“Confidence. The Secret to a mans success.”

This quote sums up so many things for me. In my family, our history is all about confidence. Swagger. And it is not how you look. It is how you act and present yourself. Confidence is handling your business when it needs to be. Confidence is what i believe makes a man. You can get all the money , riches, and clothes, but if the confidence is not there, then it is only material things.

“Sometimes, you cant worry about hurt. Sometimes you worry only about getting where you have to go.”

This statement has many meanings. It can be the physical or the emotional sense. When reaching for a goal you have to think about problems along the way. But you cant dwell on them. If you dwell on a problem then you are bound to stay stagnant, and stay where you are. That’s why you have to keep moving forward.

1.perform something without preparation
2.not embarrassed or ashamed
3.to lower ones body by bending knee
4.extremely cold
5.not capable of being violated
6.eat until excessively full
7. a divine manifestation
8.shockingly repellent

1. She uses his facial features to personify winter. She compares his eyes to cliffs. She says his mouth will not unzip until spring.

2.The boys gather around her and teasing her about being black and ugly. They call her names. They also say that she has seen her dad naked.

3.Maureen Peal is a nice, but very inquisitive girl. she does not know how to stop asking question, or when a line is crossed. This angers the other girls because the things she asks about i really none of her business. But she does not have bad intentions.

4. The two girls feel insecurities about themselves compared to Maureen. All of the people in school talk to her more then anybody, and this makes them jealous.

5.when they met the prostitue

Thomas R.
3-4
November
Push
Sapphire

The author’s purpose of this book was to show how this young girl, precious deals with the worst situations, and still tries her hardest to get an education.

The intended audience for this story is for the more mature audience. this is due to how explicit the story is, and the sexual and abusive content.

9

The major internal conflict for precious was trying to overcome how hard her life was and trying to learn how to read and how to be a normal teen. Her external content was the physical and sexual abuse she endured from her mother and father. Her father rapes her and her mother is always beating on her.

Thomas R.
3-4
October
The freedom writers diary
Erin Gruwell and The Freedom Writers

The authors purpose of the book was to show people how life was in the streets of long beach and how other urban areas are.

The intended audience for this story was for young teens who are dealing with violence, and other troubles growing up. It is also aimed at people who don’t understand the struggles of the minority races of america. Many americans have misconceptions of how hard urban life really really can be.

Rate:10

Above you rated this book. Explain in detail why you gave this book that score.

This book deserved a 10 because it connects with other diaries such as the Diary of Anne Frank. But this story hits a little more close to home because, an undeclared war is happening right on our soil. People try to look past it, but violence is everywhere, not just long beach. If more people looked at these real accounts of life, we could improve the world.

Thomas R.
3-4
September
Tyrell

What do you think was the author’s purpose in writing this book?*
The Authors purpose for thisn story was to explain the struggles of a young man. This is made to connect to other males who are coming of age and have to start providing for thier family

Who do you think is the intended audience for this book?*
The intended audience is probably minority or stuggling males in poverty.

Rate the book from 1-10
10

Above you rated this book. Explain in detail why you gave this book that score.

I rated this book a ten because it connects to many males in our society. it is about one male, but it can describe many people. I love this book because it shows a young man dealing with teenage, and adult problems. He has to raise his brother, and take care of his mother, but has to juggle his relationship with Jasmine and Novisha. This book is very much deserving of a ten.

http://prezi.com/pppkgay1it8_/the-beasts-beauty/

So today is the last day of school, and i’m ready to get out of here. I’m finally going to to be in 8th grade, top dog in middle school. One problem though. My grades have fallen off a cliff, and i’m the one who is about to hit rock bottom. I have to think fast, report cards come in 2 weeks. Each day is like ticking bomb. Every hour, minute , second even matters. The time is finally up, and report cards come in the mail. I break for the mail box , and throw away the report card. Stupid me. Now i’m in deep. “Hey Joe? Did your report card come?”, mom asks. “Nah Ma, not today”. The cycle repeats itself for about a week until my dad goes to school to pick up my report card. I’m chilling at the pool when I hear my cell phone ring, and the dreadful news awaits. I come home to a shouting session of how i am ungrateful and take things for granted, but I was not horribly punished for some reason. I knew something was up. I knew this summer was going to be a long one, and not in the way most kids think.
It’s nearing July, and my father pulls out all of these movies. Roots, Schindlers list, Rosewood, and Basil were some of the assortments. I not only had to watch these movies, but write a report about them, so my father knew I comprehended. “Ugh!” , I thought, “Why is this happening to me. My life is terrible, nobody is living how I live!” No that I am older, I realize how ignorant and naive I sounded. The first movie I watched was Roots. This movie was very important in my family because it highlighted the stuggles of slaves in different time frames through Kunta Kente and his children and Grand Children. My mind is racing ” Why are these slave treated this way”. Young Kunta Kente was almost whipped to death, because he would not give up his african name. Confused, and rattled I did not understand this. Back then I was twelve and everything was equal, i had no problems, yet i was still complaining about my life.
The most pivotal movie I watched was Schindlers list. I knew somewhat about the Holocaust, but the raw torture of innocent Jewish people was nearly unbelievable. I thought it was a nightmare, and even dreamed about it. I thought, “What if the Nazi’s conquered the U.S, we would all be tortured. ” I never thought the pain of someone else, a group of people, would affect me so much. To this day I never complain about life. When I am asked to do something, I dont question. Because the thought still lingers in my head, ” What if a Jewish Father questions Hitler rule? Him and his Family would be killed.” Life is great for me. My parents made it so I could live life like a teenager, unlike the lost Jewish Children. And This quotes stay with me to this day:

Excuses are the tools of the weak and incompetent. Used to build monuments of nothingness. Those who excel in it seldom excel in anything else but excuses.

I believe that the antagonist is the emotion rather than Anna or Gurov. The two are in love, but they know that it is wrong. Anna and Gurov both have families of their own. If they did not fall in love , they could have avoided the problem of trying to hide their relationship. Now their worlds have been turned upside down and they have the worry about their families and the love for each other that both of them have to hide. Regardless what Gurov does he cant keep his mind off of Anna, and Anna can not forget Gurov. Unexpected love changed their lives.

The way the final paragraph ended was kind of strange to me. It was as if the story was unfinished. Gurov has seemed to realize his age, and is feeling unsure of himselff, and does not understand why Anna is in love with him. I believe that Gurov will eventually lose confidence in himself and the intense love they have for each other will soon fade out. Anna, who is still young, will realize that she has plenty of life to live and will not want to watch her partner age. Gurov will go back to his family, and watch them grow. Ultimately, they will realize that there love was just a spark, because they were on vacation and carefree.

Gurov`s feelings begin to change as his time with Anna gets shorter. Although , he says that he is in love with Anna, I believe he more infatuated with her if anything. He was not really in love, at least in my opinion. Love takes time. He has not experienced anything with Anna through out their lives. Love to me is more than wanting to spend every moment with each other. It is depending on one another for anything , and being there when the person needs them the most. they both have someone to love who cares for them, therefore they are infatuted.