The News paper

On grandpa’s farm, we used newspapers for everything. It was used to swat flies, wrapping breakable gifts, and although, it was intentional, it was also used to sop up coffee. Every morning, grandpa would sip coffee and read his paper. Grandma made me some French toast and I poured some orange juice. Grandma was the only morning person in the home. I sat with my head on my arm trying to fall back asleep. Grandpa would grunt at some of the stories because he thought one f the writers was an idiot. Grandma bobbed her head and would hum a tune I’ve never heard before. Suddenly, the gravel outside crunched and Jeb Jacksons rusty truck pulled up. Grandpa walked out the door. I glanced at the paper to see what grandpa was reading. The story was about a couple that have been in love since they were 16 but the girls dad wanted her to marry a rich man, not a poor country boy. She was 77 and passed away in her sleep. When her children went through they found several love notes. They assumed it was their father but it wasn’t. It was the man she loved since she was a teenager. Over their lifetimes, they wrote to each other secretly. When they went to find the man, they found out that he had also passed away in his sleep the night she died. I sat there thinking about how they would be together for eternity. “In 2 years, I will be 16. I hope I fall in love then.” I told gram. “Just you wait. You’ll find someone, don’t rush anything. “

red suited woman

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. I reached over my soft crisp pillow, slamming down the snooze button. As I slowly rolled out of bed, rubbing my eyes, wait... Why does my alarm say 13? It put the thought to the side, thinking my clock must be breaking. I hoped in the shower and got on with my morning. On my way to school, I opened my phone to call my best friend, Lydia. I had absolutely no service. “Why does AT&T always have to suck?” I thought to myself. I got to school and everyone was running around in a panic. Normally, everyone not having cell service would have been the end of the world but that was the least of our worries. There were big men with guns and big bulging arms with huge veins popping out. Suddenly, a stranger’s voice came over the intercom. The sound of the booming voice gave me the chills and sending fear through my bones. “Everybody who wants to live, meet in the gymnasium.” without a doubt, I wanted to live so I ran to gym as fast as I could.

When I walked through the double doors, I smelt the sweaty dirty gym socks that usually occupy the gym. Everyone was sitting on the bleachers starring, silently. I took a seat next to a girl who looked as if she were moments away from curling into a ball and crying. Two girls were whispering behind me

“What’s going on?”

“I guess last night a war broke out and we were attacked by terrorists. I think these men here are going to protect us.”

Just then, a small lady in a red dress suit approached a podium. She had black heels on and very neat looking hair. “Hello students. How are you doing today? Your day is about to become devastating. See these men around the room? They’re my… helpers. They helped me take over this wonderful country last night.  I am about strip every privilege you have. Starting with cell phones and internet. You will all become my soldiers. All of your parents, have already been indicted into my upcoming government.”

A boy stood up and ran across the gym floor. The suited lady snapped her fingers and five guard’s lifted the boy up and put him in the center of the gym.

“That wasn’t a smart decision.” She said as she nodded to one soldier. He nodded back and raised his gun to the boys head. He pulled the trigger back and the boy’s body dropped.

“If anyone else, has anything to say or would like to run away, now is your chance.” Said the woman. “As I was saying, you will obey my rules. You will follow all orders and do as you are told. If you try to rebel, you will be executed. All currency is no longer valuable. You will have training from 4am to 4pm every day. You may eat a meal that we provide at 5pm. Curfew is 7pm and you must be in your bunker in the night clothes we provide you. Are there any questions?”

Famous First and Last Words

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

George Orwell was born in 1903in Motihari, India. He later died of tuberculosis in January of 1950.

He has written "1984" and "Animal Farm". This specific quote however, is from "1984", published in 1949. This book is about a over controlling government that controls language, thoughts and relationships. The main character, Winston, writes in journals and works to throw over the Party. After being lied to and tricked, everyone he has trusted betrays him. The Party works very hard to brainwash him to the way they want him to act.

I personally have never read this book. however, I would like to read this. I feel like it would be interesting. it reminds me of the novel, "The Giver" and I loved that book. However, I feel like I would get very mad at the author. I like happy stories with love stories that work out. I also get mad at over controlling rules that are just dumb. I would also jump into conspiracies about if our government is doing that to us.

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"Are there any questions?"

Margaret Atwood was born in 1939, in Ottawa Canada. One of her most famous pieces, was "The Handmaids Tale" published in 1986.

The narrator works as a handmaid who has to have sex with the commander, even though he is married. she has flashbacks to times in her life such as a time when she was happily married and had a daughter. As the government collapses, life gets hard. she and her husband attempt to cross the border but she and her daughter get captured and separated. She gets sent to a canter and doesn't know where her husband is. Everyone in the center becomes a handmaid to high ranking government officials and has to have sex with them to get pregnant so society has more people. She is assigned to another man and falls in love with him.

I don't think like this book because of how controlling it is. I don't want someone telling me what to do. I also look at sex and babies as something to do with someone you love and want to be with forever. not just repopulating. This book sort of makes me mad just reading the summary.

My favorite quotes

Writers as Readers

2. I’ve noticed I go for the girly love stories. I like when the character is having a problem with life, like her mom or sister dying or cancer, or just anything giving her a negative look on life. I love how she gets her life together and gets happy. It also helps that she gets the girl because if she didn’t, what’s the point of reading a depressing story? I love how they get through it with someone who cares about them and changes them for the better I love how someone swoops in and changes the way they look at life.  

4.

                                                                          one of my best memories with reading is when I would sit and read for hours a day reading. I read “the Hate List” and that story was sad. It was a boy going in to their school and shooting everyone on a list. It was so sad, but I wanted to know what was happening. I kept reading and reading and reading. I was so into the story and I just remember reading it constantly. I wanted to fish the book but I didn’t want to be done with the story.

5. When I read “Sea”, I didn’t want to stop. I loved the whole story. She thought she loved one boy but really loved the other boy more. I loved the whole idea of working with victims in an orphanage. From all the parts about the tsunami, and the constant rain and sneaking away at bight with a boy. I just couldn’t stop reading. I always wanted to read it. It crushed me whenhad to finish because I wasn’t mentally done.

8. My favorite book is “The Man Who Loved Clowns” I connected with this story more than I  ever have. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s setting and base of the story is in and around where I live or if the words spoke to me. I can see exactly what roads she’s talking about and places she visits. I can imagine her house and when I think of the way I imagined her house, I can see the way I thought it looked from when I read this book in 5^th grade. This story has stuck with me and made me feel like I knew Punky. I’ve never been so into this book. I’m having such a hard time trying to explain how deeply I feel about this book.

9 when I finished reading “the Fault in Our Stars I felt sad because that was the most depressing let down of a story there ever was. I hated John Green but at the same time, I loved him.  That book got me all worked up and bubbly and then it popped every single bubble that I had. I thought thye would last forever together and I certainly didn’t think that the character that died, would die. And when that character died, my whole world crashed and I was depressed for a solid week. That book was amazingly awful.