Grace's English I Blog

Personal Narrative: a Nightmare - Zoe Dialogue - Ellie Shoemaker

   Lauren was so excited for her 7th annual Halloween party. It was all going as planned; the decorations, food, and music were all set. She was getting dressed when she got a rather strange text from a person she had not spoken to since elementary school. The text read, "So excited for tonight, tell Joe I said thanks for the invite! - xoxo S"    "I can't believe you invited her," said Lauren.    "You never said I couldn't ," replied Joe.    "Well I didn't think you would be that stupid. You know what she did to me last fall"    "That was forever ago. Are you really still mad about what happened?"    "Of course I'm still mad. I'm telling you it was not an accident I know it was her."     Lauren Walker was the most popular girl in school, but everyone knew that Lauren and Sarah Roper were not friends. In fact they had been mortal enemies ever since the first grade, when Lauren humiliated Sarah in front...

   Naomi Shihab Nye has written numerous amounts of famous poems. Some are about every day things, while others are more in depth and emotional. I chose to read So Much Happiness  because the title sounded intriguing. This poem is mainly about sharing your joy with the world, whether you are overcome with it or are in desperate need of it. Shihab Nye expresses through analogies that finding happiness can be difficult when you are sad, but joyfulness flows out of other people and it is up to you to find it.    The author uses phrases like, "quarry of noise" and "soiled linens and scratched records..." to provide vivid details. These details paint a picture in the reader's mind of what Shihab Nye is trying to convey. My favorite line in this poem is, "But happiness floats. It doesn't need you to hold it down. It doesn't need anything." because it is true. Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times. Although you might not be happy, someo...

Dear 12 Year Old - Juliana Mint Snowball - Ellie Sim

Dear 13 year old,    Congratulations on making it to eighth grade! Doesn't it feel great to finally be at the top of the food chain? You've worked your way up to the top, so now it's time to enjoy it, right? You should enjoy your eighth grade year, but you also need to remember a few things. Be nice to the younger kids. I'm sure you remember what it was like to be little and to be scared of the big kids. It is hard to be the new kid, especially when there are so many rules you don't know about yet. Put yourself in their shoes; you don't have to be friends with them, but a smile goes a very long way.  For girls, it's not a necessity that you have a boyfriend. Don't feel left out if you don't have one. Odds are that most of these relationships won't last. Remember not to ditch all of your friends for a boy. Boys will come and go, but your friends will always be there for you.    I know you are not thinking about college yet, and you shouldn'...

   Out of all of the narratives we have been reading in class, Check. Mate? by Miles Pequeno, seems the most prompting. Personally, when a teacher assigns an essay I can never come up with a topic. I feel like picking your topic is the most frustrating part of the whole process, especially when the topic is very vague. Most students try to choose a topic that is life changing or significant to their life in some way. This is not always the way to go. Check. Mate?  uses a mild topic as an symbol to a bigger event. This is a brilliant way to intrigue readers without overpowering them.     Check. Mate? focuses mainly on the game chess. The author uses chess to describe his relationship with his father, and how he grows up because of it. The author uses many different strategies to entertain the reader while still keeping with the theme. He uses vivid detail when describing scenery or characters. This gives the reader a sense of what the narrator's life was li...

Review of BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA - Charlie Hurricane Katrina - Muskaan

    Hurricane Katrina took place on August 29, 2005. It struck the south with full force winds and storms causing extreme damage. Damage not just to homes but to everything. Rain caused levees to breach, thus creating catastrophic flooding which left many people homeless, with serious injuries, or even death. The storm struck New Orleans particularly hard. Almost 80% of the city was underwater. Any system of drainage was overwhelmed by water, thus failing to work. The poor had nowhere to go and no supplies to keep them there. It was one of the worst storms ever to hit the United States. The aftermath was devastating for anyone to hear about let alone experience.     I was two years old when Katrina hit. I only remember my aunt, uncle, and cousin coming to stay with us. They had lost everything in the flood. Their only possessions were the things they had brought with them. The book,  Blood Dazzler  by Patricia Smith is a collection of poems about Hurricane...

    I am currently reading, Poseur  by Rachel Maude. This book is about a group of friends who create a magazine. Melissa Moon holds a contest to name her magazine, but is shocked to find out someone has replaced all of the answers in the box with pieces of paper labeled, "Poseur." This book is very interesting so far. The author writes it from many different perspectives. Every chapter switches to a new character, or one that was already repeated. Each girl has a separate story, but they all have one thing in common, drama.     The story takes place at a high school, so there are the typical teenager characters. The antagonist is none other than the popular mean girl, who uses her power to rule the school and create chaos among the other students. I am not very far into the story, but I really like it so far. I enjoy reading high school drama stories because they are so unrealistic that they become funny. I look forward to finding out how the story is going to...