Tools That Change the Way We Think

I think that technology and media changes the way that people think, because its so easy to get answers and ideas from online resources instead of just using our own imaginations and brains to solve problems. People 50 years ago didnt have the resources that this generation does, and i feel that they are much smarter than us because they actually had to use their knowledge to get through life, instead of typing in a simple phrase and having the answer right there at your fingertips. I also believe that this generation has fallen so deeply into the thought of "I dont know how people survived without technology" because they use technology as a clutch because its right in front of us, handed on a silver platter. I have no room to talk because i use the internet for just about everything, but i do think that our knowledge and thinking would be a lot better if we didnt rely so much on technology and the media.

Filter Bubbles

A) The new information that i learned from this video was that google and other major internet sites were personalizing your searches and what you were seeing while using the internet. 

B) This information bothers me because i never noticed it before, but knowing that the internet has this much insight to what you are doing online really makes you think about how you use the internet.

C) The question that popped into my mind while watching the video was, if the internet has this much intelligence to personalize all of your searches, what else is it going to be able to do in the future?

D) When i saw the video, i deleted the google app off of my phone and got the app "Duck Duck Go", because i like that it doesnt have a history of the sites you visit and you can really get a good use of the internet instead of it giving you what it thinks you want.

Literature Analysis #3

Marley&Me by John Grogan
1. (a) This book is about a young couple that recently started their lives together. They didn't have children of their own, but decided to go out and buy a puppy and name it Marley to make their home feel more like a home. As the book goes on, Marley gets bigger and bigger and becomes a pain in the house because he does things like eating the couch, eating jewelry, and crashing through the screen doors. Jenny and John even try to take Marley to an obedience class, but Marley just ends up ruining the whole program. Even though Marley was erratic and uncontrollable, he was a devoted and loving dog and was always right there and loyal to John and Jenny.
(b) This book is about the unconditional love of a dog that teaches a family how to really become a family.
2. I think that the author decided to write about this thing in his life because he wanted to share with the world that a dog is really a mans best friend. In the book, John really makes a close connection with Marley, and Marley really had a huge impact on his life. I think writing about something that is very important to you is the best way to write because it has the most meaning and understanding, and i believe that's why John decided to write about his family and how it was impacted.
3. I choose to read this book because I've watched the movie over and over, but i never knew that the movie was actually based off of a real story. When i found the book in the nonfiction section of the library, i realized that i had never read the book and that it would be a great book to read. Knowing that i didn't realize that it was nonfiction, i knew i would get a totally different outlook on the story if i read the book itself.
4. I found this book to be very realistic because i believe that animals are just as much apart of a family as any person is. I also believe that a dog or even any animal has the ability to make a family truly a family. I am a huge dog lover myself and once i have a family of my own, i know that im going to have a dog in the family, and i dont see my home feeling like a home without one of the family members there, just like how John and Jenny feel in the book.
People: 
1. In this book, the author didnt create characters because its about a period of time in his life that involves his wife and his dog. The author is writing the book exactly how this period of time happened and i think that its great choice of writing because everything about its factual, not just the events that take place, but also everything and everyone that is involved.
2. John, the author, is a hard worker and does everything that he can do to provide for his wife and their home. Even though the dog causes him a lot of trouble, at the end of the day Marley and him are best friends. Jenny isnt a huge fan of Marley and actually wants to get rid of him plenty of times, but John always stopped her. She is very loving and supporting of John and is an excellent wife and eventually mother too.
3. These people are interesting to me because they are just a wholesome couple with every day struggles and it makes them very likable. They are down to earth and all around good people and have a great relationship. "A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy".
Questions: 
1. I think the only time that the author changes his diction towards the characters is when he is talking about Marley and all of the crazy things that the dog is doing and even the problems that he is causing. The diction isnt in a negative tone, but you can tell that he expresses the character of the dog in a different manner.
2. The protagonist is Marley which is a dog. He is static and flat because he is the same crazy erratic dog throughout the whole book up until his last few days before he dies because he is dying and isnt as spunky as he really is, but over all Marley stays the same throughout the whole thing.
3. After reading the book i felt that i had met Marley. Even though he is a dog i felt like he was right there in my home while i was reading the book because you cant help but fall in love with him while you are reading the book. Also, you know you have made a real connection with the characters in the book when you are sitting there balling your eyes out while reading the last few pages of the book.
Style:
1. The author wrote the book in a journalistic style because he talked about the day to day over the period of time that Marley was in their lives.
2. The lengthy descriptions about Marley i think were intended to give the reader the full effect of Marley's personality and to let the readers really experience the feelings of what they were going through. And the descriptions of Marley werent always about his erratic behavior, but also about his tenderness and love for Jenny and John.
3. The author uses a lot of description to set the mood of the story. In order to fill in the readers about Marley, he had to be very descriptive in what he was saying about life at home.
4. The authors attitude towards the story is very happy and appreciative. You can tell that he loves his family very much and that the dog really had a huge impact on his life and will forever be apart of his family.
5. There isnt any resources offered in this book because its more of a journal type of nonfiction. John is talking about a period of time in his life that he wanted to share with the world and just wrote about everything that happened during this time.
Enduring memory:
The thing that im going to take away from reading this book is the love for your family. Everyone goes through troubles in their life and we are all sometimes erratic in the things we do, but we can all get through it. Unconditional love is an amazing thing and can conquer a lot of hardship. Something that John said in the book really stuck out to me and had a lot of meaning behind it and it was, "a dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside". This is so amazing to me because even though its talking about dogs, it has a context towards humans too because we all can relate to this quote and become a better person by taking a step back and looking at life for what it really has to offer instead of materialistic things.
Bonus Question: 
The key people in the book learn the true meaning of a family. They learn this through Marley because even though it may seem that he is tearing them apart at times, John and Jenny become closer than ever through Marley being apart of their lives. I know this because you can see the change of the characters within the book and see that Marley is making them a better family.

Vocab #8

Cursory- going rapidly over something without paying much attention
If you read a book in a cursory manner, its hard to understand what is being said.
Impetus- a moving force, stimulus
Her sincere advice gave me an impetus to keep moving forward in life.
Pinnacle- highest peak of something
When Sam was able to walk again, she was at the pinnacle of her recovery after the surgery.
contumely- a humiliating insult
Talking about her insecurities were a contumely in her eyes.
bereavement- a period of mourning due to a loss
When I lost my grandma, i went through bereavement and had to see a counselor.
cache- a hiding place
The young teenage boys cache of bad magazines were under his bed.
consummation- completion
The consummation of the race was when the last runner passed the finish line.
calamity- a great misfortune or disaster
The Boston bombing was a huge calamity, but people are very lucky that it wasn't any worse than it was.
avarice- insatiable greed for wealth
Large companies sometimes loose everything they have when their avarice becomes to large to handle.
fortify- to protect or strengthen against attack
The flu shot is supposed to fortify the illness, but many believe it doesn't work like it should.
erratic- having no certain course
The erratic bowling ball had no chance of hitting a pin.
ubiquitous- being everywhere especially at the same time
During winter, the fog in town is ubiquitous for hours, but then somehow seems to disappear as the day goes on.
fortitude- mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty
People with self control have a huge range of fortitude in any given situation.
nonchalant- unusually cool
Josh was very nonchalant when being questioned about his parents death.
affect- to act on; produce a change
My dads opinion could ultimately affect my decision of whom i marry.
effect- something that is produced by a change; result
The shooting was ruled out to be an effect of alcohol.
misappropriate- to put to a wrong use
The lottery money was misappropriated by the winner, because he spent it all on fancy cars and houses, when he could have used it to clear past debts.
pragmatic- pertaining to a practical point of view
The governments decision was based on a pragmatic vote in the House.
metacognition- higher order of thinking that enables understanding
Memorization creates metacognition. 
devoutly- devoted to divine worship or service
The devoutly woman went to church twice a day.

Literary Analysis #2

1.) (A) The nonfiction book that i chose to read was "A Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer. This touching story is about a very young boy that was abused, beaten, and starved nearly to death. His mother was an alcoholic that thought of the abuse as a game. The mother even went as far as stabbing Dave in the stomach. Dave was sent to school in clothes that were never washed and looked like something that would be found on a homeless man and his shoes had holes in them. Dave's teachers knew about the abuse but there wasn't much that they could do because whenever they called his mom she would just say that he was an erratic boy and was constantly stealing food, but the only reason Dave was stealing food was because his mom never fed him and would sometimes even make him eat his vomit.
(B) This heartbreaking story is a story about the worst troubles you could ever imagine, but also about the courage and dreams of a young boy to get out of an awful situation and imagine that there was light at the end of the tunnel and that one day he would be in the arms of caring and loving people.
2.) I think that Pelzer chose to write this autobiography because he wanted to get his story of his childhood out in the world and wanted people to hear about the things that could be happening in someones house and nobody even think twice about it. Being able to talk about all the terrifying things that happened during his childhood had to be really rough, but I believe that he wrote about it to inform people of things that could be going on outside of a child's' school life.
3.) I chose this book because I have heard about so many people i know that have read this book and that it was a very heartwarming and touching book. When I found the book and read the back cover it immediately grabbed my attention because I unfortunately had a friend at a very young age that was a victim of abuse from her mom and the summary touched my heart immediately and i knew i had to read it. The beginning of the book was very sad but it kept me interested because all I wanted for Dave was to find an escape from his home.
4.) Like i said before, one of my dearest friends growing up was a helpless victim of abuse which gave me a very close connection to the book. Even though she didn't tell me while it was going on i remember noticing marks on her whenever we would walk to school together but she never did say anything until she moved in with her grandparents, and i still wish to this day that i would have said something about it to someone so that way i could have maybe got her out of that house sooner. The book touched very close to home and I'm so glad i had a chance to read it.
People:
1.) In this particular book the author didn't create any characters because the book was based entirely on true events that happened during his childhood at his moms house.
2.) The first person in the book was Dave's mother. She was an unstable alcoholic that always had red puffy eyes, never wore makeup, and never got dressed. It seemed that all she cared about doing was making her sons life a living hell. Literally. The next person in the book is Dave himself. He had jagged teeth from being slammed into the kitchen tile. He went to school every day with a new bruise or cut on his body. Whenever he would appear at school his teachers always asked him where he got the marks but every day was a new story because he was trying to protect his mother in a way but mostly he didn't want the school to call his mom, because when he got home he would just get it even worse.
3.) I think the thing that makes these people so interesting to write about is that there is so much to these people and what were going through their minds while all of this was going on. Does his mom have an remorse for what she did? Things like that interest me the most and I would love to have more information about what happened after he finally was able to get away.
People (continued):
1.) The only example of an indirect character in the story was Dave himself. There was also only one example of a direct character also which was Dave's mother.
2.) The authors diction would change from day to night whenever he would begin to explain his mother and talk about her actions. He was just a young boy but his thoughts about his mother were completely different than his personality showed.
3.) The protagonist is static throughout the entire book and is also round, because the protagonist in the story turns out to be the author himself because he was able to overcome the abuse and neglect and get away from the antagonist which was his mom.
4.) After reading the book i felt like i had just met a real life person. The author did such an amazing job expressing what his life was really like as a child and he gave such a deep insight to who he was and still is as a person. I believe every word and every emotion that was portrayed through the story.
Style:
1.) The author wrote the story as if it were a journal because he expressed what happened every day that passed and never gave away anything because he was telling his real story.
2.) The descriptions of the people in the book were semi-lengthy because he gave detail about the people in his life, but it left you wanting to know more about them and what they were thinking. The actions on the other hand were very lengthy descriptions but in a good way, because you got the full affect of everything that was going on while Dave was getting the torture throughout his life.
3.) I think that the tool that Pelzer used was his honestly. The truth about what was happening in his home was what set the tone and the mood of the story.
4.) The authors attitude towards the subject i believe was a form of hostility caused by the things he was having to open up about. I couldn't imagine talking about something like this so I couldn't imagine him not being in pain while having to write out all of the actions that were taking place.
5.) The author didn't really offer any resources throughout the reading but it became one of the most know abuse stories in the state of California. Knowing that it was one of the most abusive recording's definitely changed the way i thought about the book because it just showed that us readers really have no idea what Dave really went through throughout the years.
Enduring Memory:
The most important thing that i know I'm going to remember from this book is that you can never ever judge a book by its cover. I know its cliche but you may have an impression of someone at school and think that they have a good family and background, but behind their smile and their actions, something awful could be going on and you would never know it unless you saw it in person and for yourself. I'm sure that the kids at school thought of Dave as just some poor filthy boy, but they didn't know what was really going on behind closed doors. The last thing that I'm going to take from reading this book is that if you see something that you think is out of the ordinary, always say something because you can ultimately be the difference between someones well being and even their death. Its always important to speak up even if you are wrong because in any given situation, its always better to be safe then sorry.

Vocab 7

cursory- going rapidly over something without noticing details
Ms. Lapp went over the homework in a cursory manner.
impetus- a moving force, impulse or stimulus
The organization gave an impetus amount of charity work.
pinnacle- peak or highest point
Sara was at the pinnacle of her college career when she found out she was going to graduate at the top of her class.
contumely- a humiliating insult
The comedian thought he was being funny but he was actually creating a contumely.
bereavement- a period of mourning after a loss
I had a long time of bereavement after my great grandfather passed away.
cache- a hiding place
The robber never found our cache of jewels.
consummation- completion, perfection
The consummation of the new freeway was a success.
calamity- a great misfortune or disaster
The hurricane in New Orleans was one of the largest calamities in the world.
avarice- insatiable greed for riches
Famous people have an avarice personality.
fortify- to protect or strengthen against attack
My mom always likes to fortify our new houses before we even buy the house.
erratic- having no certain course; wandering
His erratic behavior caused him to get kicked out of his house.
ubiquitous- being everywhere especially at the same time
The ubiquitous fog wasn't burning off.
fortitude- mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty
Her fortitude never wavered during the time her husband was at war.
nonchalant- coolly unconcerned
She sang the Whitney Houston song so nonchalantly.
affect- to act on; produce a change
Her mothers word had a big affect on her decision to get married.
effect- something that is produced by a cause; result
Exposure to the sun can effect your skin when you get older.
misappropriate- to put to a wrong use
Giving the young girl was misappropriate because she always lost it and had to replace it.
pragmatic- pertaining to a practical point of view or consideration
The government based their decision off of a pragmatic vote.
metacognition- higher order thinking that enables understanding 
In order to pass the class she had to get into a metacognition state of mind.
devoutly- devoted to divine worship or service 
The young girl was a devout Catholic.