Thursday, April 1, 2010

Monster meaning

The monster is the bank corporation. This monster needs to continually eat more and more profits and cannot be stopped. There is no person who is really in charge or responsible for creating this monster. It has no real identity, it just kind of is. This monster has realized that using tenants on the land isn't as profitable and so decides it will use a tractor and much less people. This is destroying people's lives and brings to question who actually owns the land. The people who work it have had many generations of their families live on it and do all the work on it. However, the banks have a little sheet of paper that says it is theirs. The guy who drives the tractor is described as having become a part of that machine, and thats how the monster works, it forces people to do things simply for the sake of survival.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Turtle, Tom, Jim

The turtle is crawling towards its goal. It is moving very slowly, but it's very determined. This is like the path that the farmers are all slowly moving down. They are moving slowly but steadily towards a new life in California. The turtle has to keep going or it will be run over, and the farmers headed west must continue too. If they stop they will be trampled by the other people trying to get to California. The turtle has everything with its shell, like the farmers, who carry everything they own. The seeds the turtle plants are like a fresh start, however the fresh start may be pointless since the dirt is still useless on that side of the road. The people go to California expecting a fresh start, but things may be just as bad there.

Tom is the son of a farmer and he is headed home for a job after getting out of jail. He killed someone out of self defense and may be a little bit wild. He expects his dad to still have the farm and a job available, but it is possible that he lost the farm.

Jim is an ex preacher. He lives out in the woods and doesn't really do that much. He admits to being a poor preacher because he only talked about god because thats what people wanted to hear. He also slept with the girls who came to his church. Jim gets out of preaching because he realizes he's only doing it for the people, he loves people.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Grapes of Wrath

Chapter 1- we are introduced to the setting where we read about the poor conditions and the dust bowl. The area is pretty much dead because of the dust and lack of rain. None of the farmers are able to raise crops so the men have to find other things to do.
Chapter 2- We are introduced to a truck driver who is sitting in a little cafe talking to the waitress. He sounds like he's been drivng trucks for a while and understands how things work. He pcks up a hitchhiker on the way out of the cafe, even though he isn't supposed to. While they're driving along the truck driver keeps trying to start a conversation, but the man is strangely quiet. After a while, the hitchhiker tells his name is Joad. At the end of the ride, Joad tells the truck driver his secret, he's been in jail for killing a guy.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Thesis statement

NASA should not be supported by the government, but become a private company.

Citations

“Space Shuttle Colombia”. Tech Media Network. Author unknown. 5 Jan. 2008. 13 Mar. 2010.www.space.com
Brandon Keim. “NASA’a Most Embarrassing Goofs”. Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital. 27 Jul., 2008. 13 Mar. 2010 www.wired.com
Frank Oliveri. “Nasa’s Mistakes, Optimism Cost Taxpayers Billions” Space Flights. Imaginova Corp. 21 Jun. 2001. 13 Mar. 2010. www.space.com
Chris Bergin. Remembering Mistakes of Challenger. Wordpress. 28 Jan. 2007. 13 Mar. 2010. www.nasaspaceflight.com.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Chapter 9 Journal

Nick reports that reporters are all trying to get into Gatsby's they all want to know his story. Nick tries to contact anyone who will come to the funeral but he can't get a hold of Wolfsheim. He imagines Gatbsy's dead body asking him to find someone to come to the funeral. He is scared of being alone and no longer has Daisy as a last lifeline. Wolfsheim tells nick over telegram that he is too busy and would rather leave well enough alone. Gatsby's father arrives and turns out to be a very fragile old man. He keeps talking about how wonderful and succesful his son is, but it's obvious he doesn't know him too well. Nick goes to Wolfsheims office in an attempt to convince him to come to the funeral. They talk and Wolfsheim just wants to be clear of Gatsby. He's probably worried about the police snooping around too much and discovering ties to him and illegal business. Gatsby's father shows Nick the schedule from when Gatsby lived at home and its a recipe for success. It's everything that will keep him healthy, wealthy, and wise. The funeral is rather empty and lonely with the only a few people. Suprisingly one of them is owl eyes. Nick breaks up with Jordan and she tells him that maybe he isn't as honest and he thinks himself to be. Two years later Nick sees Tom and Tom tells him that about telling George who killed his wife. Nick realizes how agonizingly close Gatsby was to having Daisy, but his dream had failed. And there would be many more dreamers like him, who came so close only to fall, that dreams were meant to fall.

Chapter 8 Journal

Gatsby comes home and talks to Nick about what happened. They wander around his dusty musty house looking for cigarettes and finally find some. Gatsby's house is a wreck, just like his love life. Gatsby tells Nick why he loves Daisy and we learn a little more about his past. Gatsby was a young soldier and had met Daisy. He spent some time with her and realized he loved her. He knew however he could never be with her because he was not rich. He hid this from her and because of that she trusted him. After shipping off to the war he didn't want to hold on to the pain of not ever being able to be with her so he tried to die. However, his attempts to be suicidal turned against him and he became a hero. When the war was over he tried to come home but was sent to Oxford instead. He received the letter that Daisy was getting married while he was in Oxford. This perhaps increases his desire to be with her because he realizes other people want her not just him. He came home to nothing. No money, no job, nothing waiting for him. He had lost his only connection to the rest of the world, Daisy. He had searched hard for her but eventually gave up and started working hard to make his riches. Gatsby and Nick say goodnight and we move to the accident scene. Cars play a big role here as the bringers of death and the takers of the dead when they roll away with Myrtle's dead body. Catherine, her sister, is distraught and drunk and is hauled away in another car after the body. George is trapped inside his little work area and thinking about killing whoever killed his wife. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburge are brought up again and are directly said to be the eyes of god. They have watched the murder of Myrtle and will watch the George avenge her. George finds out who has the car that killed Myrtle and Kills Gatsby and himself.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The chapter starts off explaining the heat. The heat is a symbol of Tom's temper. He is extremely hotheaded once him and Gatsby start going at it. Nick and Gatsby go to Tom's house for lunch and meet Daisy's daughter for the first time. They then head to a hotel just to cool off. Tom sees that Daisy loves Gatsby and freaks out. Him and Gatsby argue and this breaks Daisy. She perhaps no longer wants to be with Gatsby. Then when they are driving home, Myrtle is run over by Daisy. Gatsby says it was him, but Nick knows the truth. Daisy and Tom are sitting together in the pantry and there is intimacy between them. They possibly are willing to work out their problems and stay together.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Wan- Her wan face made Gatsby worry she was sick.
Prodigality- His son's prodigality made him cut off the trust fund.
Infinitesimal- The infinitesimal amount of time to get to school made me late.
Fractiousness- My fractiousness made me do things that i regret.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Extemporizing- The candidates extemporizing arguments were the reason he lost the debates.
Supercilious- Tom's supercilious actions made Nick start to dislike him.
We finally hear about Gatsby's real past. Dan Cody, a rich metal miner, took Gatsby, who at the time, was named Jay Gatz, and had James come with him on a yacht. They travelled the continent and Dan taught James very well about the essential things of life. This is more new money, in this story, Dan is new money. He was sent by his wife to travel around so he would die and she could take his money. This is how Gatsby discovered himself. Now, back in present time, Nick hasn't seen Gatsby too often. Nick and Gatsby are on the porch and Tom shows up with some friends, Mr. and Mrs. Sloane. They invite Nick and Gatsby to a party but don't want them to actually come. They do but they know no one. Tom and Daisy finally come to one of Gatsby's parties and Gatsby spends his time trying to introduce them to everyone. Gatsby introduces Tom as the polo player, and this is a slight insult made by Gatsby. Tom mentions that most of the new money people are bootleggers. Possibly insinuating what Gatsby's friends are. Tom decides to leave and go wander around in the party to find a girl. Daisy offers him a gold pencil to right down the names of girls. This is also an insult to Tom. Gatsby and Daisy go off by themselves and talk for a while. There are many symbols of time. The early morning going on and Gatsby saying he can get back to the past. Gatsby realizes that the party was a bad idea and decides no more parties.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

questions chapter five

Nick invites Daisy to his house for tea so that Gatsby can come over and see her. Gatsby offers Nick a better paying job but Nick refuses fearing it might be something illegal.
2. Time has stopped for him. He met Daisy and thats all he's been working for.
3. He was trying to make a joke but Daisy didn't get it.
4. It's been five years in November.
5. She cries over Gatsby's beautiful shirts. She's really sad about the time lost with her and Gatsby and now they can never get that back. Crying over this object means she really wants to be with Gatsby, but because she's a woman she can't leave Tom.
6. He is a man that stays at Gatsby's house all the time.
7. He can see the green light and it represents Daisy for him. When he meets her it no longer holds any interest for him.
8. It sets up Daisy's and Gatsby's relationship. It shows how Gatsby cares for Daisy and how the dream is coming true for now.
9. I found Klipsspringer to be funny. He didn't really want to do anything but he was staying in someone else's house.
10. Daisy's voice is the only thing that Gatsby didn't over dream. It's very atractive and makes people pay attention and get close to her.
Complacency- My complacency on the mat made my wrestling coach yell at me.
Levity- With an attempt at levity, the General started talking about the war.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Feigned- His feigned expression of interest convinced the teacher he was listening.
Languidly- His languid movements in the morning were because he was tired.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Chapter four journal

Chapter 4
Nick rights down the list of all the people who attended Gatsby’s party on an old train timetable. This plays into the idea of time again. Then Gatsby tells Nick he wants to take him to lunch. So Gatsby shows up in his car, which is described as huge and very shiny with chrome and nickel everywhere. Gatsby is described as having an easy grace to the way he rides the car. On the way over he tells Nick about his earlier life. He says he went to Oxford but rushes it out and is possibly lying. After this Nick no longer believes what Gatsby says. Then when a medal from the war is pulled out Nick decides it’s all real. They get to the restaurant and Nick is introduced to Wolfsheim and told he is a gambler. After talking with him for a while it becomes apparent that this guy has some shady dealings. He talks about the day his friend was shot and then about fixing the World Series. He has a strange accent and calls Oxford “oggsford”. His cuff links are human molars which reinforce the idea that he is a gangster. He leaves and then Nick and Gatsby talk about him for a little while. Then he goes to tea with Jordan who tells him all about Daisy’s love for Gatsby. She talks about when Daisy threw the $350,000 necklace away and decided she was not getting married to Tom. However after she sobered up, she realized she had to marry him because it was her place in life to do so. If she didn’t she would have nothing.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Inebriated- When he was inebriated he was able to write better songs.
Debutante- The debutante was very scared her first time out.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sardonic- The man's sardonic smile made me think he didn't believe what I was saying.
Distraught- She was distraught over the murder of her husband.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Destitute- The children's destitute life was hard but it taught them hard work.
Mesmerize- The diamond mesmerized the theif.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Armistice- The armistice during the war in Iraq allowed civilians to live a normal life for a few days.
Rendezvous- The rendezvous spot was a dangerous place to be.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

words of the day

Decadent- Our decadent lifestyle caused other countries to dislike us.
Risque- The risque clothes were sold out quickly.