2nd Quarter Reflection

1/22/2016
2nd Quarter Reflection
John Zalazinski

Questions picked:
- Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why?
- What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?
- What strategies have benefited you?

Out of the books I have read this quarter my favorite has to be To Kill A Mockingbird. It was my favorite because of how the two plots intertwined. When Bob Ewell attacked Jem that is when I think it fully came together. I think that is when it fully came together because that is when Boo needed to protect them the most because of Bob Ewell which was then plaintiff in the Tom Robinson trial.


The most challenging part of the second quarter would be the return of my procrastination habits. It was hard to focus on the ELA work I had to get done. It was either because I was constantly looking for music to listen to while doing the work or worrying about it get done, which was ironically preventing me from getting it done. What I'm planning to do to fix that habit in the future is only focus on my work and maybe making playlist so I can stop switching apps to change music and take time away from work.


One strategy that has benefited me is the TIQA format. This is because I didn't really utilize it in the past quarter and I would usually have writer's block because I didn't really have any idea what to do, really shouldn't have tossed the TIQA format out the window. I promise myself that I will use the TIQA format as much as I can to improve my writing. Hopefully I won't ignore it and feel like I'll do better without it, because I don't want my grades to fall any lower than a three.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Book to Movie Comparison

1/20/2016
John Zalazinski
Options Picked: 2 & 3

2. Even though the movie gives a visual to what was happening in the book I still believe
the book has a bigger impact. This is because most movies about books usually leave things out, change the roles of characters, take out characters, or take out other events completely. For example, Scout, Jem and Dill never went to Calpurnia's church which means we didn't get "what we paid for" like in the book. We've never seen the black community in Maycomb (fully) in the movie and I was looking forward to that, and get a good visual of what it would be like. There was also Dill not running away from home. In the movie Dill came back to the house for the same way he did the first time, which seems boring and repetitive and people would expect more. The time when Dill came back would've been more dramatic, purposeful, and impactful.



2. If the movie told the whole story it may have had the same impact as the book. For example, when they left out Miss Maudie that left out a chunk of the story. Like when her house burned down, and she really didn't seem to care, that told the reader that she'd prefer to be outside for  her whole life if she could. There was also when she compared the trial to a roman carnival. This would have foreshadowed the loss of the Tom Robinson trial in the movie, that would've made watching the movie a more impactful experience.



3. I feel like the purpose of having different versions of a story, is that one version is for people who like to get to the point, and the other version is for people who like to know everything that's going on and decipher it along the way. The movie was cut of some events that happened in the book because I guess they felt if they didn't maintain to the main story as much as everything else. That could also be a reason that it would be hard to see the themes in To Kill A Mockingbird developed through the movie like it did in the book. The book was more thorough and made the reader try and guess was next because every character played their role correctly which made the book flow and easier to understand.

Boo's Perspective

12/16/2015

Arthur "Boo" Radley's Perspective

I gave the kids some gifts and they are here again. They were trying really hard to get me out of the house. To be honest I really wanted to but then their dad intervened and told them to stop. They're good kids, and also very curious kids. Maybe one day I'll show myself, one day. 

Jem, poor kid, all he wanted to do was leave me note, but, Nathan being the person he is had to fill it up. He said he'll come up with an excuse for fill up the tree, like it's dying or something. He has always been someone to disappoint. Ever since Mama died he'd been actin' like this. Well, I guess people grieve in different ways.

Why, why did he do it? He is so protective of his garden he almost killed the children. He's just plain crazy, never understood his ways. In the heat of all of this I managed to cover Scout with a blanket, I care about her well-being, not as much as Atticus though. He's a very caring man, always calm and forgiving, I wish I could be more like him.

I saw Jem, he was in a struggle, Bob Ewell on top of him just beating him senselessly. I couldn't just watch. I intervened, with all my strength I threw the drunken idiot off of him, managed to take his knife and kill him. Then later that night I met the girl herself, little Scout. We were in Jem's room waiting for him to wake up. I can see her, tears in her eyes, "Finally." I thought to myself. She won't have to wonder anymore.

Character Relationship Blog

12/3/2015

John Zalazinski

Character Pair: Atticus and Aunt Alexandra

The way they are similar is that they both want what they think is the best for Scout. Atticus wants her to stay out of trouble. He is very protective of Scout and is always concerned about her well-being. Aunt Alexandra wants her to be feminine, so she could grow up to be a "normal" girl in her eyes. She feels that will make Scout more prepared for the future.

The way they are different is that Atticus is really calm and understanding and Aunt Alexandra is easily annoyed by the small things, in short, she's a perfectionist. When Atticus found out Dill was staying at their house he was very understanding and calm about it. Another example of this when Jem got involved with the police and still gave him affection, because he is so loving, forgiving and understanding of all of his children including Dill. Aunt Alexandra basically thinks everything is a disgrace to your family. The most ridiculous reason for something being disgraceful is Jem not turning on a light. 

Atticus has a really close relationship with Scout, and Aunt Alexandra is really repulsive in her relationship with Scout. Atticus understands Scout and forgives her when she does things that are ridiculously wrong. Atticus most likely does have the strongest bond with Scout because her mother died when she was two, so Scout had a lot of time to build a relationship with her father growing up. Aunt Alexandra is trying to change Scout, when Scout already knows who she wants to be. Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to be more feminine and escape from her tomboy roots. She wants to be a mother figure, but she fails at it because she doesn't love her for who she is.

Atticus has a huge positive effect on Scout, while Aunt Alexandra doesn't have a good effect at all on Scout. Atticus is an understanding and loving father something that will most likely rub off on Scout when she eventually becomes a mother. Aunt Alexandra irritates Scout so she doesn't have a good effect on her. Scout almost always wants to steer clear of Aunt Alexandra, for how she judges people and all of the gossiping she does. Aunt Alexandra always stereotypes and sees the bad things in people the most.

Comparison to Maycomb Blog

11/24/2015

John Zalazinski

Eutaw Is a City in Greene County, Alabama. At the 2000 Census the Population Was 1,878. The City Is the County Seat of Greene County and Was Named in Honor of the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the Last Engagement of the American Revolutionary War. N.d. Green County, Alabama. 

http://www.loc.gov/resource/highsm.07032/ 

Prompt: How does the picture chosen relate with Maycomb?

How this relate to Maycomb is that all the buildings are packed together, that can indicate that it has a small population/town. The strongest reason why I think this makes the area have a small population is that on the white building on the left there is two doors in the front. There was probably not enough room for another building so two businesses had to share space. That exact building is the most worn down also, because it looks like the other buildings are kept in good shape. This can mostly be because there are not enough workers to help build it back up.

Another way this relates to Maycomb is that there is grass growing in the cracks in the curb. This is very similar to Maycomb having cracks in their sidewalks because of the town not being well taken care of. It is not well not taken care of because there is only a population of 1700+ and it doesn't seem to be a really big deal. If it was more of a "high class" place like New York it would be more of a concern because a lot of people want to keep a city like that as perfect as it could possibly be.

Chocolate War: Theme Blog

Theme Blog

John Zalazinski

11/12/15

I think the theme of this book is that one small mistake can turn into a huge problem. Jerry Renault a student in attending a catholic school refuses to sell chocolate. He then challenges a secret society called "The Vigils" who believe that they are the better type of people and that just adds on to the problems he is going to have. He is responsible, and careful person, it is mostly the people around him that makes him troubled. He is incompatible with them and rather not work things out.

Archie can be one of the motivators that makes Jerry make these problems. Archie is a cocky, arrogant, and he thinks he is perfect. The thing that probably makes Jerry angry because of Archie is

his lack of religion he shows. The proof of this is on page nine when he says, "When you march down the rail you are receiving the Body, man. Me, I'm just chewing a wafer they buy by the pound in Worcester." These traits are perfect for someone that is supposed to be hated and seems like it makes the perfect antagonist (don't know for sure).

The setting can make the conflict interesting and show the theme of the book in a unique way. It takes place at a catholic school which means the chocolate had to go to a fundraiser and Jerry didn't want to sell it for his reasons. Archie must've overworked or "motivated" him in the wrong way. I am also to have a slightly big suspicion that Archie is in the Vigils and is just really quiet about. Archie managing Jerry could be a subtle test from the Vigils seeing if Jerry can withstand what they have.

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.