Counting The Mad

How do  you Count The Mad? Are you ordinary or abnormal? When Donald Justice wrote Counting the Mad he knew that there could get many different ways people can interpenetrate this, but I think that this poem is about a crazy person. He believes he is normal, he believes he should have a free life. In this poem Donald wrote "This one was put in a jacket" by this I think he means a straight jacket. Also in this poem it said he cried No No No No. By this he thinks that he should be free and in the end he calls himself ordinary.

The Lottery

The Lottery, most people think this is a great thing to win but not this lottery. When the silence falls upon the crowd it because they are finding out who is going to be stoned to death. When the town goes silent and motionless you think it is because they are praying that there family did not win the lottery. The first foreshadowing is when Mrs.Hutchinson walks in late to the lottery picking. Another foreshadowing is when Mrs.Hutchinson tries to convince everyone that her husband was rushed into picking, so that they can do a re pick. There was a lot of foreshadowing in this book but the last one I am going to mention is that Mrs.Hutchison acted like she forgot that the lottery picking was that day, and also she made up excuses saying "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, Would you?"

Really Jane?

Alyssa Czerwinski

5/11/12

Really Jane?

OW! My keys, they hurt so badly. If you didn’t know I am a computer keyboard. I am pretty much the greatest keyboards out there. Practically perfect keys but I do have my flaws. I guess you could say I am sensitive. Okay, fine, I am really sensitive. Being easily upset really stinks and this is why.

 Out of everything Jane does the worst is spit while typing. It just always seems like there is droll constantly coming out of her mouth; if I had a mouth I would be heaving. Seriously Jane? Can’t you keep your mouth closed? Cause’ right now you are grossing me out.

I can’t help but yelp every time someone types on me. My “x” key always hurts the worse since it doesn’t always work and Jane thinks it’s ok then to push it down with all her might.  Even  when I put of an error message trying to tell her to not type as hard she just keeps going like its nothing. There is something going on I wouldn’t just put up a message for you to just keep typing I put up the message so I could get a break the least you could do is read it.

You may not know but I am in love. I am in love with this speaker named Paul, but Jane always makes sure that his sister and him are off when she is not using them… I just want some alone time with Paul, is that too much to ask for? Paul and I are perfect for each other, end of story.

            Jane, I hope someday that you realize that you do a lot of annoying stuff to me. I don’t deserve anything that you do to me, I do not deserve spit, or how hard you push my keys and I should be able to see my boyfriend when ever. I may be sensitive but no keyboard deserves this. OW! Please stop Jane.

Death:There is No Way to Avoid it

Alyssa Czerwinski

4/18/12

Death: There is No Way to Avoid it

Authors Note: This is a four paragraph essay about the main themes of coping with death and trust/isolation issues for the book The Hunger Games and the book Numbers.

In life, we’re promised one thing and one thing only: Death. The worst part though is that we will never know when it’s coming. But is knowing really that great? In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins I doubt Katniss was pleased to know that while she was in the arena 23 tribunes were going to die. Or in Numbers by Rachel Ward is Jem’s “gift” really a gift? Having to cope with imminent death for others and trust and isolation problems are the main themes for both of these books.

Look at someone else’s eyes. What do you see? How about an eight digit number? No? Oh, I thought so. Jem from Numbers has a gift, she may not like it but she sees the dates that people are going to die in their eyes. There is no way to stop when anyone is going to die, coping with that is close to impossible. Also in The Hunger Games looking into the arena know 23 people are going to die. Not knowing who’s next, who is going to survive, but you still know it is coming and you cannot avoid any of it.

Who can you trust in the arena when you are all going to have to die in the end except for one? Even though there were a couple of alliances made, all 24 tribunes knew that there would be only one left in the end. This created trust issues and Katniss and many others isolated themselves because of it. Jem from Numbers stated isolating herself from the crowd since she found out what the number that she can saw meant. If it was her choice she probably would have never look into anyone else’s eyes every again. She cannot trust anyone with her gift. She can’t because she doesn’t want to be put in the situation where she is forced to say there number.

Life: everyone tries to live it to its full potential even though we know that someday it is all going to end.  In The Hunger Games Katniss knew that in the arena if she didn’t work hard that she would die. And in Numbers Jem trying to make the best of her gift; it’s a lot harder than it seems.  I dare you to try to live life to the fullest even though your life is based on coping with death practically 24/7 and having trust and isolation issues. Is it harder than you thought?

Did the Music Enhance the Poem?

"You don't know what you've got till it's gone," This quote from "Big Yellow Taxi" gave me the impression that this song is sad and depressing. I would never have expected that this song would be fast paced. Since I heard this song my mood about this song changed in a big way. 
Unlike "Field Below" were both the lyrics and the music were filled with despair. After hearing "Big Yellow Taxi" I noticed that the lyrics were  still upsetting but was put to a semi-fast paced song so it sounded less sad and more of a love story. I personally wish this song was put to a slow paced song so people could get the true emotions of how bad it hurts when someone you love is leaving or is gone.

Briarwood Invasion

Alyssa Czerwinski

3/29/12

Mrs.Reagles 2^nd hour

Authors Note: Essay in the point of view of Massie Block from the Clique series when she finds out that Briarwood boys including her ex boyfriend have to start going to OTC (an all girl school where no one has ever been a cooed.) 

They are walking in acting like this was there school… but it isn’t. How could they walk in with their heads so high and eyes filled with confidence? If I walked into my brother school (Briarwood) I would be confident but they are acting like this is there school. I am the alpha of this school and these guys just think they can walk in like they’re the queen bees!

            I turned side to side to see if Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, or Claire noticed – they definitely did. Especially Claire, her bright blue eyes turned stone gray. I scanned the room for Layne. She didn’t seem to mind; she actually kind of looked happy. So did Alicia. Is my school being taken over? And worst of all is it being taken over by guys?

            The feeling of butterflies happened right behind my bellybutton. My head is spinning, how could this be happening? I stormed out of the room and went straight to the bathroom. Now that guys will be around EVERYONE will start acting different. My alpha status is in serious jeopardy. I need to come up with a plan and quickly.

            That’s when it came to me… the greatest plan I have ever came up with. Now all I have to do it tell the girls and the Briarwood-Octavian disaster will be over forever. But will it be as easy as it sounds?

What do Words Really Mean?

Alyssa Czerwinski

Mrs.Reagles 2nd hour

3/14/12

           Words, what do they really mean? "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." is a famous quote from the poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes when he says this he means that life wasn't as easy as people may think, there are challenges. The poem goes on uses the same stair idea to explain his mothers life. Only this time he explains that "It's had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor --Bare." Langston is trying to say it there is many difficulties in life a lot like the first. When Langston wrote this he tried to see himself in his mothers shoes and figured being a divorced mother wasn't anything like a walk in the Park.