1st Quarter Reflection

1st Quarter Reflection

John Zalazinski

10-28-2015

I think one of the tasks/assignments that benefited me the most was the Life Lines for Of Beetle and Angels. This assignment helped me connect with the book by remembering quotes from the book. Plus, there were morals and lessons to be taught in some of the quotes, that can really help people get through life and motivate them to keep going. Of these lessons in particular was not take things for granted, like how Mawi was so glad to have good teachers in his school district because his teachers in the refugee camp were abusive. It taught us that first world countries problems are nothing compared to the third world.

For the the next quarter I should apply myself more than I did the first quarter. First off, I should
study the vocabulary for multiple days and not just minutes before the test. Work more on how much detail I put into my work. I don't want to be as broad when it comes to my AoWs because then the reader wouldn't understand the article as much as they should. Lastly, I want to focus more on assignments in general and not get distracted easily.

I haven't read a single book for the 40 boom challenge this quarter and I want to improve that next quarter. I want at least read four books for second quarter. I want to read a variety of of genre so two or three weeks will not be wasted when reading. I also want this to increase my vocabulary through the majority of books I hopefully will read this year and next quarter. 

The Chocolate War, Blog Week of 10/12 - 10/16

The Chocolate War By: Robert Cormier

John Zalazinski

  10/14/2015

Prompt(s): Are the characters realistic? Why or why not?

Jerry Renault (main character) is a realistic character. He is a student at a catholic school "Trinity" and he is on a football team. Literally millions of people in the country can match that description. The fact that he also doesn't want to sell the chocolate, shows some type of rebellious attitude which a bunch of teenagers have. He feels guilt and anger like anybody else, he is not emotionless, because that would make the book very boring. Emotions need to be expressed in order for him to be a realistic character, and he met that criteria.

Obie is a realistic character. This shows immediately in chapter two, when he is having a love/hate relationship with a another student, Archie. He envies him but admires him at the same time which is really weird. Obie even jots down notes on Archie about whatever angers him or one of the reasons he admires Archie. 

Archie is a realistic character. He is one of those classic "perfect" guys. He is making people do favors for him like a king, and has blonde hair that he can toss in any direction. Despite all of that, he still has flaws like everyone in the real world, for example he not the best at completing assignments, "These god**** assignments. Do they think it's easy?" This can also connect to a lot of people in this class, may or may not including me.

"Rotten Underneath" - Life Lines Poem

John Zalazinski
10/9/2015


The teachers
could punish us for almost
any reason.

So my father started talking
about America, where
every one had a future.

We were extremely fortune to be in school district 200,
with outstanding teachers.

But what's sweet on the surface
is often rotten underneath.

Mulu's classmates drew
skeletons on her locker and even
serenaded her with the popular
famine fundraising song.

I rarely saw my brother tremble,                                        
but he trembled with Jake's threat.

Mbago disliked me
because I was
poor and looked it, he was
ashamed to be African with
me.

They had grown up in a wealthy
American suburb, and we had grown up
in a Sudanese refugee camp.

We heard frenzied knocking on our door,
like our brothers in Africa we were making war,
not peace.