Would you ever kill a leader for the sake of your country? This is the problem Brutus had to face. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar interested me with an interesting plot and dynamic characters.
This story took place in ancient Rome. It is written in old English by Shakespeare. It was a little bit difficult to understand but has notes on the side of every page to help you with your reading. It was the story about the fall of the great Julius Caesar.
Cassius, the main plotter against Caesar, decides to kill him because he is becoming too powerful. He brings together a group of men on the consul, like himself, to commit the act. Brutus, a friend of Caesar, has to be convinced very heavily to participate in this horrible act. He finally gives in deciding he will do it "for Rome."
Caesar gets warnings not to attend consul the day the killing is supposed to take place, but he attends anyway. Will they go through with the killing? If so, who will be the new ruler? Will a war break out?
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read Shakespeare novels. It was an interesting story and wasn't dull. It was, at times, violent. To fully understand this book, you need to be a good reader who can interpret the language Shakespeare uses.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Book Review- Shopaholic and Sister
Crash! It happens and it’s time to get back to reality. Becky Brandon is back from her TEN month honeymoon with her new husband Luke. Becky was her typical self and bought tons of items from their round-world trip. Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic and Sister entertained me with the comical story of these newlyweds.
Sophie Kinsella has a series of these Shopaholic Books that I enjoy very much. The theme of this series is a light-hearted look at the life of a compulsive shopper. Although these stories are comical they show the consequences of irresponsible shopping. Kinsella writes in a very easy-to-understand and entertaining format. The stories take place mostly in Britain and some words and expressions used are in this vernacular.
When she returns, Becky discovers her best friend, new mom Suze, has found a new “best friend” with whom she has bonded with because they are both new moms. Also, Luke is becoming extremely annoyed because ALL of the boxes filled with the things Becky had bought on their trip are arriving at their already packed apartment. With all this stress happening Becky finds out she has a long lost sister! She is thrilled and immediately wants to know everything about her and become close friends.
She meets her sister, Jess, and things aren’t at all what she had expected. Her sister DOESN’T like shopping! How horrible! She hates spending money and hardly spends a dime on everyday things like food. Becky is so disappointed. She has no idea how to bond or even interact with a person so different from herself. Can Becky work out her problems with Luke and Suze? And can she figure out how to set aside the differences and learn to love her sister?
I would recommend this book to any girl that loves to shop and can relate to Becky. This is definitely a very girly book but it tells a great story. It was an easy read and although it was long, I never got bored with Becky and all the crazy things happening in her life.
400 Pages
Sophie Kinsella has a series of these Shopaholic Books that I enjoy very much. The theme of this series is a light-hearted look at the life of a compulsive shopper. Although these stories are comical they show the consequences of irresponsible shopping. Kinsella writes in a very easy-to-understand and entertaining format. The stories take place mostly in Britain and some words and expressions used are in this vernacular.
When she returns, Becky discovers her best friend, new mom Suze, has found a new “best friend” with whom she has bonded with because they are both new moms. Also, Luke is becoming extremely annoyed because ALL of the boxes filled with the things Becky had bought on their trip are arriving at their already packed apartment. With all this stress happening Becky finds out she has a long lost sister! She is thrilled and immediately wants to know everything about her and become close friends.
She meets her sister, Jess, and things aren’t at all what she had expected. Her sister DOESN’T like shopping! How horrible! She hates spending money and hardly spends a dime on everyday things like food. Becky is so disappointed. She has no idea how to bond or even interact with a person so different from herself. Can Becky work out her problems with Luke and Suze? And can she figure out how to set aside the differences and learn to love her sister?
I would recommend this book to any girl that loves to shop and can relate to Becky. This is definitely a very girly book but it tells a great story. It was an easy read and although it was long, I never got bored with Becky and all the crazy things happening in her life.
400 Pages
Sunday, December 13, 2009
What Makes a True Leader?
What makes a true leader? This question has so many answers. A true leader is someone who leads selflessly. They always put the interest of others first. This might be hard to find in leaders because power can really go to someone's head.
In Julius Caesar, Caesar was a great leader. He helped conquer new lands and also deeply cared about the people. In the words of Mark Antony from Shakespeare's book Julius Caesar, "When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept." He was asked to be the kind three times but every time refused.
A ruler is a representation of a nation. He or she must be open to new ideas and willing to listen to the people. A leader's unpopularity most often comes from people who feel they are unheard or uncared about. A true leader has only the best interest of the nation in mind.
A true leader must also be convincing. Being able to give a good speech to back up ideas really helps the common citizen understand reasoning behind decisions being made. It is very important for there to be a great line of communication between rulers and the subjects they rule.
In Julius Caesar, Caesar was a great leader. He helped conquer new lands and also deeply cared about the people. In the words of Mark Antony from Shakespeare's book Julius Caesar, "When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept." He was asked to be the kind three times but every time refused.
A ruler is a representation of a nation. He or she must be open to new ideas and willing to listen to the people. A leader's unpopularity most often comes from people who feel they are unheard or uncared about. A true leader has only the best interest of the nation in mind.
A true leader must also be convincing. Being able to give a good speech to back up ideas really helps the common citizen understand reasoning behind decisions being made. It is very important for there to be a great line of communication between rulers and the subjects they rule.
Parent Book Review
My mom read the New York Times Bestseller The Help. It is a novel by Kathryn Stockett about race relations in 1960s Mississippi. My mom loved it so much, that even though it is over four hundred pages, she read it in two days.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the main characters. This was a really effective tool to make you understand the thoughts and feelings of both the African American and white characters. It made my mom realize just how far race relations have progressed in her lifetime.
The story centered on the relationship between southern white women and their maids. Most of the women treated their maids very poorly. Some families were kind to their maids and looked at them as an extended part of the family. However, the needs of the family always came first and the maids own family or lives were rarely considered.
One story line in the book is how there was a drive to make outdoor or separate bathrooms for the maids to use. Examples were given in the book of how the maids were expected to serve the families and raise their children. Many of the maids in the book, had intelligence and experience but all credit for their accomplishments in cooking and child raising were given to the women they served.
The central plot of the book revolves around a grown, well to do white woman who was raised by her family's beloved maid. When she is away at college the maid disappears. She starts to question the secrecy and lack of appreciation shown by her family and others towards "the help." It is this revelation that drives her to seek the trust of other maids and have them help her write a book of their experiences as domestic help. This was very risky considering racial violence and attitudes of the time and place.
I'm really glad I talked to my mom about this book! It was a great topic to discuss together and led us on to talk about other books we have enjoyed.
1 Book
Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the main characters. This was a really effective tool to make you understand the thoughts and feelings of both the African American and white characters. It made my mom realize just how far race relations have progressed in her lifetime.
The story centered on the relationship between southern white women and their maids. Most of the women treated their maids very poorly. Some families were kind to their maids and looked at them as an extended part of the family. However, the needs of the family always came first and the maids own family or lives were rarely considered.
One story line in the book is how there was a drive to make outdoor or separate bathrooms for the maids to use. Examples were given in the book of how the maids were expected to serve the families and raise their children. Many of the maids in the book, had intelligence and experience but all credit for their accomplishments in cooking and child raising were given to the women they served.
The central plot of the book revolves around a grown, well to do white woman who was raised by her family's beloved maid. When she is away at college the maid disappears. She starts to question the secrecy and lack of appreciation shown by her family and others towards "the help." It is this revelation that drives her to seek the trust of other maids and have them help her write a book of their experiences as domestic help. This was very risky considering racial violence and attitudes of the time and place.
I'm really glad I talked to my mom about this book! It was a great topic to discuss together and led us on to talk about other books we have enjoyed.
1 Book
Semester Tests
It's the end of the semester! Guess what that means? Semester tests. Everyone despises these evil tests. So much studying and stressing come along with them. They count for twenty percent of your semester grade for goodness sake!
It is difficult to remember everything you have done in school for eighteen weeks for one test! Most teachers are nice enough to give you study guides and some classes like english just require you to write an essay. But it is wrong for one test to count for so much of your grade. If you are a straight "A" student and do badly on that ONE test you could suffer greatly.
I would recommend either stopping semester tests or lowering their effect on your semester grade. One good idea is to not require students with an "A" in the class to have to take the test. These students have worked very hard for this grade and it would be a small reward for them. Also, students with high grades in the class would be the ones to actually do WELL on the test. This would inspire other students to make "A's" so they wouldn't have to take the test either.
Over a nine week period you learn so much material. The subjects can vary so greatly. In math for example, you might start the nine weeks doing linear systems then end doing matrices. If subjects vary this much in one quarter, imagine the variety in one semester!
It is difficult to remember everything you have done in school for eighteen weeks for one test! Most teachers are nice enough to give you study guides and some classes like english just require you to write an essay. But it is wrong for one test to count for so much of your grade. If you are a straight "A" student and do badly on that ONE test you could suffer greatly.
I would recommend either stopping semester tests or lowering their effect on your semester grade. One good idea is to not require students with an "A" in the class to have to take the test. These students have worked very hard for this grade and it would be a small reward for them. Also, students with high grades in the class would be the ones to actually do WELL on the test. This would inspire other students to make "A's" so they wouldn't have to take the test either.
Over a nine week period you learn so much material. The subjects can vary so greatly. In math for example, you might start the nine weeks doing linear systems then end doing matrices. If subjects vary this much in one quarter, imagine the variety in one semester!
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