Social Awareness #1

Day 1 October 23rd:
This isn't really from today but I just thought that I needed to write about it. On Tuesday October 19th, I got a text message from my friend telling me that I should wear purple on Wednesday to show respect to gay people that committed suicide. So on Wednesday, I wore my purple shirt and went to school. As soon as I walked in, i saw so many people wearing purple. To honor, to pay respect to gay people. Not just the ones that committed suicide, gay people everywhere. More people wore purple than I had expected. Even teachers were purple.
It's horrible how some people cannot accept gays for who they are. Being gay doesn't make them any less human. It doesn't give other people the right to make fun of them. The newspapers are saying that the people that made fun of gay people, abused gay people are being arrested. But personally, I don't think that's enough. Some may not even learn the lesson. I think that the consequences aren't enough. People need to pay for what they have done to gay people and their family.

Day 2 October 24th:
Today I read in The New York Times newspaper that the disease Cholera was spreading in Haiti. The International Red Cross is in Haiti right now doing their best to nurse Haitians back to health. They are bringing drinkable water, water purification kits, plastic sheets, tents, mattresses and other necessary supplies to help the sick. Now that the Red Cross is in Haiti there is clean water for everyone to drink and slowly there is progress. I think it's amazing that the International Red Cross is in Haiti to help the sick. It's a really good thing that they are there so that no one else dies to the disease Cholera. Already 208 have died to this disease in Haiti. And we are there trying to prevent it.

Day 3 October 25th:
Today I was watching Eye Witness News and they said that a college student at PACE University was shot and killed by a police officer. Eye Witness News also said that many students lit candles and laid flowers in front of his dorm to pay respect. I thought it was totally horrible that the student Danroy Henry Jr. was shot and killed by a police officer. Well obviously, who wouldn't? Anyway, I though it was really touching that many people bought flowers and cried for Danroy Henry Jr., even people that didn't even know him.

Mother to Son

I really like the lesson that this poem teaches. The lesson that Langston Hughes' mother teaches him. Life is hard, but don't give up. Keep fighting your way through the obstacles and you'll reach the top.

I like how Hughes' mother tells him to fight through life and reach the crystal stairs even though she didn't. Even thought her life was so hard on her. She gives him strong advice on how to reach the perfect life. To not fall backwards.

"Don't you set down on the steps" Sitting back won't get you anywhere. You must always keep moving forward to achieve goals in life.  This line stood out to me the most because I am usually a person that takes things slowly. It takes long for me to take steps forward. I guess you can say I'm a perfectionist. So when I read this line, it made me think that if I take everything too slow and seriously, I might not be taking a step further leading to my 'crystal stair'.

Also I liked the lines:
I'se been a-climbin' on
And reachin' landin's
And turnin' corners
And sometime goin' in the dark
Where there ain;t been no light
It probably spoke to everyone in general. There is always going to be a rough patch in life. No matter who you are or where you are. But you must look past them because eventually, you will reach a relaxing place, you will reach a place where you can let go of all your worries and be free for a while without having to think about what you will do to reach your 'crystal stairs'.

Final Draft Appreciation

I first discovered this book when I was about five or six years old. I remember just flipping through the pages not really taking in the story word for word. I loved the book as a five year old because I loved how much freedom Stuart had in his life and how fairly he was treated by everyone in his family. I have always been the baby in the family and never have been treated just like everyone else so I envied Stuart. I still love Stuart Little because of the freedom and how he was treated equally, but now as I am older, I appreciate this book because of the symbol of life and its cycle and  how Stuart can still live life even though he has lost everything.

Another one of my favorite parts in this book was how Stuart can still carry on with his life without getting so sad and worried about going home or losing Margalo forever. Even though he loved Margalo so very much, he still tried to give Harriet a chance. Probably thinking he may never see Margalo again, he must go on with life. Also, Stuart never gave up hope while looking for Margalo. He never once told himself that he would never find Margalo. Even after so many people told Stuart they've never seen Margalo before. He still went on with his journey to find his love. I admired Stuart for how strong he was. How he can still do amazing things and still look for his friend  as he grieves and mourns for home and love.

After my grandfather passed away, I feared of death. For a few days, weeks, I thought about dying and I didn't want to grow up. But after a while, I noticed how my mom still carried on with her own life even after her father died. It gave me courage to move on with life but still carry my grandfather in my heart. Reading about Stuart and seeing how he could move on reminded me of my fear of death and it kind of lifted a little weight off my shoulders. Knowing that I wasn't the only person who had to deal with everything made me more comfortable

As I closed the book, finishing the amazing adventure with Stuart, I realized that this book wasn't just about  some mouse on an adventure to find his bird friend. It was about life and its cycle.

Entry#7

The book Stuart Little was made into a movie. But the movie is completely different than the book. I did research about the movie for more information.

I read a movie summary of Stuart Little on starpulse.com. I found out that unlike the book, the movie is about Stuart and his becoming part of the Little's family. But Snowbell is still the bad guy...I mean the bad cat.

The Little's go to the orphanage to adopt a younger brother for George. But instead, they meet a mouse named Stuart. The Little's liked Stuart so much that they adopted him instead of a human child. They bring him home and Stuart charms everyone except for the house cat, Snowbell.

I also read a book review on jandysbooks.com. The book is about Stuart and his adventure of finding his bird friend, Margalo. And of course, Snowbell is the bad...cat.

In the movie, the Little's come across Stuart in an orphanage. But in the book, E.B. White doesn't exactly tell you how Stuart becomes the Little's son. Also, in the movie Margalo does NOT exist and Stuart doesn't have any adventures.

I thought it was totally weird that the movie was completely different than the book. But then I realized that if the movie was the exact same as the book, it wouldn't be as interesting. 

Stuart Little

I had a nice experience rereading Stuart Little. When I was younger, i loved how Stuart was so adventurous and had the ability to build up courage to do many things. For example, Stuart was so adventurous the time he decided to do the sailboat race. Stuart didn't even give up when  he fell out of the boat. Also, Stuart had to build up the courage when he decided he was going to run away to find Margalo. He really loved his mother, Mrs. Little, so he took a piece of her hair to remember her before he left for his trip. After i finished rereading Stuart Little, i realized that i still admired Stuart and I actually appreciate him.

In the end of the book, you don't really find out weather or not Stuart finds Margalo. Then i realized, if Margalo wants Stuart to be looking for her, she will let herself be found. But if Margalo doesn't want to be found, Stuart won't ever find Margalo. Like they say, if you love somebody, set them free. If they really love you, they'll come back. Something I learned while reading this book was cherish every moment with your loved ones because you don't know when time will run out.

Something I thought went well while reading this book was how so much of this book can relate to Charlotte's Web and that i could get good annotations out of that. Something i thought didn't go well was the fact that you don't know if Stuart finds Margalo or not. It kind of left the story off as a cliff-hanger and I didn't like that.