Life In a Small Town

In many ways me and Scout are the same. We both have another sibling who can be a little bossy some times. Scout is always asking questions about the world and why things happen. I also ask questions about why things happen, but sometimes I ask dumb questions. Probably the most important thing is that we both live in a small town.

There is not very many people in Maycomb. The people in Maycomb are very noisy. Usually the gossipers were oldish people like Mrs. Stefanie and Mrs. Rachel. I'm not sure if the old people in Lone Oak gossip, but I am sure they do. Since Maycomb is so small everyone knows everything about everyone. Scout grew up hearing things about other people that lead her to form her own opinions about people. The things you hear may not be true though. Sometimes the opinions Scout formed where not true.

My town is in a few ways like Maycomb. There aren't very many people and we do know alot of things about alot of people. However there is some dissimilarities. The people in Lone Oak are not as mean as Maycomb. We don't call people names if they do something that's not to our liking. As the Maycomb people did to Atticus for defending Tom Robinson. In Lone Oak there is hardly any incidents when someone gets attacked. There may be a few occasions, but not as bad as when Scout and Jem got attacked. Except fights that happen in school; like the fights Scout got into.

One of Scout's favorite places was her house. It was where she could play or read books with Atticus. It was also where Jem, Dill, and Scout came up with plans to get Boo out of the house. My favorite place is my house, too. I love my house. I finally have my own room. That's not the only reason though. My house is a place were I can get away from all the drama at school and just relax. Of course, I then have to do homework, and I'm no longer relaxed. Also in Maycomb there is one main street, and in Lone Oak there is one main street (69). Except for there is many main streets that people live on in my town. In both towns the only stores are pretty much the basics.

The End

Pi's ordeal finally comes to an end after 227 days on the ocean. When the lifeboat landed, on a beach in Mexico, Richard Parker bounded off the boat toward a jungle. Pi never saw Richard Parker again, and he never knew what became of him. It made Pi sad when Richard Parker ran away; Pi had grown to be rather fond of Richard Parker.

It made me sad that Pi never saw Richard Parker again. I was hoping Pi would keep Richard Parker. In a way both Richard Parker and Pi saved each other's life. Richard Parker killed the other animals, and luckily did not kill Pi. Pi was the one who provided food and water for Richard Parker, which kept him alive.

Pi was taken to a hospital where some Japanese Transport people meet Pi to ask a few questions. The two men try to find out how the ship sank, but Pi is not really sure. It would make me mad if people came to ask me questions about a ship, instead of finding out if I am doing ok. I mean Pi was on he ocean for quite a while, and don't forget Pi's family is gone. Everything he cared about is gone.

Pi goes to live in Canada where he was originally headed. Pi starts a family of his own and grows to love Canada. However, Pi will never forget India or his family.

Green

At one point the lifeboat came upon an island. At first Pi thought he was dreaming, because all he saw was plants. It also looked like the plants were so thick and abundant, that the plants made up the floor of the island. As they got closer Pi realized, what he thought he saw was true. The plants were the ground and it was all plants. Pi saw some kind of plant that looked like seaweed, so he ate it. It was so good, he ate until he was full.

The first time they talked about how strange the island was; I knew something was wrong with it. Not just the fact that there is no beach or dirt, but it gets even weirder. Everything on this island is green. In this section the book tells you Pi's favorite color is green, because green is the color of Islam.

Once Pi starts to explore the island, he finds that the only animals on the island is meerkats. He also finds a few medium sized ponds, which are surrounded by meerkats. There were so many weird things on the island you can't possibly name all of them, but I can name one. The most important thing was that at night all the meerkats ran and slept in the trees. The reason for this was, that at night acid came out of the leaves on the ground and would burn you if you touched or stepped on them. Pi decided to leave the island rather than be poisoned.

Darkness

Pi started to notice that Richard Parker had been scratching his eyes, and then Richard Parker's eyes started to drain. Soon Pi's eyes started to itch; they just constantly itched. After, a while Pi started to see a small black spot. It started small but eventually took over his eyes until he could not see at all. Richard Parker and Pi are blind!

Of course I'm not blind so I do not know how it feels to be blind. Though, I know how I feel when it is pitch dark in my room, after the lights are turned off. It scares me half to death not knowing what could be in my room. When Pi went blind he was depressed; he thought he could no longer take care of Richard Parker. He could not see to catch fish, and his food supply was gone. His water supply is gone, and since he can't see he can't work the fresh water things.

Pi's starts hearing a voice, but he thinks his mind is playing tricks on him. So, Pi begins to talk to this voice as if it was his mind. As he starts talking Pi begins to think Richard Parker is talking to him; however, as the conversation moves along, Pi realizes the voice is another person who is blind also. The conversation keeps going for a long time about different stuff, and finally the other person wants to come onto Pi's boat. Before Pi could tell him there was a bengal tiger on the boat with him, the man climbs aboard. Sadly, Richard Parker attacks the man and kills him.

There is a good thing out of this though,at some point during all this Pi began to cry. The tears cleaned his eyes, and Pi was able to see again,but Pi was upset that he did not get to see the man's face. Even though he was able to see Richard Parker had attacked him so much, you could not make out his face. Another good thing was that the man had food on his boat.

Dream Rag

One of the many storms that occurred brought Pi genuine happiness.The lightning that occurred made Pi breathless and speechless. The lightning flash and be gone in a second. Each time the lightning would be so close to the water it would light up the ocean. The close encounter with electrocution and third-degree burns made him genuinely happy.

I distinctively remember one airplane trip; when there was a storm and the lightning was pink. I thought it was pretty and yet scary at the same time. I will never forget the color of the lightning and clouds. My favorite color is pink so I liked the light display.

When you are all alone on a life boat, you should try to find a way to relax. Different people have different ways of relaxing. Pi's way of relaxing consisted of a wet rag. He would but the wet rag over his head and close his eyes. This became Pi's favorite method of relaxation.

High Waves

The lifeboat is not very big, so when there is a storm the lifeboat gets whipped around pretty bad. One incident the waves were so high that the boat went up the waves almost straight up, and on the way down it was like a nose dive. To help keep the boat from completely flooding, Pi covered the lifeboat with the tarpaulin. When the lifeboat went up or down the waves, everything in the boat either went to the back or to the front.

Pi used whistles to train Richard Parker by blowing them at him while trying to teach him something. The whistles were kinda like his life line. During the storm, all of the whistles except for one were washed away. The moment Pi realized he had one whistle left he was nervous that he might lose the whistle. If Pi lost his last whistle it would be hard for him to keep his position as super-alpha.

A storm with waves that high must be pretty scary. I don't know if I would be scared, but I know I would be deathly sea sick. Pi might have been scared, but he handled it pretty well. As for the whistle situation, I think Pi would be able to create something that would make loud noises if he lost the whistle; he would not be completely hopeless.

A Reminder Of Home

A number of times Pi fired flares. When he would fire hand flares the smell of them would remind him of home. The flares put off a scent that smelled like cumin, and you could always smell cumin in Pondicherry. This smell, was all of home that Pi had. Now when Pi smells cumin he thinks of the ocean.

As their supply of food and fresh water became low, Pi's and Richard Parker's body began to deteriorate. They both became very skinny and dehydrated. Pi was so hungry he began to eat anything he could catch. It was not only the lack of food that affected them but also the hot sun. The sun put painful blisters on Pi's skin, that made it very difficult to lay in a comfortable position.

I can not even imagine my body deteriorating or having blisters on my skin. It sounds so painful, and he had no way to relieve the pain. Unlike Pi, when I got dehydrated I was able to go to the doctor; as for blisters on my skin, that has not happened. I can relate to Pi in many different ways, but in others I can't relate at all. I have been sick before, and I have gone through pain. However, I was not in the same circumstances as Pi.

Richard Parker

Pi being stuck on a lifeboat made him see things in a new light. He no longer saw small objects as small objects. He saw them as the most important thing in the world, the thing that would save his life. Amazing, how sometimes you see objects by what they could be used for, not by what they are.

When Pi becomes dreadfully thirsty he starts examining the boat for a hatch. At first he does not see one, then he lifts up the tarpaulin, and finds a hatch that has everything you can possibly need in it. He drank four cans of water, and ate two delicious emergency rations. I was glad Pi found some food and water. It would have been very disappointing if he had not.

After two and a half days, the hyena had killed the zebra and the orangutan, and by the third day, Richard Parker had killed the hyena. That leaves Richard Parker and Pi together. For safety measures Pi built a raft. He ties the raft to the boat, and lowers the raft on the water before getting on it.

Stuck on a Boat

Pi is stuck on a lifeboat with only a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan who's name is Orange Juice, and a Bengal tiger who's name is Richard Parker for company. If that's not scary enough there are sharks in the water. To top it off his family most likely just died. Even all of the other animals are gone. Everything he cared for has been destroyed.

Life of Pi reminds me of a movie I once watched called Cast Away. They are not exactly the same, but in both someone gets stranded. Two major differences are: one, the movie was based on land, but the book is based on the ocean; two, the book has wild animals as for the movie does not have any (if I remember correctly). In my opinion, I think the book is better.

No matter were we are, on land or ocean, there is always something out there that can hurt us. On land there are numerous things that can hurt you, but it is almost impossible to name all of them. In Pi's case there are still numerous possibilities, but they are easier to name. The more obvious are: sharks, a tiger, a hyena, or starving. The things less of a threat include: getting sick, or falling in the water and drowning. My point is no matter were you are something unexpected can happen and change your life forever.

Life of Pi

When I first picked Life of Pi I thought it looked like a really exciting book. As I started reading I found out the book was not as exciting as I anticipated. It was no were close to exciting, it was beyond boring. I even thought about finding a new book, but I kept reading hoping to find the good part.

The beginning of the book starts off as the narrator telling you about his life. The narrator's name is Piscine Molitor Patel and he goes by Pi. You learn Pi is from India, his dad owns a zoo, and he is Hindu. Pi is trying to become religious, but he has a problem with that. He wants to stay Hindu, but at the same time become Christian and Muslim. There is a really long section that gives you an insight into these different religions. It was interesting to know about other religions.

Pi and his brother were soon told they were moving to Canada. It was not just their family who were going to be moving, but most of the animals were going to be on a cargo ship with them. When this book finally got good, it was good! In the middle of the Pacific Ocean the cargo ship SUNK.

Changes

From the beginning to the end of To Kill A Mockingbird the characters go through changes. Everyone goes through changes in their lives. Some may just go through more than others. The changes you go through are not just physical but also mental.

To Kill A Mockingbird starts off as Scout being a tomboy. By the time it ended Scout was dressing and acting like a girl. Jem's changes however were mental. He starts maturing into a gentleman, and developed a new set of life values.

When I first read about Alexandra I did not like her one bit. She was mean to Scout, she tried to tell Atticus how to raise his kids, and in my opinion was just plain rude. However, as I read on she started to become nicer. During all the commotion about Bob Ewell, I though Alexandra became more understanding. As Alexandra changed, she started to grow on me.

Pitch Dark

Walks in the dark when you can not see anything is not the kind of walks I prefer. You don't know what you are going to step on, what is around you, what is making that noise, and which way to go. I would prefer walking when you can see everything around you. When you are walking home sometimes you just can not help the time of day.

When Jem and Scout where walking home after the carnival it was pitch dark. Both of them could barely see. Jem started to hear things that sounded like footsteps. When they walked the footsteps walked, when they stopped the footsteps stopped. The footsteps finally got impatient and started to run. That was the point it got scary. The action that happened next made me want to read faster.

In a short time someone was attacking them. At the time of the attack Arthur Radley was watching them from his window, he saw they were in trouble, and came to help. The man had already broke Jem's arm and had moved on to Scout. He was squezzing Scout so hard she could not breath. Arthur Radley jerked the man off of Scout and carried Jem to their house. The man ended up being Bob Ewell, but thanks to Arthur the only major injury was Jem's arm. Not including the fact that when Arthur pulled Bob to the ground Bob landed on his own knife. That makes me not want to walk no matter what time of day it is.

The Radley House

When you live in a small town like Maycomb or Lone Oak there are usually spooky houses. I know a spooky house when I see one, because my grandparents live in a old, two story house. Although, most of the time these houses are not spooky at all; now, the Radley house sounds spooky, even in a book. Though, as the book progresses, the Radley house becomes less spooky to me.

The weirdest thing to me was the time someone sewed Jem's pants for him. Like Jem mentioned later in the book it was as if someone knew he would come back. Reading the part where they saw a shadow on the porch walking toward Jem, gave me the chills. The first sign that they would get in trouble was when Dill and Jem told Scout the plan. The main trouble they got in was being shot at.

This event relates to my life only in a way my family and I would understand. I am not saying we have gone to someones house and looked in, but in the past we have had freaky things happen at our house. At one point in was so scary we called the police. Unfortunately, we do not carry a shotgun, or we would have shot at them too. Everything is okay now though. We sold our house, bought some land, and my mom built her dream home.

First Day of School

I remember every year when on the first day of school, it was always boring. Going over the handbook and talking the whole class period, was never fun. Scout's first day of school, was not boring, but it definitely was not fun in her eyes. On the first day Scout managed to get in trouble.

After the teacher, Mrs. Caroline, asked Scout to read some articles she told Scout to tell her father to stop teaching her. In the process of Scout trying to convince Mrs. Caroline her father does not teach her, Mrs. Caroline got annoyed. That set Scout on the wrong foot. Later on, around lunch time, Mrs. Caroline tried to give Walter Cunnigham a quarter. Scout stood up and explained why the Cunninghams don't take things from other people. I do not know why, but Mrs. Caroline gave Scout licks on the hand, after she was done talking.

Usually, after the first few weeks of school you do not want to go back. Scout on the other hand was done on the first day. When she told Atticus they could not read together anymore; Atticus made a compromise. The compromise was, they could still read if she kept going to school. The trick was she could not tell her teacher about the compromise. People now are always keeping secrets.

Becoming a Lady

In the beginning of the book, Scout was a tomboy. She was not polite or ladylike, and she beat people up. She also liked to play boy games with her brother. She had no interest in becoming a lady.

In the olden days girls wore dresses, did not play in the yard, were polite, and civilized. When Aunt Alexandra came into the picture, she was upset about how Scout dressed and how she acted. Aunt Alexandra wanted Scout to act like a lady. She tried her hardest to convince Scout to be a lady. I could understand Scout's apprehension to become a lady. She was so used to not being one, she did not know what it would be like to be a lady. In the end she became a little lady.

When the book described to you Scout in her dress, she sounded pretty. Although, it was hard to imagine Scout wearing a dress. You could tell she was trying her hardest to be like her aunt. It sounded really boring listening to a bunch of women talk about other peoples lives. When the women were talking about folks in the town thinking they were doing the right thing, it seemed like they were talking about Atticus. Hearing them still talk about him was frustrating.

Full Court

I do not know why so many people were interested in the Robinson case but they were. On the day of the trial it was so packed there were people standing up. Dill, Scout, and Jem sat up in the colored balcony with Reverend Sykes. During the trial the courtroom was silent, even the babies.

Before you even found out the verdict it was pretty clear what it would be. If you know your history you know back then black people were not treated equally to white people. They did not have the same rights as everyone else. They were also treated cruelly. It makes me so mad someone could treat someone like that. Even some of the old people today are prejudice.

The verdict against Tom Robinson was guilty. He was sentenced to death unless he was set free by a higher court. Tom's case never went to a higher court, because during an attempt to escape jail he was killed. Different people handled the verdict differently. Most people were happy, alot of people were disappointed, and some people thought it was unfair that he was convicted.

Family & Friends

Families are supposed to stick together. If someone is in trouble the others jump in to help. Not just family help each other, but friends do to. I know the friends and family I have will help me if I ever need help.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout, Jem, and Dill ( mostly Scout) try to protect Atticus when a mob comes to the jail. They went and stood beside Atticus and would not leave. Scout began talking to someone she recognized. At first the man ignored her then he talked to her. the mob left without anything serious happening.

Even though they could have got hurt, they went out to help Atticus. Although, I don't believe Atticus needed help. It is not about if someone wants help. It is about caring enough about someone to be there if they need back-up.

Runaway

When Dill ran away he went to the Finches' house, and snuck into Scout's room. When Scout got to asking Dill why he ran away his reason was that his parents were not interested in him. Scout tried to tell him that you don't want your parents there all the time.

Kids these days are always getting into trouble. Alot of the trouble comes from kids running away. Even though Dill ran away, he did not get in trouble. Miss Rachel was actually glad to see Dill.

You could feel the sadness Dill felt while talking about the reason he ran away. The way I imagined Dill on the bed talking about how he felt, made me feel sorry for him. Dill was soon happy again, because he got to stay in Maycomb. When Dill is in Maycomb, he brings a light to the story.

Bullies

Bullies are not just people who take your lunch and push you around. They are also people who call you names and belittle you. Bullies are everywhere, in all kinds of forms. There are: small bullies, large bullies, young bullies, and old bullies.

One of Maycomb County's bullies was Mrs. Dubose. Every time Jem and Scout go by her house she starts insulting them. One day, Mrs. Dubose said so many mean things. When Scout and Jem got back from town Jem destroyed her camellias. One of Jem's punishments was he had to read to Mrs. Dubose for one whole month. That is almost as bad as no T.V. for a month.

Mrs. Dubose died a few months after Jem stopped reading to her. A short time after, Jem developed a new set of values. Jem became difficult to live with when he tried to impose his new set of values on Scout. When someone dies you do not know or do not really like, it can still change your life.

Night Happenings

When Jem and Scout saw snow for the first time I understood how they felt. Getting to see snow for the first time in your life. Scout did not even know what a snowman was. It was a good thing Jem had the general idea on how to make one. Even if it did turn out to look like Mr. Avery.

My house or a house around me has never burned down, but I felt sorry for Mrs. Maudie. Her house burned down in the worst possible weather. What I don't understand is how Mrs. Maudie can not even be slightly upset her house burned down? I understand she did not like her house, but all her stuff was in there.

During all the commotion, Jem and Scout were standing in front of the Radley's house. Now you have to understand they are not near the fire, so they are very cold. When they got home Scout had a blanket on her. She did not see or feel anyone give it to her. Atticus suggested she got it from Arthur Radley (Boo Radley). That gives me the chills just thinking that the blanket could have possibly came from Boo Radley. SPOOKY!

To Kill A Mockingbird

At first I did not know what to think about To Kill A Mockingbird. I am only on chapter 6, and I already like it. I can not wait to keep reading! I am hoping it will only get better.

The characters are always curious about everything. Dill is so fascinated with Boo Radley, I have a feeling it will eventually get them in trouble. Jem seems like the boss of the games, and the one who makes-up all their games. It took me a while to figure out Scout was a girl. She seemed like a boy, because she acted like one. She even beat up Dill and Walter Cunnigham. Poor Boo Radley, I can't wait to find out what happened to him, and what will happen to him.

My favorite part so far is the part where Jem is trying to give Boo Radley a note. That seems like something little kids would do. Asking someone to come out to talk about the things he does. It's so funny though, because when he gets caught he tries to act as if they weren't doing anything.