post seven

This week for outside reading I read a poem called "The Man in the Glass" by an unknown author. My mom hung this on our refrigerator a while ago, probably about a year ago, and I never really took the time to read it. Today I decided I would. It’s about how it’s not important what other people think about you, it’s just important how you see yourself. “For isn’t your father or mother or wife whose judgment upon you must pass, The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life is the one staring back from the glass.” (5-8). If you cheat yourself to make others see you as a better person it only ends up hurting you in the end. “You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years and get pats on the back as you pass but your final reward will be heartache and tears if you've cheated the man in the glass.” (17-20). A person who cheats through their life won’t think of them self in a positive way and that’s what matters the most. People come and go throughout life and the only one who’s always with you is yourself: “(…) the man in the glass says you're only a bum if you can't look him straight in the eye. He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest for he's with you clear to the end” (11-14). This poem uses simple language to convey a complex meaning. The words and phrases are simple and easy to understand, but the whole poem together has deep meaning. Another important aspect I think made the poem better was the rhyme scheme. I like when poems rhyme because I think it makes them more interesting to read. “The Man in the Glass” followed the rhyme scheme: a b a b c d c d e f e f g h g h i d i d. This made the poem comfortable to read because it wasn’t so random.

post six

This week for outside reading i read The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. The author wrote this story about his own life and he is the main character in it. He lives in Afghanistan with his father and two servants. Ali, the first servant was adopted by Khaled's grandfather when he was just a baby. The other servant is Ali's son Hassan, who is Khaled's age. Neither of them have mothers. Khaleds mother died during child birth, and Hassan's ran away. The boys play together, but Khaled doesn't consider them friends because they are from different parts of Afghanistan. They spend every day together. Hassan doesn't go to school because he helps out around the house, but when Khaled returns every day he reads to him. Sometimes Khaled will tell Hassan to do something, like shooting things out of his sling shot, but Hassan always takes the blame. Also Khaled sometimes plays tricks on Hassan because he is not as educated as him. Ali often worries about Khaled because he doesn't stand up for himself and he doesn't like sports. He would rather read and write. Khaled enjoys the time he gets to spend with his father, even though it doesn't happen often. There are some things Hassan is better at than Khaled, and he gets very jealous. One day Khaled writes his own story about a poor man whos tears turn into pearls and it makes him very selfish. Then at the end of the story the man is standing on top of a pile of pearls holding a knife with his dead wife at his feet. Then Hassan asks why he would make himself cry for real when he cut just cut an onion to get tears. This makes Kahled very angry because Hassan is illiterate and he doesn't think he should question him.

post five

This week for outside reading i read about separation anxiety. I read the article at http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/separation_anxiety.html. This was all about the separation anxiety in children, the causes, how to prevent it, and what to do when it does happen. Many children develop this disorder. The most common age for it to begin is 8 months old and the peak is at age 12-24 months. When a child is experiencing separation anxiety it could because they are tired, sick, or have experienced a change in their normal routines. The most common symptoms are crying and becoming worried when separated from a caregiver. There are many ways for a parent to deal with this issue. They should always remain calm, and never get angry. The parent should never try to sneak away while the child isn't looking, because this will just upset the child even more when they realize their parent has left. The parent should also try to familiarize the child with their surroundings before leaving. This topic relates to me because when I look back I can remember times I experienced separation anxiety. Whenever my parents would leave me I would cry and give my babysitter a hard time. I would worry my parents weren't coming back. This is normal in children, but it also can become a serious problem, but for the most part it can be controlled. If it becomes too serious a parent needs to see a doctor about it.

post four

This week for outside reading i started reading "The Wedding", by Nicholas Sparks. It was about a man who forgets his anniversary and his wife gets very upset. She then decides to go visit her son in New York. She doesn’t make it clear how long she’ll be gone, she just says a couple weeks. Wilson is very afraid that his wife, Jane, has fallen out of love with him. When she returned home everything was still the same. They both went about their normal daily routines, barely saying a word to each other. He knows he needs to do something, but doesn’t know what. Jane’s parents had always been very romantic, while Wilsons never showed any sign of affection. Wilson decides to go talk to Noah, Jane’s father, to figure out what to do. Noah and Wilson are good friends and enjoy each others company. Noah is sitting by the pond watching a swan, just as he is everyday. Wilson tells Noah what happens and asks what to do. Noah begins to tell Wilson about what he did while his wife Allie got Alzheimer’s. He would read her the story of their lives everyday to make her re-fall in love with him. Then Wilson realizes what he needs to do. Then the chapter ends.