House on Mango Street

House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros demonstrates that we will always have emotional ties to where we grew up and this “home” has a heavy influence on how we become ourselves.

The book tells about Esperanza, a Hispanic girl, through little windows of her life. Esperanza grows up in a poor family of six in a one room, one bathroom house on Mango Street. Esperanza has always had the dream of owning her own house. She dreams of owning a nice fancy white house unlike the one story brick house on Mango Street. The house represents the desire Esperanza has to get away from the neighborhood where she lives. As the book develops and Esperanza matures, she realizes her escape is through her writing.

The style of Sandra Cisneros can be very confusing. Each chapter is like a short story with Esperanza, the main charter, being the centerpiece. There is no set setting; she just jumps from place to place, depending on the particular instant of the short story. This style is good if readers like to have a good stopping point in the book. I find this, however, to be frustrating because there is no flow to the story. I prefer the story to be connected together.

Poem

Mallard Drake

One among the flock
Bold green head,
bright orange feet

Gliding
into
the hole

just as the sun rises.

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is a book based on the Russian revolution. I’m reminded more of the French Revolution where the people over threw a king for a republic which was then over thrown by a dictator and then the king is brought back into power. This story takes place on a farm, the Manor Farm, which later becomes Animal Farm. The first “king” is Jones, the farm owner. Jones treats the animals terribly. The animals revolt and make a republic where they all have a say in how the farm is run, but that leads to a lot of bickering between the animals. Napoleon, a pig, appoints himself as dictator. However, Napoleon treats the other animals worse than Jones did. Eventually, the pigs start acting like humans, walking on two legs, drinking, wearing clothes, sleeping in beds, etc. The irony is that Jones never comes back, but his actions are reincarnated through Napoleon, thus making a complete circle.

My Spring Break!!!!

During spring break, I went to Florida. My parents went to Japan. My sister went to Quitman, Arkansas. My dad had some business in Japan and, since I was going to Florida with the band, my mom decided to go, too. My sister got to hang with my aunt and uncle. While in Florida we did simulated skydiving, all the Disney parks, and the beach. The skydiving was my favorite. It was a great feeling, like floating in air with no restraints. I would do it for real in a heartbeat. I enjoyed the Disney parks, they are, after all, the happiest place on earth, but only for about three hours. After that the long lines, heat and the expense,they kind of loose their magic. Then it's the most boring place known to mankind. I did come home with a Goofy hat, which was my favorite souvenir. This large, green hat with black, velvet ears was definitely a one-of-a-kind. My least favorite part of the whole week was the all famous and fun, 19 hour bus ride home. I'm not even going to talk about that.

The Three Doors

What would you do if you where walking along a beach and just standing straight up in the sand, conceted to nothing at all, was a door. Well that is what Roland finds affter he catches The Man in Black. Steven King writes a killer serious that takes the human imagination to its limits. In the first book "Wasteland" you are introduced to Roland, the last of the gunslingers. Steven King has many other books, like It or The Fog.

Anthem

Equality7-2521 a street sweeper in "The City" discovers electricity. The only remaining human city. This book was written by Ayn Rand, some of her other works include "Fountainhead". The book takes place in the future, where the human race as no concept of individualism. Equality7-2521 is the main charter of this mind blowing novel.

To Perfect my world...

In my perfect world there would be a lot more ducks during duck season. Free all-you-can-eat buffets would be offered every day of the week. Coke-a-Cola would come in 10 liter bottles, ice cold and readily available whenever I'm thirsty. School would start at 10 a.m.; lunch would be at 12. There would only be one subject taught per day. Advanced placement duck calling and decoy setting would be among the classes available. School would end after lunch. Trained retrivers would be given out with diplomas at graduation. Duck guides would be paid six figure salaries.