Journal 3 from Lucas

     Overall my reading has been going pretty well. I believe the strength of A House On Mango Street is how she uses very creative language to keep the readers attention. Also, she uses a lot of stories that many people can relate to their very own childhood. I don't really think this book has any weaknesses other than not being very entertaining. In my opinion, so far it has just lacked the excitement and major events that most readers enjoy. The strengths of A Long Way Gone is that it does have many events that keep me engaged in the book and wondering what will happen next. I don't think this book has any weaknesses so far. I am doing better with A Long Way Gone because there is more things to right down for my active reading, where as in A House On Mango Street the chapters are so short and to the point that it is hard to come up with anything to write down. My active reading habits so far have been pretty well and I have been improving each time.

     For chapter 8, I believe that a good working title that may help us retain it is "Familiar Faces". I like this title because it helps me remember that this is when he finally runs into 3 boys he used to attend school with, along with 3 other boys. My nutshell for this chapter was "After nearly a month spent alone in the forest with only the snakes, wild pigs, and deer, Ishmael runs into 6 other boys, 3 of which he attended school with. The 7 boys continue on together and meet the old man who was left behind, and he gives them directions to Yele.". One vocabulary word from this chapter that I believe is important was the word innocence. The definition of the word innocence is "lack of guile or corruption". One challenge in this chapter and throughout the book is that everybody is afraid of the boys because they think they are soldiers. " There was nothing we could do about it. Sometimes we ran after people shouting that we were not what they thought, but this made them more scared". The boys had to deal with this everywhere they went, especially being in a group of 7.
   

   

Journal 3 Chase Wedding

So far my reading is going okay. I don't love reading to begin with but "A Long Way Gone" definitely brings a different perspective in to view and that is always refreshing. For me I personally, I prefer "The house on Mango Street", particularly because of the structure. I love how quick and descriptive it is. It's like when a teacher doesn't give a length requirement on an essay. If you're not a good writer than you still have to type a few pages to get your point across. Cisnero is the smart kid in class that wrote a single paragraph but the writing was so amazing that it was still a perfect essay.
 My active reading habits aren't amazing. I do tend to highlight or mark things that make me visualize something so thats a start. I guess I'm new to the idea of marking up a book when I'm so used to keeping books in great condition so that I could return them.

"Not from Around Here" Is the title I gave this chapter.
I gave this title because of how the boys are treated and the things they do when they arrive all the way up until they leave. In chapter six, the boys are all walking when a group of men surprise them and take them back to their village. They were questioned and tied up because they were thought to be rebels. A kid that was from their same village told everyone it was okay and they were let go. They spend their initial time in the village essentially on guard duty due to the fear of the imminent attack of the rebels. Slowly the urgency to defend themselves is forgotten and they boys are put to work on a farm. One day, the village is attacked by rebels ad everyone runs. One of the more important things to remember in this chapter is the very end when Beah tells us that its the last time he see's Junior.

The vocabulary word I thought showed importance was "misfits". It relates to how I perceive this chapter entirely. Beah and all his friends are misfits in this village. They're not farmers, they're rappers. They don't usually do these kinds of things and the people of the village know it too. Misfits is a word used to describe being out of place or not fitting in.

"...Junior and I were misfits..."(Beah 42). This quote describes how I personally saw the theme as well. I think the theme is just a natural disconnection or confusion. They're not used to this life and they're in a community where that is all anyone else does. In certain parts of the chapter, Beah describes the villagers as expert farmers. Short after is when he admits to being a misfit. I think it just creates an external conflict within the society because of the presence of outsiders that can't do what they can. Also it could create an internal conflict with the boys in correlation with not being good enough.

Journal 3 Gabe Breidenbach

My reading so far is constantly fluctuating between chapters and it is a bit more than just that. First of all is my "Reading Room" or "Study" was being renovated but thankfully thats all sorted out (hurray for no more reading while a movie is blasting in the Living room) and luckily enough it is quiet. Secondly and heres the pain in my side and it's the simple matter of I struggle to see some parts of grammar that are great or paragraphs due to my prior experiences in an English class or as a friend and I called it "Cram the Unreasonably Large Amount of Pages Before It Starts" class which while it tried to get us to start actively reading it fell short in that we had no control of what we did so I used to cram and underline without effort. Lastly when I read unless I really look back at pages or really like the book (The Book Theif for example) in which I can memorize most the information. I generally fall short due to major shortcomings in my reading and struggle with information until i am able to really understand the book.

New world. 

Chapter 7 starts off shortly after a rebel attack leaving him in a state of constant fear until after Ishmeal saw the remains of a village which includes the imagery of animals feasting on human remains as vultures circled. in a desperate attempt he trys to seek out a peaceful place in a war torn land leading to him experiencing new challenges. Ending with the reminder that no one trusts anybody when a few kids in a body of water tell him to leave (not directly) through distrusting glares and the kids tone of voice.

Challenge wise the biggest challenge is survival. Reason being that through out most the chapter is him breaking away from his original group and heading out with very little in search for a peaceful place to live. Ishmael encounters the effects and desperation of hunger  and it's ability to allow the body to do impressive deeds with no negitive repercusions in order to survive such as when he climbed the coconut tree to retrieve food.

Fate: the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events. the reason i find this word to stick out in my mind is that from here on he has taken fate into his own hands for better or worse, good or badand he can no longer escape it.

Journal 3 by Andy

Part 1

I am enjoying both books so far.  The House on Mango Street is very refreshing to read especially the mental visuals I can create personally due to Sandra Cisnero's writing. In the other book, A Long Way Gone, it is much more intense.  Ishmael Beah also paints a picture I can visualize with his descriptions and details about his life. I would say I am a bit more interested overall with A Long Way Gone due to wanting to read about how he continues to survive these awful times in his life.

I would say my active reading habits are decent. The markings in my books have definitely helped so far with our discussions in class as far as key points as well as parts of the reading that make an impact on me.  I have not added any writing in my books as far as key details besides our "nutshell" assignment along with bracketing one word to search for it's definition. It is also nice to hear what other classmates have selected and highlighted in their books from their point of view and opinions. Another key point about active reading for me personally would be that I have applied it to my human biology class notes and that has helped finding answers to questions a few times already.


Part 2

A Long Way Gone - Chapter 9 - "Surviving Alongside the Atlantic Ocean"

My nutshell for this chapter is written on the last page of chapter nine in my book as follows:

"Ishmael and his current group run into a fishing village that does not welcome them.
They eventually meet a fisherman who helps until he can no longer do so.
The villagers capture them again, but the chief tells them to go after an explanation of their journey."


The vocabulary word I have decided to select is soukous found on page 59 referring to "soukous dance" in the text. The definition from Wikipedia is as follows: "Soukous is a popular genre of dance music that originated in the Congo basin during the 1940s, strongly influenced by Congolese rumba. The style gained popularity in the 80s" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soukous

My reasoning for selecting soukous is that this was a time in which Ishmael and his group were having fun together and finally were briefly able to temporarily enjoy life.  This part of the story is one of the first in which the group is actually in a situation in which they were not living in fear of rebels attacking them.


A theme, as well as a challenge, for this chapter would be survival. There are multiple instances of survival. We begin with Ishmael and his group once again waking up to survive another day in their lives.  As Ishmael and his group approach the huts hoping to get some help, it unfortunately backfires and the fishermen/villagers attack them to protect themselves as well as their village.

The fisherman/villager that was kind enough to let them stay in his fishing hut as well as help them heal their feet ruined from the scorched sand obviously gambled by helping them.  At the time he did put himself in a survival situation not knowing what they were possibly capable of until he realized what Ishmael and his group were experiencing.  The fisherman/villager also put himself at risk by not allowing his fellow villagers to know he was helping Ishmael and the group.  I'm sure if the village found out the fisherman along with his wife would have faced some sort of punishment.

The direct quote I am selecting is (page 61) "As we sat in silence, the man whose hut we occupied came in. He stopped at the door, and was about to turn around when he noticed our suffering. His eyes met our frightened faces." and the reason I selected this quote would be that I can personally relate to the fisherman/villager.  If presented that situation, I would do my best to help Ishmael and his group out.  Obviously the fisherman/villager knew, or could at least sense, that they were not a threat and lost on their journey.

Journal 3 from Lali

My overall reading so far is going very well, some strengths in the books is that they are very unique especially house on mango street I like how both the authors are very descriptive in their writing. Some weaknesses is that at times the house on mango street can get a little confusing at times but it just require a lot of re-reading. The book that is going better for me is probably a long way home because I understand the book much better than the hose on mango street. My active reading habits it going okay its certainly better than it was two weeks ago.

Title: Survival
A nutshell for chapter nine is that Ishmael and his group are attacked by these villagers and are taken to the chief and steals their shoes, then are chased away until the group encounters a hut and the man in the hut tends to their injuries and takes care of them. The group try to figure out the mans name but he wont tell them, the villagers come attack again and Ishmael and his group are taken back to the chief where he hears their music and lets them go because they are just kids. A term that I found in the reading was disconsolate which means without consolation or comfort.

Journal 3 from Addison

I believe my overall reading well. I can always improve though. My strengths are they are interesting books so it makes it easier to up on the reading. My weaknesses are referring to one book and then having to switch over to a different book. The House on Mango Street is going better for me because I like how she has shorter chapters. It is easier to comprehend for me. I can relate more to The House on Mango Street than I can in a long way gone. My habits on active reading are sometimes better than others.

I titled chapter 7 "The Rebels Attack"

Nutshell: The rebels come randomly one day. He did not have to find all of his friends he had to just run and hide. He is now wondering if everyone escaped and how long he will live.

imam: the person who leads prayers in a mosque.

The theme of chapter 7 that sticks out to me is worry. Ishmael is now worried about his friends and family and hope that they escaped."The semi-burnt body of the imam, as Koloko had described it, was there in the village square. I could see the pain he had felt by looking at the way his teeth were bared. All the houses were burned. There wasn't a sign of life anywhere" Ishmael must be feeling really lost. he has now seen a lot . he hasn't just lost his family but now also his friends. No twelve year old should have to see dead and loose that any people that he was close to.

Journal 3 by Mohammed Baseer

I have been reading actively, highlighting all important words,  both books are interesting, writing is best in Cisneros, but it has a lot of deviations, Chapters are small and each chapter has a different story and a lesson to be learned. I loved A long way gone, it gets me totally involved into the story that once I start to read I feel like finishing the book. Yesterday I read onto chapter 13, the story is narrated with so much perfection that it kept me reading for hours and then I have to come back to the given chapters of the week and glance it again so that I can highlight any important word or sentence.

My title for Chapter 8 will be, "Alone in the Dark". I choose this title because Ishmael was alone in a forest for a month in such dark and despair times of his life.

In this chapter Ishmael is on his own now walking for two days through burnt bodies, abandoned villages, scattered leaves. On the third day he found that he was lost in the middle of the dense forest. He made his new home near a tree and fed on unusual ripe fruit, where he thought about his trip with his grandfather, showing him uses of important medicinal trees. One evening he was chased by wild pigs and had to run for a mile. He spent more than a month in the forest until one day he saw a group of boys who were from his old school in Mattru Jong. He went along with the boys, they were called "Seven Boys" as they were misunderstood as rebels, to the next village where they saw an old man who fed them and gave directions to a safe place called Yele.

Indelibly- Forgotten or something which cannot be eliminated.

Among many, this theme specifically stood out for me, when Ishmael and his friends came across an old man in the middle of the village, he offered them food and said that this country has lost its good heart. People don't trust each other anymore. Years ago you would have been heartily welcomed in this village. Hope that you boys can find safety before this untrustworthiness and fear cause someone to harm you. This shows how time changes everyone they cannot believe or trust even a 12 year old boy who is running for his life. At the end of the chapter he said how men kept an eye on them when they stopped in crowded villages and mothers would grab their children and run away seeing them.
                                            

Journal 3 from Matt Stock

     My reading overall is doing great. I am keeping up on my reading and getting it all done at once. I feel like it is important to read all of the chapter at once because you don't forget details.  A Long Way Gone is a great story and a great lesson for everyday life. I feel like the author could add more humor into the book. I can see why he wrote it the way he did due to the topic.But, every time I read it I can't help but feel bad for Ishmael. The House on Mango Street is a very unique book and makes me think, and even laugh. I grew up inter city Columbus so I can relate to the city life and the beat down houses. I find this book hard to get into for the fact that they are short stories. As I start to get into the chapter it ends. I feel that A Long Way Gone is getting better for me because I can picture what Ishmael is going through. The story as I am reading is playing like a movie. It makes me feel like life isn't that bad at all. What Ishmael is going through is horrible but very inspiring. I am doing very well at my active reading. I do have my down falls even though I am highlighting and writing in the margin. I miss over great lines and topics. When we go over them in class I have the light bulb go off in my head. I ask myself how I missed that.
     I choose chapter 6 as my chapter to do journal 3 on. I feel like a great title for this chapter would be "doing it country style". I choose this due to the fact its funny and how hard the boys worked on the farm. The chapter starts with the boys getting captured by town guards as they passed through. The boy were tired up and questioned. The chief found the tape in Ishmael's pocket. Lucky one of the boys in the village knew the boys from school and saved them. The boy were let go and continued on. with the boys going from town to town trying to get as far from the rebels as they can. After not seeing people for a long time they come across a group of people. An old woman sees that boys and recognized Gibrilla. She told them that his aunt was in Kamator. The boys started out on the hill top as look outs for the village of Kamator. They did this in change for food and a place to live. After a long time the village decided they did not need a look out. The boys became farmers from Gibrilla's uncle. The work was very hard and long hours. After a three months the village was attacked and no one was ready. Ishmael ran and all the boys were speared. Ishmael said in this chapter it would be the last time he ever sees Junior again.  The word that I wanted to look up was "verandah"-a roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground.
     The major challenge in this chapter was when they were farming in Kamator. I think there was a positive out come on Ishmael's relationship with Gibrilla's uncle. I think Ishmael admired him for how good he was at farming. At the top of page 42 states "We spent three days cutting down our portions. He was done in less than three hours. When I held the cutlass in my hand to start attacking the bush, that Gibrilla's uncle couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing before he showed me how to hold the cutlass properly." Another big one was at the end of the chapter when the boys were separated. Even though we don't see the effects at the time of the chapter we can guess how it will effect him. Ishmael is not going to have the support system and he is going to be very lonely. End of page 43 states " It was during the attack in the village of Kamator that my friends and I separated. It was the last time I saw Junior, my older brother.".
    

Journal 3, Chapter 6, Caitlin Williams

    My overall reading is going decent so far. It could be better and I would benefit from focusing more on where exactly they are in the book and also when they are. I have a hard time trying to get my mind to follow along when the chapters are constantly changing and not going in a straight story-line. My strengths are that I really try to visualize and feel what the characters are seeing or feeling. I really like to get emotionally deep in my books when I read and I also like to zone out while I'm reading and have no outside distractions. When I read I can see it playing in my head as if it were a movie. I think that I am following along better in The House On Mango Street but then I also get emotionally involved in A Long Way Gone and can really feel just how horrid and sad the book is. I believe my highlighting is great, I actually enjoy to highlight the things that stick out to me and places/names, it truly helps. I don't like writing in my book. My handwriting is always messy and that makes my book look messy so I tend to steer away from that. I find myself highlighting really nice, vivid metaphors since we started talking about metaphors.

    I think a good title for Chapter 6 in A Long Way Gone would be "Farewell Junior." I think that Junior and Ishmael separating is the saddest thing so far and that is really going to end up being an important milestone for Ismael and what happens to him next. 

My nutshell for Chapter 6: 

Ishmael and his friends were captured by some villagers but thankfully for the rap cassette they had in their pockets a boy in the village they were captured by was from Mattru Jong and recognized them from their past performances and it saved their lives. Ishmael and his friends move along to another village where they farm for 3 months but in the end the rebels ended up invading and that is the last time Ishmael sees Junior. 

   I think that a theme for Chapter 6 in A Long Way Gone is loneliness. Ishmael talked about how all of his friends and brother were keeping to themselves and how he wished he could've broken their silence. He stated a time where he referred back to something that had happened in the past where he and Junior when to fetch water in the river and that Ishmael had fallen and dumped his water and Junior gave him his bucket and took the empty one back to the river to get water and when Junior came back he made sure that Ishmael was okay and how now in the present Ishmael just wants Junior to ask if Ishmael is okay. I feel like the war is getting hard on their friendship and they just can't laugh and joke and be happy the way they use to. A word I think is important is a parable which means a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. They used this word to describe their rap music. 

Journal 3 from Josh

My overall reading for the class is going well so far. One of the strengths for both books I think is that the writing style is very descriptive and easy to visualize. Also the chapters are very short. I've always had trouble reading assigned books just because I am a slow reader and also get board easily with reading if it does not interest me. but that isn't the case in these books because I do find them interesting and easy to understand. I would probably have to say that A Long Way Gone has been going better to me. I just find the topic of book more interesting. I've heard about the civil wars and child soldiers in Africa before but I haven't heard as much about it. As for The House on Mango Street is more about the projects in the cities and their struggles and way of life. That kind of stuff I see all the time on the news and in the movies.

I think a good working title for chapter 8 would have to be "Ishmael vs. The woods". In this chapter Ishmael is by himself. at the beginning of the chapter As he is walking towards the sea he passes burnt villages and sees dead bodies of men, women, and children. He continues walking and finds himself in a thick forest. He spends the night and then tries to find his way out of the forest the next morning. he realizes that he is lost and is trapped in the forest for more than a month before he finally runs into people. He travels with them and they soon find out that there is a rumor about them attacking villages. Isolate means a person or place to be or remain alone or apart from others and i think this word is perfect for this chapter considering Ishmael spends most of the time alone. A lot goes on in this chapter but one theme that I thought stuck out was Ishmael fighting against himself. When he is in the forest he struggles to keep terrifying and disturbing thoughts from his mind and it affects with him surviving in the wilderness. It also affects his overall well being. A quote that best illustrates this is on page 52 when he says, " I spent most of my time fighting myself mentally in order to avoid thinking about what I had seen or wondering where my life was going, where my family and friends were." Another thing that his loneliness affects is his trust with other people. We see this when he meets the boys and he doesn't feel comfortable right away.  

Journal 3 by Carlos Devore

     As of what I've read so far, I'd say that my overall reading is going somewhat average. In all honesty, I'm not really a big fan of the separated style of Cisnero's book, mainly because I prefer a more progressive storyline. That's just me, though. For its own style, I'd say that it works properly for the book, so I can appreciate it a little bit. In Beah's book, it gives a proper narrative on what is going on in the current events of the book, as well as what could potentially happen (survival), the thinking of what is desired (Ishmael's wish of New York), and so on. As a result, it's much easier for me to get interested in Beah's book as opposed to Cisnero's, mainly because of both format and content.
     For chapter nine of A Long Way Gone, I suppose a proper title for this book would be "Sanctuary", mainly because the chapter focuses on how they were taken in by an unknown man right after they were robbed by fishermen. In the chapter itself, they're basically walking along the sand and have their guard up, watching for certain dangers. They're robbed by fisherman (taking their shoes, for example), and end up in pain for the next few days before being taken in and to a local village. I suppose that a proper theme for this chapter might have to do with struggle, mainly due to their pains after they were robbed. Apparently, they were able to get along with the village afterwards, but at first, they were attacked. This is evident when the chief says "These boys are no mercenaries, look at them." So, they're viewpoints have changed. That's what I got from this.

Journal 3- Charles White

My reading so far is not very good. I can not seem to get into the book A Long Way Gone at all. I have done active reading but I think that stopping and highlighting or underlining just gets my attention away from the reading and it is harder for me to get reading it again. With the book The House on Mango Street, I am following that one a lot better. I don't know if it because of the shorter chapters or the different style that the author used, but I seem to be able to follow it better. My active reading has been a struggle like I said earlier. I find it hard to stop reading and highlight or underline different things then start reading again.

I chose to do Chapter 7 in A Long Way Gone. The title I chose was "Survival".  A nutshell for this chapter is, When the rebels attacked he had to fear for his own life. He lost his brother and most of his village. He is walking on his own now in the jungle with barely and food or water. When he finally found people they did not trust him at all and he felt rejected because he was only 12, yet no one trusted him.

Vocabulary I chose was Verandah which is a noun and is by definition "A roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor".

The theme or challenge in this chapter I thought was survival. Ishmael had to think about his life before anyone else and he ended up having to leave his village quickly so he didn't get hurt. When he left the village and was on his own no one trusted him, he is a 12 year-old boy and no one trust him because of where he lives.

Journal Two from Chase

Hey everyone, my names Chase Wedding. Ive lived in a lot of different places my whole life. I lived in Powell, OH growing up and then abruptly moving to Phoenix, AZ when I was 13. I went to highschool in Arizona for my freshman, sophomore, and senior year. My junior year i was recruited to play hockey in Boston so I moved out and flew to Boston for my junior year of high school. I loved the west so I'm not sure what drove me to move back here but I'm here now so...

I play D2 hockey for OSU so I don't have much free-time for hobbies besides school and working here and there.

From the first chapter I would have to say that it seems like something I don't necessarily want to read. I don't love reading about stuff like this because it reminds me of "Kite Runner" and that book had a lot of violence and some other things involved with that. On the other hand I do sense a separate theme that has a lot to do with ignorance being bliss. The fact of them reiterating the point of the boys not understanding gives them a small amount of unemployed innocence. I think its pretty cool that they listen to rap because you would think that it doesn't reach areas like that. 

Journal 2: my introduction and along way gone

This is what happens when you do homework right after work

Hello my name is Gabrial Alexander Breidenbach but i normally go by Gabe due to the mispronunciation of my name. Oddly enough one of my biggest hobby's is Karate and other martial arts due to how they can eventually improve the body while the conditioning reduces the damage and pain received while in or out of practice. My other hobby is collecting weapons such as swords, knives, emeici, Sai, throwing stars, nunchucks, and other randomly assorted weapons that for all practical purposes i don't need but i love how they look ranging from the emeici that are as tall as a ruler to a sword that from handle to tip is fifty inches long.

the biggest thing that jumped at me when it comes to what we have read in along way gone is how it starts to where it ends where we left off. or should i say how it moves through the story since i was expecting it to start darker then what it did which caught me off guard. but as more charecters and pages went on it started with war being just a rumor nothing more nothing less up until the events unfold. Finnaly when the war made its pressence in the authors life the war hit the village and the immense detail.

Just a simple man

So you wanna know about me, huh? Well thee sure ain't much to say, but ill give it a try. My name is Christopher Logan "Tex" Buchanan. I go by Logan, but most folks just call me Tex. I grew up on a cattle ranch in Baytown, Texas, and boy do I miss it there. Sweet tea, pecan pie, and some moonshine every no and then never hurt nobody. And oh boy, don't get me started on the BBQ and Cajun food. I grew up learning how to cook both and learn both lifestyles. This is due to, as my uncle puts it, "half my family being backwoods Texas Rednecks, and the other half Louisiana Cajun Swampland Coon-asses." I grew up in a pretty rowdy family, but all in all I'm pretty well rounded. My family is pretty much outlaw bikers, truckers, oil field workers, and military. I met the woman I now call my wife, 5 years ago online and we have been together ever since. On August 18, 2010, about 6 months after I met her I moved here to Ohio to be with her. I have since Raised her 3 children as my own Claudia who is almost 15, Sebastian or Seby, who is almost 13, and Layla who is 8. We were married on December 18, 2011. On March 15th 2012 my youngest Cheyenne was born. Well enough of that. Here's a fun fact about me: I operate a webpage that has 23K followers and I reach almost 1.2 million people a week. I never knew I could create something as big as Blue Bell Ice Cream. YUM!!!!!

I have found that in this story the author was a very humble kid that had a very traumatic childhood. At an early age, he was exposed to violence. This whole story seems like it is just going to get worse. But I look forward to finding out what happens next. It makes you realize that, coming from the mouth of an unbiased person that actually went through it, things are actually worse than people realize. I cant wait to continue reading. This seems like this adventure is going to be an edge of the seat nail biter. I see a Rambo style story here.


Hope y'all enjoy,
The coolest Redneck you will ever meet, Tex

Journal 2 - A brief introduction about Andy

The easiest way to describe myself would be easy going, yet hard working. I always try to be as helpful as possible to others if they need some assistance. This is my second semester of my freshman year. I am currently 28 and decided to take college classes to improve my quality of life for the future. I am quiet most of the time, but do enjoy good conversation.  In my spare time when I am not in class, studying or working, I can be found in the gym.  I enjoy fitness, nutrition, and pushing the human body to see what I can accomplish.  Nutrition is another aspect of my life that is very important to me due to wheat/gluten and lactose issues. With these issues, I have to work around them when shopping for foods and cooking.

After beginning reading A Long Way Gone, the theme that has had the biggest impact in my personal opinion so far would be the violence. Everything started off great and violence would be the last thing you would expect. As far as the aftermath of violence witnessed by Ishmael, he then had a dream that he was shot in his side. (pages 14-15) During this dream, he tells us people kept running by him without helping since they were running for their own lives. After that he states someone was standing above him pointing a gun where he was shot and pulled the trigger. After Ishmael woke up, he touched his side immediately to see if he was injured and could no longer tell the difference between dream and reality. This would obviously be a very frightening time to say the least and I believe most of us can relate to a short extent if we had a nightmare with a similar situation waking up wondering if the nightmare actually happened.

Journal 2 from Lucas

My name is Lucas Haycook and I went to Elgin High School. I enjoy playing sports, especially golf. I work on a golf course and play a lot of golf so that is an easy way to remember who I am. A fun fact about myself is that when I was about 5 years old, I got in my grandmas car when she was inside and left it running, and I somehow managed to get it stuck on the railroad tracks where there is no road for it.

In the book, one theme that has stuck out to me is violence. I feel that this is important because it is only the beginning and there is already a large amount of deaths and injuries. I think that it is only going to continue to get worse as the book goes on. To me this theme is somewhat relate-able because when I was in 6th grade my brother was stabbed so I understand what some of the people are feeling when things happened to their families, so that is what the theme means to me.

Journal Two by Mohammed Baseer

Hi, I am Mohammed Baseer , I came from India a few months ago and I have seen snow for the First time in my life, I always thought playing in snow, making snowman was fun, but on the other hand cleaning my driveway early mornings, carefully driving my car such that it does not slip is much worse. I can barely stand outside unless I am in three layers of clothes and winter just started, there's more to come. I love science, happy to help anyone with any topics related to science, I have done one year of my

Pre-Pharmacy course in India and the rest of the course will be here in OSU. I love travelling and the best trip I had is when we went to Smoky mountains in Tennessee. Zip-lining in the smokies was the most memorable adventure I have ever done, It was scary as hell, thank god I survived.


                             The first chapter of the Long Way Gone shows us how a boy got stuck with his friends in a war stricken country. Ishmael and his friends were happy and enjoying their life learning how to rap and dance, they went out of the town to participate in their friend's talent show but ended up seeing people running for their life, gore and violence. One of the most important theme that stood out for me is like all kids he went along with his friends to another town without asking for a permission from his parents. Little did he know that he would never see them again. Most of us who are enough old and mature still cannot stay without their parents. Imagine how a little boy who is just twelve years old could withstand what he has seen.

Journal Two from Josh

Hi I am Josh. I'm 19 years old. I'm from Powell, Ohio and I still live there and commute up to Marion for classes. I also work part time at my Uncle's car wash as an assistant manager. I was originally planning on going to school at Cincinnati but I've always wanted to continue my families legacy as being a Buckeye. At home I live with my parents. I am also an only child. I ran Track in high school. I received All-Ohio honors my senior year and my relay team placed third at states. In my spare time I like to watch sports. I mostly watch football. I am a huge Buckeye fan and unfortunately a Bengals fan but I guess that's better than being a Browns fan. I plan on majoring in Athletic Training and look forward to train at the Woody Hayes Center in Columbus when that time comes.

After reading the first chapter of A Long Way Gone, the theme that stuck out to me the most was innocence. Ishmael starts off the book talking about his childhood friends and him having fun and enjoying rapping and listening to rap music (6-7), which was surprising to me considering it is a part of American culture. Then suddenly the rebels had attack and their childhood flashed before their eyes. The war would end their childhood and they would be forced to run and hide or fight. Also Ishmael's view changed completely from before his village was attacked to after. The first chapter really shows how much is affected by war.

Matt Stock

     Hi everyone, my name is Matt Stock. A good way to remember me is I am in the Army. I am in the Army National Guard as a Field Artillery Data Specialist. I have been doing it for the last two years and really enjoy it. I also, love long distance running. I run in many half marathons every year.
     In the chapter we learned a ton about the setting and how life was for Ishmael and his friends. At first the chapter started out sounding like Ishmael and his brother Junior are normal kids that have dreams and a passion for music and dance. Slowly, we see that life isn't all that is cracked up to be for Ishmael. First, with his father choosing his step mother over him and his two brothers. Then, his mother not having the money to keep them in school. When the war broke out and the mass death occurred like it stated in the book you can't help but feel bad for the group of boys. What really stood out is when the boys we're at their grandmother's house and they see all the people running for their lives. The man that was trying to save his family and the rebels began shooting and killing them all in the car was horrible for them to see. I think the worst thing was when the baby was killed when the mother was running from the rebels. The mother's life was saved when the bullet stopped inside in the baby. I think that the theme is the war has changed the lives of the children and put them in survival mode.

Journal Two from Addison

     Hi my name is Addison. A year ago on MLK Day, in my senior year of high school I found out I was pregnant. I had a perfect little boy named Carter on September 30,2015. He is now three and a half months old and he is my world.
   

          So far in a long way gone the thing that stuck out to me the most is that they were just living there ordinary life. Just in couple days it all changed. the war is coming. They will have to learn to fight and protect themselves at a very young age.

Journal 2 from Lali

My name is Lajos Lakatos but my nickname is lali, I was born in Esztergom Hungary in 1996 and lived there for four years then moved here at Delaware Ohio in 2000. Some hobbies of mine is that I love golf I have been playing ever since i was like 6 years old, also I like going to the gym  try to go at least six times a week. Right now I am working at Mercedes-Benz at Easton also as a second job in the summer I work for my dads construction company. A fun fact about me is that I never shot over 80 in golf in the last 5 years.

The fist chapter i thought was very good, i liked how the author started out that these boys have dreams that they want to be rappers and start their own group. Then slowly Ishmael shows us that how hard life is over at Sierra Leone it is, of how refuges ruin and kill families also how they take kids as soldiers to fight their war. I think the theme of this book is never loose your humanity and i think how Ishmael is doing that is with his rapping and dancing.

Journal Two from Caitlin

My name is Caitlin Williams, welcome to my first blog post in English 1109! A couple things to get know me better are that I love anything including or dealing with fashion or make-up! I'm very open-minded to all styles and looks. I also have a cat that I have had for 5 1/2 years and his name is, Cohen. He is a bengal cat and he is a 5th generation Asian leopard, I will attach a picture of him since he is just so cool looking! I also have a little nephew who just turned one and he is my absolute favorite thing in this entire world, his name is Cayson. A fun fact about me is that I am a Patient Care Associate at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. This position has made me realize my true career calling which is being a Nurse!

The theme for A Long Way Gone for Chapter 1 in my opinion is change. Everything was so normal and the boys and their friends thought that learning rap was going to be the next big thing for them to do/learn next. Then all of a sudden their lives changed forever, just like that, in the blink of an eye. Before the start of the war they had a future to look forward to and now that's changed-in fact I think that they are now wondering if they will have a future at all. I feel like this theme is important because it really goes to show you that absolutely anything can happen, anywhere, anytime. This theme means to me that change is basically always inevitable.

Journal 2 from Charles

My full name is Charles Austin White. I own and fund my own small animal business that consists of South African Boer goats, as well as other animals such as horses, ducks, dogs, turkeys, and two llamas. I am going to college to obtain a degree in Electrical linesmen to work on power lines. A fun fact about me would be I am the 2010 and 2015 Ohio State Overall Grand Champion Full Blood Boer Buck. I have won numerous other state titles with the same buck and other smaller shows.






In the reading of chapter 1 in the book the narrator, with his older brother, Junior, and their friend, Talloi, head to Mattru Jong to participate in a talent show. They had started a rap and dance group when the narrator was eight, he is twelve when they leave for Mattru Jong and this is the first time he encounters war. When they arrive in Mattru Jong they stay at a friend's house. The day after they arrive they are waiting on two other friends to come over after school but they come over early and tell them that they were sent home early because the rebels attacked the mining areas and the teachers told them that their town is next. The mining area that was attacked is where the narrator, his brother, and their friend are from. All the boys head down to the river to ask the fleeing people about the attack and their families. When they don't hear anything about their families they decide they need to head back home to, Mogbwemo, to try and find them. They make it to their grandparents village, Kabati, but they can't find their grandparents. While they are still in Kabati they see wounded people still fleeing. After seeing all these innocent people hurt they decide that it would be best to go back to Mattru Jong. When they arrive they tell their friends what they saw. After a week of being back in Mattru Jong and not hearing anything about their families the government place soldiers in the town to help protect it.

Journal 2 by Chad Devore

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chad Devore, but you may call me Carlos (I hate my actual name, so please call me Carlos and not Chad). In the best way I can describe myself, I suppose I'd say that I'm the type of person who enjoys creating things and figuring out how things work. It's essentially what I do. I guess an example would be the many board games I've created and all of the short story ideas I've conceived. Overall, I'm the type of person who enjoys creating things. Like I said, it's what I do. Whether it involves using some kind of code to create something digitally, or by making something out of real life materials, I enjoy creation. Creation, creation, creation.


Photo of myself yet to go here with caption.

In all honesty, perhaps the thing that stuck out the most for me was the basic idea of what's going on. There's a war coming, and refugees are coming through, and things are essentially just taking off of there. It seems like a pretty stressful situation to go through, and that's basically what stuck out for me the most. (To be honest, I only read a tiny bit of it, but in that little bit, it gave me a sense of another viewpoint I never actually had before). Theme? Perhaps the theme is all about survival, as in preparing for the unexpected.

Welcome to blog and introduction from Mike Lohre

Hello students and welcome to our class blog.

Our goal today will be to familiarize ourselves with the features of the blog, gain authorship, and write an Introduction of ourselves for the class, so that we can get to know each other and have a basis for our writing community.

Once you become a member, write two paragraphs for your first blog post.

Refer to the handout I gave you for the prompt for this writing, and hints on how to use the blog.

Good luck and see you here on the blog!

Mike

This is Irene at our house, going out to feed the chickens.