants to be a lone hence the name please ignore Vera Dietz.  Vera has changed a lot since what she was like when the story started. There are a lot of problems that Vera faces that a lot of kids in high school face today. Weather that be that Drugs and Alcohol, to peer pressure, losing friendships, and even falling in love.  Vera has been a victim to all of these. She has experimented with alcohol and drugs, because she feels that they help her with her troubles. They may have helped for a little but long term it is not good for her. She mainly more than anything in the book she has lost her friendship with Charlie. Not just because he is dead, but they fell far apart just recently and for really no reason. This is very viewable in real life because a lot of times in high school good friends drift apart for no good reason. It is something high school students have to learn to deal with. They can not turn to substances in order to change who they are or cope with what they are feeling. I can relate to Vera because in high school her and I both have been subject to all these things. I have changed a lot, but in the long run I am a highschool student and all of us are going to be subject to these things we just can not let it affect us. 

Night Circus Book Review

Evan Sale

Mr Davidson

Contemp Lit

12-1-15

AMDG

The Night Circus Book Review

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a fantasy novel about a competition between two magicians who eventually end up falling in love. The book's story line follows Marco Alisdair and Celia Bowen, who are the most important two characters of the book. These two people are put into a contest through the circus where they have to compete against each other with magic, and the best magician will prevail. Marco and Celia  are competing students of the circus whose teachers are The Man in Grey and Hector Bowen.  These two young students start off the contest against each other, but they end up falling in love. Marco and Celia have to figure out how to end the contest without causing harm to themselves and others in the circus.

One of the main reasons that I did not like the book is because of the fact that I do not like fantasy books in general. Fantasy especially in this book seems to be very stupid and unrealistic. For example, the circus is kind of crazy because certain members who are in it have some sort of magical power. Also, some of the objects within the circus are silly. For example, the bonfire is a spiritual tool that controls the circus. Marco explains, “Think of the circus as a machine… The bonfire is one of the things that powers it”(480). The fact that a bonfire is the center of the circus leaves readers confused because in real life bonfires cannot be a battery of an entire opperation like a circus.  Really all of this stuff is very impractical in reality because most of the people in real life are not magic. Most people need to find real solutions instead of the magic solutions. It makes people question the credibility in the novel because everything in it has to do with things that don't happen in the real world. The readers continue to question things that go on in the novel, which makes for an enjoyable reading experience, because people  get distracted with negative thoughts throughout. Due to the fact that the novel has magical people and powers the credibility is lost, making for an enjoyable reading experience.

Another reason I did not like the book is because it had a very unrealistic love story.There are  two people, Marco and Celia, who are in a competition that  end up falling in love with each other. Another thing is that neither person wants to lose or win, which I also found weird because people who are in a competition generally want to win, especially if they are getting something from it.  Lastly, the weird love story is interesting because Marco and Celia just end up falling in love with each other. There is no story about how they fell in love; it just kind of happened instantly in the middle of the book. Celia says, “I am tired of trying to hold things together that cannot be held”(391). Celia and Marco are talking about the circus and the competition. Later in the novel, “The familiar passion that always accompanies the touch of his skin against hers washes over Celia and she can no longer resist it, no longer wants to” (391). Celia and Marco end up falling in love, leading to them sleeping together. The story did not have enough background or build up, it just happened.Their love seems random in the middle of the book. It is unbelievable to instantly fall in love like that without previous romantic interactions. This love story did not fit in with the rest of the plot. It was not really developed. It was supposed to be a love story but did not have enough of the relationship to satisfy readers.

The only positive thing in this book is that it had good storytelling. Bailey is in one storyline in the early 1900s, and then Marco and Celia are in another storyline in the past leading up to the moment they connect with Bailey. This storytelling is cool because it gives the readers two storylines for the readers to compare and to see where things are going and where they have been.  Also, throughout the book we don't know who the narrator is, but then we find out it is Widget. The  first line in the novel is also the last line, which is very interesting because the book does a full 360. The Man in Grey says Widget’s stories are magical because “that tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words...There are many kinds of magic, after all”(505). Widget being the narrator is a cool feature because readers never knew who the narrator was until the end. Widget is a minor character throughout the novel, and he ends up being very important at the end. Some chapters are vague and confusing, but then readers realize what is happening and get more information by reading further. Overall, the storyline  keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next, which is good.

Overall I would not recommend this book to anyone. The book frankly was poor because the magic is not cool and the love story is sporadic. Overall I did not like this book because it had too much maic and not enough reality. The relationship between Marco and Celia was weird, and it jumped out at the readers. The only part of the book I enjoyed was that the storytelling because it was cool the way it was organized for the readers. This is why I would not recommend the book.

Book Review (Final)

Art of Racing in the Rain review

The novel Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, is a very decent book to say the least. The concept of the book is good and I really like the idea of the book to be told from a dog's point of view as he follows the life of his owner who he clearly loves. The book follows Enzo a dog as he follows Denny as he explains his life from a dog's point of view and he explains the trials of Denny and his family. The trials include, an exciting story's between Denny and his wife and how they get along, all the way to how Denny deals with his In Laws. Enzo follows Denny through the book as he deals with all these problems and Enzo tells the story from what he can gather from these circumstances.

I like the idea of the story being  told from the viewpoint of a dog, but I think the dog is biased towards Denny. Enzo’s experiences with Denny,Enzo proves to love Denny so much “I close my eyes and listen vaguely in a half sleep as he does the things he does before he sleeps each night."(8,). Enzo is so close to Denny that everything that he does is something that Enzo believes in throughout the boo. He really sides with Denny and always seems to take his side because he is a loyal dog. I have never heard of or read something with the narration of an animal. It's very different, a new thing, and a cool thing to see a dog’s view point of human actions. Readers get to hear a voice from something that normally can’t talk. I've always wonder what goes on in a dog's head. And now readers ges to see what a dog is thinking and get a new viewpoint. Which is of personal interest to the reader.

Theme makes for an overall good novel.  The overall theme of the novel is if you believe in something then do it. Throughout the story Denny in particular has his mind set on a variety of different goals, all goals he eventually achieves, such as racing, or getting Zoe back. Denny never gave up even though that was an easy option. He made sure he kept at it. Enzo says  “You need to watch the drivers around you, understand their skill, confidence, and aggression levels, and drive with them accordingly. Know who is driving next to you. Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there” (91). Denny is a very determined guy and he works for everything he needs to accomplish. It is proven with his racing and in his life because he is a hard working and determined guy to get the job done. This quote is explaining how a lot of people are trying to get in the way if Denny's life, but he just has to watch them and keep pushing forward in order to beat them. Just like the racers Denny races against. This is a great theme because it teaches a good lesson to readers, people tend to give up if it is too hard, teaches them that your dream can become a reality if you put the work in and work harder enough to do these things

Last reason the book is good because of character personalities that lead the readers to react emotionally. Denny is a good and honest guy who works hard. He does not have everything that people want but he is a good dad and a good husband, good employee who works hard, “In racing, they say that your car goes where your eyes go. The driver who cannot tear his eyes away from the wall as he spins out of control will meet that wall …Simply another way of saying that which you manifest is before you” (89). Denny looks at his life the way he looks at racing where his heart desires that is where he will be., Maxwell and Trish the Twins, awful people so readers wish them harm, the readers also would not like them in this book. Because of the fact that Denny is portrayed as being so good in the novel people want him to succeed, and people that wish him harm to do poorly. I think overall it is a good book because it gives readers something to look forward to, cheering on a character and want that character to do well, want things to end well for them or don’t want enemies to succeed. You hope it backfires on them, and that the good guys to be fine. It keeps you guessing and reading, which makes it a good book.

    Overall good book, page turner, not a thriller but it did get you wanting to find out what came next in the story line.This story had a lot of ups and downs and incorporated the use of a dog in a interesting way. The story is told from the viewpoint of a dog it is something new, try it out, because its not something you get often.

Fantasy Ques

I have never really gotten that into Fantasy novels. I do think they are okay, but have never really bought into the hype of them, I think the idea of going somewhere magical is a little strange, and I don't really understand the reason for  big fan-base they have, If I really had to pick one though I would probably pick Hogwarts because I think it has the coolest concept out of all the fantasy novels. Personally I would want to go there because I think it would be pretty sweet to go to a school where the kids are learning how to be expert wizards, I also think the kids that attend Hogwarts would be pretty chill. Over all I think that Fantasy books are decent

Global Warming

This is my infographic proving that Global Warming exists.

Description

     This is an infographic with charts on global warming and how it does exist. It talks about who global warming affects and what it affects. It also describes the causes of global warming and how it can be prevented. It also talks about how the weather is affected by global warming.

Reflection

     I picked this topic because I was relatively familiar with it. I knew about global warming, but I wanted to know more. Originally, I picked to argue why it does not exist, but my partner called me to tell me that he already did that side, so we switched. I do believe that global warming is an issue in our world today, but I don't think it is as big of an issue as some people do.

     A lot of the stuff I found on global warming was already one-sided since there is so much information about its existence. Most of the sites showed proof and examples and proof that global warming is real. It was easy to stay focused because every source was about how global warming is an actual thing. It was easy to stay focused when all of the information was proving the same thing.

     My partner and I decided to choose to use the layout for when we presented together. I decided to use pie charts as his charts because they were the only ones that could show the needed information. It was able to show a lot and little at the same time. It was a good way to display the information, and the charts were easy to use and work with. There were no images I could find to have actual pictures of global warming. It is something that happens around us and is a phenomena. I couldn't find proper images so I decided to use none. If I did use an image it would take time to explain it. Everything is in the order it is because it makes the most sense for the argument: who it affects, what it affects, how we can stop/prevent it, and other facts about global warming.

     I think this infographic is convincing because of all the proof that it includes. The facts really show that global warming exists. There is no information that can be disputed otherwise. This infographic proves global warming and shows its effects. This infographic is effective in its overall job of proving global warming is upon us.

Literacy Project Reflection

For Contemporary Literature class I am doing this project in order to get my peers interested in reading. I made this video in order to get them thinking and to get them interested in reading.



My Project

My video shows me opening a book then  magically transitioning into the wilderness and going on an adventure through the woods. In every spot, I find a book a long the way. Each time I find a book, the scene transitions into finding another book in a new cool place. I decided that this was a way to reach my peers because most of them think that reading won't do anything for them, mostly because most of the reading they have ever done has been through school and has been boring. I decided to make this video in order to get them to think reading is cool, and truly believe that reading can take them on an adventure inside their brain. This was the best way to persuade my peers because a lot of kids my age really like short films that make them think, so I though what better of an idea to make my own short film with no words just scenes and sounds in order to get people to see all the cool things that can happen if you read.

In order to help get my point across, I used some interesting media tools.  For starters, I made the pages of the book and me flipping through the book in color, while the rest of the video of me is in black and white to show that I was in the book going on an adventure through the book. As far as the editing went, I used transitions to jump from place to place in order for people to notice how well books flow if they get the right one and how it doesn't take a lot of time to go on a short adventure through your brain. As far as the sound goes, I just decided that the song fit because it is very mellow and relaxing just like reading a book

When I was choosing where to film, I thought long and hard about all the different places I could film and realized that there are so many good places to go. In combination of not being able to make up my mind and not having a drop of gas in my car, I decided to stay close to home. The main reason is that it is a very beautiful place, and it ties in with my topic of not having to be able to go far in order to take an adventure with reading.

Reflection

Overall I think that my project went very decently to say the least. I think I captured the idea of what my overall objective is, But I think if I had more time and access to transportation the overall project would have been smoother. I think that my peers will understand my video, and I personally think that it would get them to read because they will realize through my film that reading is fun and can take you different places.

Mr Penumbra Review.

In this book the main character Clay really can't catch a break. After being fired from his job he sees an opening for a job at the bookstore. He takes the job and ever since he starts working he realizes that the bookstore is a very fishy place. Throughout the book readers see Clay step by step try and figure out what is going on along the way and with the help of his friends do the unthinkable.

In the book I liked Clay and his friends because they were nerds. They were very dedicated to finishing every task they were given. Clay also found ways to get the job done in the most efficient matter. Programming, and how they elevated as the book went on. Clay and his friends do the unthinkable in this novel they do so much decoding of books and as hard as it looks they are so humble about it. Clay is humble and really shows that through his words when after he does something big on a computer he says "If this sounds impressive to you, you’re over thirty."   Over all I really like clay as a character because he is smart humble and outgoing. He works hard and has a sense of humor he is the most important character in this novel.

To add onto the theme of this book it can be brought up in a couple of different ways. Overall though the most important theme of this book is how important reading is. The book really shows that reading can be an adventure. Thought the book Clay makes hints forwards why reading is important and he really sticks with it through the entire novel where proof shows that reading is important. He shows proof on how reading is important through his words on what he thinks of books "When you read a book, the story definitely takes place in your head" and other quotes like "Walking the stacks in a library, dragging your fingers across the spines -- it's hard not to feel the presence of sleeping spirits." With these quotes clay really shows how he feels about reading and even explains when you read it will take you places. The overall theme of this novel is reading is important and you should definitely do it because it stimulates your mind.

Throughout the book I expected a lot more from the ending. Within the book magic was very hyped up there was talk about immortality and other magic, but when it got down to the final pages of the book none of the magic ever took place. Also through the book I expected a relationship to kindle between Clay and Kat because they liked each other and spent so much time together, but once again that never happened. Overall I expected more from the book, but it was still very enjoyable to read.

Overall I would recommend that people do read this book. I think it is important that people see the importance of reading and all the cool things it can accomplish and do for you. Personally I would have enjoyed it more had it had magic and other mystical things but overall probably would read the book and would definitely recommend to a friend.

Narrators

My favorite narrator is Red from the Shaw-shank Redemption. In the movie Red is a man who everyone knows in the prison he has been there fore a while and knows all the tricks. Throughout the movie Red becomes friends with the main character Andy Dufresne. Andy was convicted of the murder of his wife, but Red doesn't think that Andy did it. As the movie goes on red and Andy become good friends. Red talks about what the inside is like, how after a while inside you get used to it and it is not that bad, sometimes you don't want to leave.

Red is my favorite because he speaks the truth throughout the movie. He has a very optimistic mind and looks at all people in a different way.  He treats everyone within the prison like they are worth something even though everyone that is in there doesn't feel like they are worth anything.  He makes the people who first come to the prison make them feel like they belong. He also has some very different outlooks on prison he feels that everyone is innocent and really looks at life in a different way.

I have chosen the video option for myself because I have a good camera and I think my cinematography skills are up to par. This is great way to get boys to read because I will make the video funny and really entourage people to read.  The video will be kind of like an commercial with a lot of examples of what reading can do for you. The video will be of me doing a lot of things that you will turn into if you do not keep your mind in shape by reading. The type of information that I  would include is what reading will do for you. Also I would include things that would happen if you don't read.  like making you fat and lazy. there will be a black and white color scheme when you ont read and a colorful one when you do read because reading brings your life.

English to me has been very challenging, but with the help of various teachers I have done fairly well. I like English, but I have never been much of a reader. It is not that I do not like reading, frankly I find it relaxing but I just never have the time. Reading is good for you and I think that I should do it more often but it hard to find the time when I am so busy. Out of this class I hope to get better at reading and I hope to read more and generate a love for reading that will last me my entire life.

WHATS GOOD