Week 6, Post B

Nineteen Minutes

Dear Lacy,
I have so much sympathy for you, because you have been through so much. You thought you were raising a normal family of four when everything just went the wrong way. A question that has been growing on me as a possible theme is "Can your own child be a mystery to you?" You did not know Joey, your son who passed away did drugs and you thought Peter was just an adolescent growing boy. You ponder about what you did that may have caused peter to act this way: "That she didn't pay more attention when Peter showed her some new programming skill; that she hadn't bought him another dog after Dozer died; That they did not go back to the Caribbean last winter vacation, because Lacy had wrongly assumed they had all the time in the world"(256). That may have been a possible cause, but you probably could not have stopped it all. Also, i think that it is unfair of the other parents whos children were victims should not be mean and not understanding to you. They need to put themselves in your shoes and realize how hard it is to have one son dead and one son in jail; so technically you have lost two children, that you have had barely no control over.
THANK YOU!
~ Claire O'Neill

Week 6, Post A

Nineteen Minutes

Vocab

1.) Reviled(250): to speak abusively.
2.) Canonized(250): to glorify.

Figurative Language
1.) Metaphor. "This mother's pain seemed to take up all the empty space in the gallery;heat the emotions of the other spectectors to a boiling point"(263). THis is a metaphor because someone's pain cannot actually take up empty space, but it may seem like that could happen.
2.) Metaphor. "She continues reading the charges in a courtroom so quiet you coudl hear hearts break; you could hear hope fluttering to the rafter on the ceiling"(263). Similar to the previous quote, hope cannot actually flutter to the ceiling, but it may seem that way in a situation like that.
3.) Metaphor. "Josie was two feet away from her, but they might as well have been on different continents"(265). Similar to the two previous quotes, this is also a metaphor because it may have felt like Josie was far away, but actually she was right next to Alex.

Quote
"How could Alex describe what it had felt like, seeing all of those nameless mothers and fathers in the gallery, without a child between them?What if you'd just been stupid enough to let her slip away?"(265). This quote is very similar to many other in how alex feels about her relationship with her daughter. She feels she is losing Josie, when other parents have actually lost their children to a tragic death. I think, Alex needs to put herself in Josie's shoes and understand what Josie is feeling in order to grasp her before she is lost.

Theme
A very large theme in this novel is how well you know you children. Alex thinks she knows her daughter but she is actually losing her. Lacy thought she knew Peter until he brought a gun into school.

Week 5, Post A

Nineteen Minutes


VOCAB
1.) Testimony (425): evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.
2.) Amoebas (237):having no definite form and consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing one or more nuclei surrounded by a flexible outer membrane.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

1.) Similie. "She felt Matt's hand stroke her hair, and that only made her cry harder; tenderness cut as sharp as any knife"(223). This sentence used as, and compares Matt stroking her hair and tenderness so sharp as a knife.

2.)Imagery. "They were think and tortoiseshell, Coke-bottle glasses, very different from the thin wire ones Peter usually wore" (360). This sentence is imagery because it makes you imagine what Peter must have looked like those type of glasses.

3.) Similie. "The conversation between Peter and Mr. McCabe was as superficial as a dragonfly on the surface of a lake, darting around topics neither of them particularly cared about"(234). This is a a similie because it compares Peter and Mr. McCabes conversation to a dragon fly...how it goes nowhere.

QUOTE

"I'm great." Josie pasted on a smile. It felt gummy, like wallpaper that hadn't been smoothed right. But she had gotten so good at this - faking it- that it was second nature"(253). This describes Josie perfectly. She says shes fine when her mom talks to her, when police officer asks her, and even her friends. People are only trying to help her, but she doesn't know it!

THEME

Tying into that quote, Josie and alot of other characters in the novel fake how their feeling. A possible theme, is faking your emotions.

Week 5, Post B

Dear Jodi Picoult,

I recently finished you novel Nineteen Minutes and I am amazed. For weeks now I have not been able to put it down! I have many questions including, what inspired you to write such an intense novel about such a deep subject such as a school shooting? Did anything inspire you when you were in high school? I felt so many strong emotions while reading, and realized that everyone probably went through a stage in their life where inside they didn’t feel the most popular or the prettiest. I really felt that an important theme in the novel was pretending to be something your not and hoping no one finds out your faking. Did that happen to you in high school? I agree with you when you say " In Nineteen Minutes you can stop the world...or just jump off of it" (1). This refers to Peter, jumping off the world by shooting 10 students, and taking an unnaceptable way out. Also, would you say you relate more to Josie, afraid to be turned down by the popular crowd or, Peter, an outcast thriving to be with the popular kids? Also, like Alex and Josie, is that a similar relationship that you have with someone? I realized that when something so bad happens, that tragedy can bring two people closer together. For example, before the shooting Josie could not talk to her mother about anything. After they got things figured out, she realized she needed her mom all along. Your novel has become my new favorite book and I can’t wait to read more! After reading, I am also more aware of possible shooters and I know that it’s important to be you in life. Finally, I learned not to put people down. Although it may seem they don’t have feelings, it could ruin their life, and possibly yours.

Sincerely,
Claire O’Neill

Week 4, Post B

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Dear Alex,

You are another main character in the novel Nineteen Minutes. Besides that, your daughter was wounded in the school shooting. How does that feel? To know that your daughter could have been killed? You've gone through so much considering you raised her on your own, and you would think that you would be so close to her, but really you aren't. One reason for that is because you are the county judge. To your small town, you are very well known, but known as being serious, and not having a life. Sometimes you just want to be treated like a normal person...not to be called "Judge Cormier" by the person at Starbucks. Throughout Josie's life, you've gone through many struggles balancing being a judge ANd a mother. Most of your daughters life has been missed by you because you have not treated her like any regular mother would. Another reason is, there has been growing tension between you two especially after the shooting. You thought it would be a great time to get to know your daughter better, but she would not accept it. You really wanted to be put on the court case of the shooting, and she could! you want it so bad that you, "I think that is what put Josie over the edge. You wanted to work on the case, but Josie did not want you to. You tell her, "I will go off the case anytime[...]"(107), but truly i think you wanted to stay on it, no matter what she said. I hope you can get alone better with your daughter because she needs it, as well as you, in this time of pain.
Sincerely,

Claire

Week 4, Post A

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Vocab

1.) Martyrs (133): One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.
2.) Aphrodisiac (223): Something, such as a drug or food, having such an effect.

Figurative Language

1.) Metaphor. "He left them holding the truth between them, a stone that got heavier with every passing moment"(191). This is a metaphor, because it's comparing the truth with a stone and how it left space between them.
2.) Similie. "He turned to her, beaming, and Josie felt everyone's eyes on her - a hail of arrows. She curled over her desk like a midnight rose, letting her hair fall over her face"(211).
3.) Imagery. "The flames dances in front of his face, the heat distorted his features"(215).

Quote

"Had Peter's anger been born of jealousy or loneliness? Or was his massacre a way to turn attention to himself, finally instead of Joey?"(185).
At this point in the novel, Peter's lawyer Jordan was trying to figure out the reason for why he caused such a mess. Peter's brother was a straight-a student, captain to the hockey team, and Peter felt he needed to measure up to him. His parents were always so proud of his brother, but they never seemed to show as much appreciation for Peter. Imagine if you were his parents and realized that his massacre was because of this. He just wanted the attention from his parents like another kid his age, and it was difficult for his to get that because Joey was haugging it.

Theme

I think that the theme so far is how people influence you. Peter was influenced by his parents and brother in a way that cause him to do harm. Josie is influenced by her popular group of friends to stay in the status quo, and not associate herself with anyone lower.

Sites for Project

http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/debate.cfm?issue_type=internet
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/patriotact/
http://members.mobar.org/civics/Searches.htm
http://www.debate-central.org/topics/2005/LINKS/economic.html

On The Waterfront Flim Review

On the Waterfront is a classic black and white film made in 1954. In my opinion, the film was very good. It film was controversial consisting part drama and part gangster. It is a drama about going against your society, and standing up for what you believe in. However, it was exciting to see how people lived in a community run entirely by gangsters. The film’s effectiveness was important see how people lived in that depressing time period, and how society can be affected by the beginning. Terry’s last scene when he walked “the walk of crucifixion” was very significant in that he showed his work was done, and that the other dock workers should look up to him as a good leader.
On the Waterfront’s setting, characters and symbols are some important literary aspects of the film. The story takes place on New York’s oppressive waterfront, where the dock workers worked for their boss, Johnny Friendly. They struggled for money and to be able to work at all. What used to be a job on the waterfront turned into a gang that committed crimes forced by their cruel leader. Terry Malloy works on the docks of New York for dock leader Johnny Friendly. Terry, known by the gang as a bum, is unsure about the gang’s violence and when his friend gets pushed from a roof he feels guilty for not telling the truth. He realizes his choices in life have been bad, and joins the priest and Edie to challenge the gang. Terry is a hero therefore known as a saint. The gang referenced pigeons, canaries and hawks as metaphors often, and related it to the people in the gang. For example, Pigeons were known as the deaf and dumb. They do exactly what is told, and act as stools for the canaries and hawks. The Canaries were less oblivious as the pigeons. Duggan and Joey were often called canaries before they were killed by the “hawks”. Terry was known as a pigeon but not until the end when he whistle-blows and does what is right. Finally, the hawks were a union who stood over the others. They were the top of the ladder and tried to eliminate any weaker or good person; Johnny friendly was a hawk, but not until Terry changed how things were on the waterfront.
The dramatic aspects in the film On the Waterfront are what made it complete. Marlon Brando (Terry) is very intense and down to earth. His facial expressions describe his acting without being too unrealistic. In the scene when he is in the bar, and is being lifted up over the crowd defines himself as a saint rising above everyone else, marking the point when he realized gang life was wrong. Or, that people look up to him to make a change in the unfair gangster community. Another great actor was Eva Marie Saint (Edie). For example, her hair set her apart from everyone else. It portrays her as being angelic possibly because she changed Terry from following the gang. She also had great facial expressions and preformed very well considering she was portrayed being different from other women in that time period. Finally, Karl Malden (Father Barry) preformed a powerful and capable priest who was tough-minded and courageous.
Another dramatic aspect of the film was the color of the film. Usually I do not like films in black and white, but this film was perfect for it! It was great for that time period, and I cannot imagine it any other way. Something about it, made the film seem more dramatic, especially when you saw the atmosphere of the waterfront. Also, it saved me from seeing Terry’s bloody face from being beat up by Johnny. Another thing is that when a character was placed up against the sky in a close-up, you could not tell what kind of day it was weather sunny or cloudy, so it gave it more of a mysterious feel.
The cinematic aspects were what made the film interesting. For example, the music fit perfectly to the film. Whenever there was a problem, off-tune violins played loud to give off an eerie feeling. It was jumpy, and had sort of a theme for the fighting scenes: upbeat and exciting. The sound also was very realistic. The dock and ship noises can be heard throughout and when Terry told Edie the truth, the ship horn was going off in the background. It was very obnoxious, but played an important role metaphorically. The photography was also very realistic, and it set up the atmosphere. There were many close-ups on Edie and Terry’s faces, and then the famous low angle shot where Terry is being lifted up like an angel.
On the Waterfront is related to Arthur Miller’s All My Sons in many ways. First, the protagonists were both in ethical dilemmas in which it could either benefit them or not benefit anyone, but they would have to live with the guilt. Contrasting, Terry decided to make the right choice, and tell on the bad guys, while Joe Keller was the bad guy committing the crime. Technically, Terry did nothing wrong, but by keeping quiet it could be considered the same thing. Whereas Joe committed the crime but no one told on him, and he had to live with the guilt. All My Sons and On the Waterfront both dealt with a similar ethical dilemma within the protagonists.
On the Waterfront was defiantly a movie to see. The film would not have been as great as it is without the actors. They were phenomenal, and flawless. It gives you the sense of living in corruption during that time period. Marlon Brando was great performing Terry, with amazing facial expressions. Eva Marie Saint playing Edie was Brando’s lover, and helped him move to the good side. The priest played by Karl Malden was dramatic, and different from any other priest. The film was overall great, and it made me question myself if I would have done the same as Terry: let the crime go, or would I have been the whistle-blower on the guilty. The right thing to do would be to whistle-blow, but then what would my society think? The person who did the crime should get blamed, because they broke the law. It should not be fair the others have to take the blame, so I think a person should act according to their moral compass, and do the right thing. All in all, the film was well done, and a must see!

Week 3, Post B

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Dear Josie,
You are one of the main characters in the novel Nineteen Minutes. How does it feel to know that you were wounded in a school shooting? Does it even seem real that after about an hour ten of your classmates had been killed? I have alot of symphathy for you in this novel, because you've dealt with so much. First, Peter, the shooter, killed your boyfriend and your best friend. I cannot relate to this, but it must be pretty depressing that life is never going to be the same. Also, you have to live with your mother, a judge for the case. You say that, "she was acting all concerned and worries, but it was too much too late, as if it had taken this shooting for her to wake up to the fact that she had absolutely no relationship with me"(102). Your mother thinks that you want to confide in her, but you do not! To make matters worse, you don't remember anything. Is it annoying always having reporters come up to you, and asking you question? i think it would be! especially since you're trying to forget the fact you used to be friends with peter. Did you ever know that he would ever act that way? Is it ever embarassing to think that you were best friends with an outcast? I don't think it would be that bad, i mean you were peter's only friend for awhile, and you've probably helped him out. Now you try to ignore that fact. Well, although you've lost some special people in your heart, and your mother is making it worse, i hope you can get everything back to normal even though that might be difficult. No one expects you to do that right away!
Sincerely,
Claire :)

Week 3, Post A

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Vocab

1.) Striations (108): striated condition or appearance.
2.) intricacies (121): intricate character or state.

Figurative Language

1.) Similie. "The voice sounded like wind passing over snow - bleak, a wisper"(120). This is a similie because it uses like while comparing how the voice sounded.
2.) Imagery. "A murmur rolled through the church, like a ball of yarn being unraveled"(167). Although this has like and it can be considered a similie, i think that it's imagery because you can just imagine how the murmur would have looked in the chuch.
3.) Imagery. "As soon as one reporter saw him, there was a domino effect - flashbulbs burst like a string of fireworks; microphones were thrust in front of him"(189). This is clearly an imagery because you can imagine how the crowd reacted to jordan's appearance.

Quote

"How come we got to be the lucky ones?"(181). From this quote, i realized how much the school shooting affected everyone in Sterling. I can relate to this because sometimes i wonder the same thing about good people who get cancer, or die in a horrible car accident. It's not fair that a murderer should live after he killed ten students, but thats how it is. Everyone has a purpose, and if Josie is wondering how come she lived, i think that it means it's a sign that she needs to change so that her purpose is more revelent. Also, when John was thinking the same thing, and since he was part of the 'popular' crowd' , and he tortured Peter, maybe he realizes that somehow it's their fault for that mess.

Theme

Added to the previous theme's, i think that another one is, you might think you know someone so close to you, but really you dont. Take a chance to get to know someone better. Also, sympathize with someone, and you will realize the affect it has on them.

Week 2, Post B

Dear Peter,

When you were in kindergarten, you were picked on like a little chick in an incubator. Although you were "sensitive and sweet [...] the other little boys would see that as a weakness, and exploit it"(72). Except for when your mother told you to "stick up for yourself"(72), or she will punish you, things only got worse. You wanted people to like you and the only person who did was Josie. Nothing was wrong with you, kids just noticed how sensitive you were and wanted to ruin your life. But eleven years later, and still being picked on, your emotions take a whirlwind, and you decide to do something unacceptable. It's horrible that kids would put you down in order to make themselves feel good about themselves, but it's even worse that you brought a gun into your high school, and killed ten students;all innocent, but guilty in your mind. You left many parents, siblings, friends feeling heartbroken, and was that really worth it? Was going to jail the rest of your life equal to what your classmates might have done to you? How are you going to be able to live with yourself knowing the one's you killed will never be able to forgive, and you will never be able to apologize? You say once, "I used to stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom to see what they were staring at. At first, i couldn't tell. I mean i was just me."(161). You began to hate yourself because they hated you. You began to believe what they said about you. It's horrible. I agree, but those kids are the only trying to put you down to gain what you lost for themselves. I think we need to correct kids like you before something ever so bad happens again. It's not worth killing your own classmates in the end, and there is a better solution for that.

Sincerely,
Claire

Week 2, Post A

Ninteen Minutes By Jodi Picoult

Vocab

1.) Subversive (77):tending to subvert or advocating subversion, in an attempt to overthrow or cause the destruction of an established or legally constituted government.
2.) Acquittal (98): the act of acquitting; discharge.

Figurative Language

1.)Similie. "He'd held onto his wife as if she were driftwood in the middle of this flood"(96). This is a similie, because not only the fact that it uses "as", but it is being compared to how Lewis and his wife felt with all the chaos;lost, and nowhere to go.

2.) Imagery. "They were whispered about even more quietly, as if their conditions were contagious to the rest of the unfortunate souls just taking up space in the hospital beds"(101). This is imagery, and a similie, because by reading it, you can just imagine how horrible it must have been to hear about the deaths. Also, it compares the alive and the dead.

3.) Similie. "Even the teachers stood with their hands over their mouths, as if they were afraid to let out any of the emotion, because once the floodgates opened, everything else in their path would be swept away"(145). This is also a similie, because similar to the first one, it uses as.

Quote

"It was easy to be proud of the kid who got straight A's and who made the winning basket-a kid the world already adored. But true character showed when you could find something to love in a child everyone else hated"(126). This quote is very significant, because at this point in the book, Lacy is going through a hard time, realizing that her son is the one who is being hated. She is torturing herself trying to find reasons to why peter might have acted as he did, and blames it on herself. I agree with Lacy though, because nobody is perfect, and those children who everyone hates need the love like the children who are adored.

Theme

A possible theme is treat others how you want to be treated, and don't put people down, because it could come back to haunt you.

Outside Reading - Week 1, Post B

Nineteen Minutes By Jodi Picoult

Dear Lacy,
You are one of the main characters in the novel Nineteen Minutes. Your son, the one you thought was a normal teenager, was the gunman in the school shootings. You went to the shooting thinking, hoping, that your son was not a victim, but instead he was the person commiting the crime. How did that feel? Thoughts are going through your mind, wondering if it was your fault, or because you didn't do something. In fact, you ask your husband, "Do you think it's our fault?"(96). Because I am not a parent, I do not know what it would be like to feel like I am failing to provide the support my child needs, i could tell it's probably very difficult. There probably was nothing you did terribly wrong, but your child just turned out badly. When Peter, your son, was five he was the target of many bully attempts. You say to him one day about the bully, "He's a bully. A jerk, in a tiny package. But he'll grow up to be a bigger jerk, and you - you're going to grow up to be someone incredible. One day, Peter, everyone's going to know your name"(74). I think this quote is ironic because the day of the shooting everyone knew his name, and the little part attached to it: the shooter who killed 10 students. Im predicting that Peter continued to be bullied but he decided to take the wrong road with his emotions and ruin his reputation. Well, stick in there!

Sincerly,
Claire.

Outside Reading- Week 1, Post A

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Vocab

1.) caliper (17): an instrument for measuring thicknesses and internal or external diameters inaccessible to a scale, consisting usually of a pair of adjustable pivoted legs.
2.) prescient (58): knowledge of things before they exist or happen; foreknowledge; foresight.

Figurative Language

1.) Similie. "The next contraction twisted down her spine like a cobra, wrapped itself around her belly, and sank its fangs"(40). This is a similie because Alex compares her contractions to a cobra attacking her using like.

2.) Imagery. "She dropped the blankets near an ambulance and swam into a sea of confusion, bobbing along with the other parents in the hope that she might catch her lost child drifting before being overwhelmed by the tide"(51). This is imagery because I can imagine what the scene might look like just by reading that paragraph, and how the author compares it to a sea could be exactly how it might look like.

3.) Imagery. "Patrick's head was spinning and his pulse was a military tattoo [...]"(23). Patrick is so overwhelmed by the accident that although his head was not actually spinning but he probably felt that way by all the chaos, and i could imagine how it might have felt to not know what to do.

Quote

"They all sort of looked alike, too[...]the girls carbon copies of Courtney, by studious design. Josie slipped inconspicuously into the heart of them because she looked like Courtney too[...]If she appeared the same on the outside, it was that much easier to ignore the fact that she didn't really know how she felt on the inside"(17). This quote is signifacant because Josie knows that she is the same as the others, yet she does nothing about it. It's important because it affects how Josie acts towards others later on in the novel.

Theme

I think that the emerging theme is be yourself, and be who you want to be;not others. Also, keep track of your actions.

OuTsIdE rEaDiNg- Week 4 post B

It's not about the bike - Lance Armstrong

Dear Lance,
I recently finished your memoir and i would like to congratulate you. You are truely not only a two time plus winner of the Tour de France, but you are most importantly a cancer survivor. I believe that you fought past your cancer even though you say that it was the drugs and doctors who cured you. I'm going to analyze some quotes that i thought were important in your memoir.
"Och, I don't feel ready to go, i think i'm supposed to live [...] I'm not afraid to die if i have to. But i'm still not convinced i can't beat this thing" (130). First, Lance refers to his cancer to "thing". I personally think that he is just refering it to an obstackle in the way, and everyone has obstackles...but Lance's Obstackle is forcing him to think about life or death situations. Some people die knowing that it was their time, but Lance knows that he is supposed to live...which is what made him sure that he could beat his 10 % chance of living.
"The Irony was, the worst i felt, the better i got. THat was chemo for you"(140). During these times, Lance was so sick that he could barely talk. Any of his friends or family must have been heartbroken seeing him laying in bed practically dead. But he wasn't. The chemo was saving his life, and Lance thought of that whenever he felt things weren't going to get any better. It's kinda hard to picture yourself getting better when actually you felt horrible, but Lance stuck in there.
"But now i not only loved the bike, I needed it [...] If nothing else, i was my way of countering the disease and regaining the control it had stripped from me"(144). After his sickness, Lance learnes to love riding the bike. Before he recounts how he just rode because it was his job. He realizes that his bike was one of his main incentives in conquoring the diease! During his chemo he would try and take every opportunity he could to get on the bike. That is how much it meant to him.
"I was beggining to see cancer as something that i was given for the good of others"(150). Lance realizes that with his disease being a part of him now he could help others, and give other cancer patients hope too.

OuTsIdE rEaDiNg - week 4 post A

It's not about the bike by Lance Armstrong

VOCAB!
Atrophying (142): a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage.
Peloten (276): a small ball or pellet

APPEALS!
1.) "Maybe there's a protective mechanism in our psyche that prevents us from accpeting out mortality unless we absolutly have to"(112). This is an emotional and logical appeal. Lance was feeling the emotional pain of having cancer at this point, but it's logical because it's true that it happens to everyone. No one really wants to accept their death until its absolutley necessary.

2.)"We are so much stronger than we imagine, and belief is one of the most valiant and long-lived human characteristics"(113). This is an emotional appeal because Lance is describing what he believes in. This is his opinion, but i also agree with him. At this point in his illness, he is thinking about the possiblity of death, and his emotions are going on a roller coaster!

3.) "I didn't fully see, until the cancer, how we fight every day against the creeping negatives of the world, how we struggle daily against the slow lapping of cynicism"(114). This is an emotional appeal because Lance is realizing how much cancer will affect him. He is realizing that other things are very small compared to the frightining scare of cancer.

QUOTE!
"I was alive enought to be mad"(119). This quote is interesting because right after Lance's brain sugery, he starts to get frustrated with the fact that he has cancer. He wants to blame it on something, but there's nothing to blame. Personally, i would be mad also. I mean, you cooped up in a hospital practically on your death bed, and how can you not feel just a little mad. This quote also says that Lance is only human. Even though he is a world champion cyclist, and a cancer survivor, it does not mean he can be angry. I'm proud of Lance to keep going, and even though he had doubts and moments when he was frustrated, he never gave up.

THEME!
THe theme of this memoir is to not resent the fact that an obstackle might be in the way, but to keep working until you get around it. That is what Lance did, and he did not resent a moment of it!

Outside REading Post B Week 3 =)

Dear Lance,

At this point in your memoir, im asking questions to myself about how you survived that horrible disease and still have the guts to keep going. You had been struck with so much bad news in a short time, that i was even wondering what i would have done in that type of situation! You showed no fear, infact you declared, "To be afraid is a priceless education"(96). With your many uncertanties you said things like "You picked the wrong guy [...]when you looked around for a body to try to live in, you made a big mistake when you chose mine"(97) to his cancer. How did you even function when you knew that the cancer was in your lungs, stage three, you have no insurance, and its in the brain? Without realizing it you thought of death. While i was reading, i felt like i was in the same position. I wanted you to come out of sugery well and healthy. I wanted you to not feel so sick during chemo. I didn't want the cancer to come back. You were so determined to beat the cancer, that the doctors were taken aback. You wanted to ride your bike so bad even during your sickest times, and if you did not feel up to it, you wanted to at least walk. NOt be pushed around in a wheel chair. All in all, Lance Armstrong you are a fighter, a survivor and a changed man.

Sincerly, CEO

Outside Reading Week 3 Post A =)

VOCAB!

Convalescing(173): to recover health and strength after illness

Agnostic (164): a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause



APPEALS!

1.) "Im going to beat this thing, whatever it is"(76). This is an emotional appeal because Lance is so determined to beat his cancer; almost like how he is determined to win a race. You could think that he was talking about beating an obstacle in a bike race...that was how much he fought.

2.) "Why did i ride when i had cancer?"(85). This is a logical appeal because most people would think the logical thing to do when you have cancer is to mope, and lie around. Lance, decides it was necessary to ride his bike and to lift some of the weight of cancer off of his shoulder.

3.) "The Porsche that i so treasured now seemed like an item of pure decadent self-indulgence"(87). This is an emotional appeal because Lance realizes that his prized car was really not that big of a deal compared to his new problem: cancer. He knows that cancer has changed him, and now the little things in the world like accesories dont interest him.

QUOTE!

"Those questions, Why me? What are my chances? were unknowable, and i would even come to feel that they were too self-absorbed. For most of my life i had operated under a simple schematic of winning and losing, but cancer was teaching me a tolerance for ambiguities. I was coming to understand that the disease doesn't discriminate or listen to the odds--it will decimate a strong person with a wonderful attitude, while it somehow miraculously spares the weaker person who is resigned to failure. I had always assumed that if i won bike races, it made me stronger and more worthy person. NOt so"(95). I really really like this quote. Lance finally learns how he is going to have to adjust to having cancer. I always thought of lance being some guy who was this big biker guy who got cancer. i guessed that he just wanted people to feel bad for him, but now i know that he knows he has changed and is a better person than who he was before.

THEME!

Another theme for this memoir is having friends and family who love you. Lance's family and friends really help him out while he has cancer, and i think that without them, Lance would have given up. He loves them all so much and appreciates their help!

...:OUTside reading: Week2 post B:...

Lance Armstrong: It's not about the bike

In this section of the book, Lance learns how to ride like a professional. At his young age, he is still an amature, and is learing how to accel at being the best rider out there. He is so competitive, and talks about how he managed to beat a Wold champion, just because that rider forgot Lance's name. He learnes how to bike without "attacking" anytime he felt right. He was an impatient crazy rider, but underneath it all, he was afraid. Imagine living in a new country for over a year, not knowing what was going to happen next. it was tough on him, because if he "wanted to win he's have to overcome some ong historical odds; no 21-year-old had ever won a world title in cycling"(60). He ended up winning the big race, and from then on he was not known as an underdog. By 1995, Lance had not completed an entire Tour de France. He, as well as his coaches knew he was ready. "I had neither the body nor the mental toughness yet to endure the hardship"(65). Lance learnes that when he does finish the Tour that, "It is a test. It tests you physically, it tests you mentally and it even tests you morally"(69).
When Lance finds out he has cancer, a huge fear wraps around him. He calls his family members and reports the bad news, and they gave him lots of support also. Just like winning a race, lance is determined to fight his sickness. I really admire this about lance. He continues to keep going even though he had less than 50% of surviving. He could have just quit; and given up, yet he keeps riding his bike, eating healthy and following the procedures to defeat his cancer.

Outside Reading: Week 2, Post A

LANCE ARMSTRONG: It's NOT ABOUT THE BIKE :)

...:VOCAB:...
monotonous(85): characterizing a sound continuing on one note.
imperturbable(107): incapable of being upset or agitated; not easily excited; calm

...:APPEALS:...

1.) "My reputation was as a single-day racer: show me the start line and i would win on adrenaline and anger, chopping off my competitors one by one"(65). Lance was a fearless biker, and he raced with passion. He began to build up a reputation that other riders might not have liked. This is a logical appeal because he is so determined to reach his goal [of winning], that he has to show his competitive side to every racer!

2.) "Everything now stacked up differently: the anxieties of life -- a flat tire, losing my career, a traffic jam --were reprioritized into need versus want, realy problem as opposed to minor scare(70). Lance realizes that now the reality is his cancer. This is therfore an emotional appeal. He comprehends that Cancer will change his life and point of view, and most small things he thought were big before, are not as big anymore.

3.) "As I sat in my house alone that first night, it was humbling to be so scared. More that that, it was humanizing"(71). Lance has never felt this way because he was an althlete, and he had never though of himself in terms of being a regular human. He also did not know what was going to happen to him...what cancer could do. This is also and emotional appeal, because Lance's emotions were so confuzed, and scared.

...:QUOTE:...

"I had learned what it means to ride the Tour de France. It's not about the bike. It's a metaphor for life, not only the longest race in the world but also the most exalting and heartbreaking and potentially tragic"(68). Lance learns that the T.d.F is not just an extremely long race that endures huge mountains, cold and pain, yet beyond all that it's the "[...] unthinkable beauty, yawning senselessness, and great self-questioning"(68-69), that makes him so determined to build up his mind, body and character in order to pass the test.

...:THEME:...

The theme of this novel is still to live life to the fullest, and also to fight the obstactles in your way, and become and better person that who you were before.

Outside Reading: Week 1 - Post B

Dear Lance,

I do not understand how someone could be so driven to keep going after such a tragic event. Scarred mentally and physically, you were able to rise above it all, and learn to live. Most people would break down in self-pity. It's amazing that you were able to take that awful incident, and turn your cancer into "a special wake-up call"(5), and consider admiring that dreadful fact and living life to the fullest.
You show such dedication to your sport, and somehow i feel i can relate. "Cycling is a sport that rewards mature champions. It takes a physical endurance built up over years, and a head for strategy that comes only with experience"(5-6). You trained so hard, and worked your butt off every day trying to reach your personal goal. I feel like i can relate because if i want to reach a destination, i will not quit until i do. Also, i know your hard work pays off in the end, but i really admire how you grew up with no father and not much, and you were able to grow past that and be best freiends with your mom, and become a world-class althlete. Nothing stopped you from being who you are now, and i wish that more people can learn from you hardships, because i know i sure have already.
All in all, Mr. Lance Armstrong, so far you have made me realize how much you have been through, and i want to become like you someday. I want to learn to live.

~CEO

Outside Reading- Week 1, Post A

VOCAB!
Mesquite (16): the wood of such a tree or shrub, used esp. in grilling or barbecuing food.
Domestiques (44): A member of a competitive bicycle-racing team whose role is to assist the team leader, as by setting the pace.

APPEALS!

1.) "The truth is that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I dont't know why I got the illness, but it did wonders for me, and i wouldn't want to walk away from it. Why would i want to change, even for a day, the most important and shaping event in my life? (4). This is an emotional appeal because you dont know why cancer was so good to him. You want to keep reading and find lance's journey through cancer, that makes him like it so much!

2.) "My mother and I because very open with each other. She trusted me, totally. I did whatever i wanted, and the interesting thing is that no matter what i did, i always told her about it. I never lied to her. If i wanted to go out, nobody stopped me. While most kids were sneaking out of their houses at night, I'd go out through my front door"(30). This is also an emotional appeal. Lance and his mother have a strong relationship, and i think its because its just him and her. He knows that he can trust his mom, and his mom can trust him. This is very important for when lance becomes more of an althlete, he can trust his mother to be there for him.

3.) "If it was a suffer-fest, I was good at it" (23). This is also an emotional appeal because Lance is very confident about his sports, and he basically was good at everything. This appeal also connects to how he had cancer, and he was good at conquoring it.

QUOTE!

"What makes a great endurance athlete is the ability to absorb potential embarrassment, and to suffer without complaint. I was discovering that if it was a matter of gritting my teeth, not caring how it looked, and outlasting everybody else, i won. It didnt seem to matter what the sport was - in a straight-ahead, long distance race, i could beat anybody" (23). This quote is very improtant because what makes lance such a great althlete, he doesn't care what anybody thinks of him, he just goes out and does his best.

THEME!

So far, the theme Lance Armstrong's memoir is mostly about appreciating what you have, and to live your life to the fullest.