Gathering Blue

Have you ever read the book "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry? If not, I recommend that you do as soon as possible! Allow me to tell you a little more about it. Kira is just a young girl with only one good leg. So far her life has been pretty good until a tragedy occurs. Kiras mother dies after fighting a strong disease. All of Kiras possessions have been burned to assure that the illness will not spread. She has heard about her mother and how she used to die certain fabrics different colors. Even using the rarest color of them all… BLUE! Blue is the hardest color to find and even though Kira has enough struggles trying to stand up for herself and keep her spot in the village, she decides to venture out to find this extremely valuable color. Will Kira find the color and prove to the people of the village that she is worthy to stay, or will she have to fight for her life in order to find a place in her unaccepting world? This book sounds interesting doesn’t it? I think that this book would be good for children of middle school and early high school. This is my favorite book and every time I read it I am more and more overcome with all of the struggles in Kira’s life. This book is very inspirational, and I hope that you will decide to give it a try!

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O Henry Facts

·         William Sydney Porter was his real name

·         Born in Greensboro, North Carolina

·         Father was a physician

·         O Henry was a master of surprise endings

·         He married in 1882 in Austin, Texas

·         He started a humorous weekly in The Rolling Stone

·         His last years included: alcohol and ill health

·         Died of cirrhosis in the liver

·         Died on June 5,1910

·         Three more of his collections appeared after his death

·         He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories in his lifetime

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http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/ 

Masque of the Red Death Essay

Emily P.

Mrs. Zurkowski

English 1 Greens

October 27, 2010

“The Masque of the Red Death- White”

            In the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”, the color white represents wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom and knowledge are usually involved with people between the ages of fifty and sixty or seventy. When people are older, they know more than they did when they were younger. This is probably one the biggest reason that this color is associated with this age group. Normally, white would be associated this with older people. This is why it is the fifth room out of the seven rooms of the kingdom. That is another reason and because it is the fifth out of seven rooms, it is coming closer to death so this is about how these people are labeled by their age. In the rest of this essay, there will be more discussion about this room and why it means so much to this story.

            In this story, each room symbolizes a stage of life. The first rooms symbolize the younger years and the last room symbolizes death. The color white which is the fifth room symbolizes wisdom in the older years. It shows the progression of the clock and how it is getting closer and closer to death. Basically, all of the rooms are leading to death and white is only two rooms away. In a way, death probably shows up in the mind of the person in this stage, but it doesn’t really set in until the violet room. In other words, you know that death is coming, but don’t see much need to be upset about it until the very later years in your life. This story is sad, but the meaning is very clear and memorable. Hopefully more people will read it and learn to understand the point to this confusing but important story.

            I think that my life relates with this color very well. I live with my grandparents that have a lot to do with this stage. My grandmother is in her sixties, and my grandfather is seventy. They are both very wise, and they always have something to inform or educate me about. I think that this color is one of the huge stages in a person’s life. It is at one of those ages where you still are not very old but you are not young either. In a way, I still feel bad for people of this age because their next stage is pain and misery. I don’t want to have to think that people have to think about that, especially when they have 10 or more years of their life to live. I hope that people can read this story and understand its symbolism rather than take it seriously because that is mostly what this story is about. It is just trying to show symbolism but it is also teaching someone a lesson. It teaches the prince that no matter how rich and rude you are, you can’t run away from something that you can’t even control. 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chloeveltman.com/blog/uploaded_images/red_death-781957.gif&imgrefurl=http://blog.chloeveltman.com/2008/03/masque-of-red-death.html&usg=__n2tza6qeUhi7KK1xGoezQt6PSSg=&h=423&w=300&sz=73&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=4hBlASjrFnm4gM:&tbnh=160&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bmasque%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bred%2Bdeath%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D675%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=149&ei=_lLsTOnaG4T6lwfg2oX9AQ&oei=_lLsTOnaG4T6lwfg2oX9AQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=89&ty=27

Edgar Allan Poe

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I know a little bit about Edgar Allan Poe including that he mainly wrote about dark and scary things and places. He is famous for his poem “The Raven” which is how the raven became so popular in Baltimore. I am excited to learn more about him and read some interesting poems. 

Web quest:

1. "The Raven" was published in 1845.
2. The Poe Toaster was the nick name given to to mysterious person that visited Edgar's grave every year on his birthday.
3. Poe married Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe and she was thirteen years old.
4. Edgar called Virginia home.
5. Poe was born on October 9, 1849 in Boston, Massachusetts, and he died on November 17, 1875.
6. "The Black Cat" was written in 1843 and "The Tell Tale Heart" was written in 1843 also.
7.  "The Murders of the Morgue" was the first detective story.
8. The US Military Academy at West Point Expelled Poe in 1831.
9. I think that Poe's marriage must have been odd because he was an odd person and they were so far apart in age.
10. There are thirteen theories about what caused Poe's death and five of them are beating, drunkness, heart problems, murder, and epilepsy.
 http://www.online-literature.com/poe/

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=when+was+the+raven+published

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe_Toaster

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_did_Edgar_Allan_Poe_marry_on_may_16_1836

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF8&q=what+state+did+poe+cal+home#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=what+state+did+poe+call+home&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=c6d70e2a43c7e0c5

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_year_was_The_Black_Cat_by_Edgar_Allan_Poe_written

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/The_murders_in_the_rue_morgue_is_the_first_example_of_what_type_of_story

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_famous_military_academy_expelled_Edgar_Allan_Poe_in_1831&alreadyAsked=1&rtitle=What_famous_military_academy_expelled_Poe_in_1831

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to my english blog for quarter two! I am so excited to write some more interesting things. Hopefully, you will be able to learn more about me and some of the things that I do in school. I cant wait to bein this quarter and I hope that you are excited too!

http://www.balloonees.com/images/balloons/welcome/welcome%20back%20smiley.jpg

Position Research Parper

Emily P.                                                                                                                               Patrick 1

Mrs. Zurkowski

English 9 Greens

October 1, 2010

Juvenile Delinquency

            Today, you will be informed about the topic of juvenile delinquency. Over 100,000 children under the age of 18 are in jail in the United States (National Institute on Drug Abuse). As the people of the United States, we should be worrying about this unfortunate issue, and trying to find ways to prevent it. If we all try to look out for juveniles that may turn out to be delinquents, then we may be able to bring the number of juveniles in jail to a lower number then it is today.  Juvenile delinquency is a serious issue in the United States today,  and often teenagers involved have other issues outside of being a delinquent but society has found that there are many other ways to help lead children away from this life of crime.

            There are way too many children under the age of 18 in jail, and here are some of the reasons and consequences for these immature actions. There are many reasons that juveniles are arrested, but most juveniles are arrested for alcohol abuse, curfew violation, and runaway. Most delinquents are charged appropriately according to their age. Sometimes this does not always prove to be true because every year, 1% of the juvenile court cases are waved to adult charges. This may be based on the seriousness of the crime, or that the juvenile became an adult during the time of the case (Pryor).  Douglas W. Pryor stated that, "National studies of firearms behavior among youth from 1996 and 1997 show that about six percent of high school students carried a gun outside of home over a period of 30 days or a year, but that far less than 1 percent did so at school." The quote that was stated is just another way for children under the age of

Patrick 2

eighteen to be arrested. Every day more and more juveniles are arrested for reasons that can be prevented so Americans should strive to stop this trend, and keep these children out of trouble.       

             Many people believe to have found explanations on their child’s misbehavior, and in this paragraph you will learn a few. Lack of discipline and/or self-control will also result in this misconduct. Today, more children are lacking discipline in their household which is why parents and other family members must become stricter towards their children. Other people seem to think that juvenile delinquency is a result of abuse in the house. The media also plays a huge roll in this. Violence in the media may cause teens to result as violent or angry individuals (Pryor). Douglas W. Pryor exclaimed that, "Two popular theories argue that youths who face limited economic opportunities or youths who experience low status among peers at school may turn to delinquency out of need, hopelessness, or frustration." This could possibly mean that more children in the United States are being faced with poverty.

              Some people may ask why juvenile delinquency is so common, but others ask why it is still occurring so often. A lot of illegal crimes committed by juveniles go unnoticed. Sources say that the working class does not properly prepare the younger people for dealing with a world of middle-class people. Even though it doesn’t seen that this issue is getting much better, police everywhere are trying to take a stand and prevent juvenile delinquency in the future (Griffin). Brenda S. Griffin indicated that, "Research studies indicate that more than 90% of all American juveniles, sometime during their minority, have committed acts for which they could be adjudicated delinquent." This means that more juveniles are committing crimes without being caught, and that more people will most likely try to commit them in the future.

           

Patrick 3

In some situations, people with mental disabilities should be excused from discipline because of their condition.  Most juveniles in jail have been proven to be mentally disabled in some way. In most surveys, it is shown that more females have mental disabilities then males do (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Even though most of the juveniles that commit crimes are disabled, they should not be an exception because in most cases it could've been prevented. Linda A. Teplin stated that, “…detention centers are mandated to treat major mental disorders …” This means that many people that have mental disorders go into juvenile detention without having much if any treatment. Hopefully, society will work on helping people with disorders, and maybe decrease the number of juveniles in jail.

It is also shown that many children in jail for committing a crime do not have a proper education. Douglas W. Pryor said, "It has also been stated that juveniles who have weaker bonds to their parents, education, and/or religion may be more delinquent." This issue may be for many reasons, one may possibly be because of the economy and its recent failure. Many federal programs are now trying to help underprivileged juveniles receive better education (Griffin). This should not be a problem to some Americans. This is because most Americans live with unneeded items. After their time in jail, the juveniles are found a good source of education (Teplin). This may make people wonder if going to jail is only to receive a good education, or just a place to be able to stay in.

Juvenile delinquency is very common in the U.S. It is a result of many things, and still needs to be terminated. As you can now see juvenile delinquency is much too popular, and hopefully in the future you and all other people who will read this will help to take a stand for preventing the concept of juvenile delinquency.  Once again, juvenile delinquency a serious issue

Patrick 4

in the United States today, and teenagers involved have many other issues outside of being a delinquent but hopefully they will be able to get help instead of getting arrested.

Works Cited

"Comorbidity is common among youths in juvenile detention." Pamphlet by: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Vol. 19. National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2004. 14. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 3 Oct. 2010.

Griffin, Brenda S., and Charles T. Griffin. "Juvenile Delinquency." Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier Online. 23 Sept. 2010 <http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0226690-00>.

Pryor, Douglas W. "Juvenile Delinquency." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2010. Grolier Online. 27 Sep. 2010 <http://gme.grolier.com/article?assetid=0156390-0>.

Teplin, Linda A., Karen M. Abram, Gary M. McClelland, Amy A. Mericle, Mina K. Dulcan, and Jason J. Washburn. "Psychiatric Disorders of Youth in Detention." SIRS Researcher. Web. 3 Oct. 2010.

Gathering Information- Article 3 Notes

Emily P.

Mrs. Zurkowski

English 1 Greens

September 22, 2010

Gathering Information- Article 3 Notes

            “Comorbidity is common among youths in juvenile detention.” Pamphlet by: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Vol. 19. National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2004. 14. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.

·         “On a typical day in the United States, roughly 109,000 youths under age 18 are in jail.”

·         “These teens have problems beyond their involvement with the law: Research suggests that, much more often than the general population, they are challenged by mental disorders and co-occurring abuse of alcohol and other substances.”

·         A huge amount of adolescents have mental disorders.

·         Most juvenile crimes result from mental disorders.

·         Out of 1,829 people under the age of 18, about 600 of them proved to have some sort of mental disorder.

·         This shows how much mental disorders can develop more crimes in society.

·         A recent study shows that mental disorders occur more in females then in males.

·         People are saying that we need to research this more in order to help prevent it.

·         If we become more aware, then we may be able to help this situation.

·         Out of 874 females and males, the mental disorders were very bad.

http://www.clker.com/clipart-24923.html

Juvenile Delinquency Article 2 Notes

Emily P.
Mrs. Zurkowski
English 1 Greens
September 22, 2010

Gathering Information- Notes Article 2

        "Juvenile Delinquency (1950s)." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 2003.      Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 25 Sept. 2010.

• 
  
  "FBI director J. Edgar Hoover reported: "persons under the age of 18 committed 53.6 percent of all car thefts; 49.3 percent of all burglaries; 18 percent of all robberies, and 16.2 percent of all rapes."
• "Judges, law-enforcement officials, psychologists, and other experts suggested a variety of causes of juvenile crime, from lack of a good home life to too much comic-book reading."
• Most people thought that juvenile delinquency was "rebel without a cause".
• During the 1950s, juvenile delinquency was a big issue.
• Society expected certain figures such as police, parents, and teachers, to become understanding of the delinquents, but also harder on them.
• People thought that the older people might consider this as a threat.
• About 6,000,000 crimes went by without being recognized by the police.
• Juvenile delinquency grew during the 1950s because of the increase of cities in the U.S.
• People thought that the increase of crimes was because people were not disciplining their children properly.
• All of this crime also happened because so many babies were born in one year, that there were many more teenagers, and possible juvenile delinquents.

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Juvenile Delinquency Notes

Emily P.

Mrs. Zurkowski

English 1 Greens

September 22, 2010

Gathering Information- Notes

Cited From: Griffin, Brenda S., and Charles T. Griffin. "Juvenile Delinquency." Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier Online. 23 Sept. 2010 <http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0226690-00>.

·         “In an attempt to avoid the juvenile-delinquent label, some jurisdictions use the terms minors in need of supervision (MINS), persons in need of supervision (PINS), or children in need of supervision (CHINS).”

·         “Legally, juvenile delinquency encompasses two distinct types of behavior: criminal activities committed by youth (robbery, murder, or rape, for example) and activities prohibited to children but not to adults (truancy, running away from home, curfew violations, or incorrigibility), also known as status offenses.”

·         Most people view juvenile delinquency to be mostly done by males.

·         Juveniles that are awaiting trial are normally only held for one night before they are sentenced.

·         In Illinois, the first court, in the world, for juveniles in was created. (1899)

·         Researchers have found that 90% of the juveniles in the United States committed crimes that could be counted as a delinquent.

·         The definition of this concept differs from states and countries.

·         Most juvenile crimes are hidden from authorities.

·         Most juvenile delinquents are between the ages of 15 and 17.

·         Children that are below ten years old are normally not handled as formally as children 15 and above.

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Questions About Juvenile Delinquency

Emily P.

1.        What is the percentage of juvenile delinquency in the United States?

2.       What is the main reason juveniles are arrested?

3.       How are the sentences for juveniles different in other countries?

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Juvenille Justice Paragraph

Emily Patrick

Mrs. Zurkowski

English 1 Greens

September 13, 2010

Book: Jude by Kate Morgenroth
Topic: Juvenile Justice

Search Terms:

1. “Tribunal”
2. “Crimes:
3. “Children”

4. “Adolescents”
5. “Age of majority”

6. “Legal systems”

7. “Juvenile court”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_justice

Juvenile Justice

            Juvenile justice is the biggest issue in the book, Jude. My source says that “Severe offenses, like murder or gang-related acts, in 44 states of the USA are treated the same as crimes committed by adults” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_justice). In Jude’s case, he was given the maximum sentence.  In the U.S.A., “Anyone charged with committing a criminal act before his or her seventeenth or eighteenth birthday is initially processed as a juvenile defendant” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_justice). Jude was seventeen when he was charged, so that means that these rules applied to him. I think that this is a very good topic to research. Hopefully, I can find out and learn more in the future.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.policehow.com/img/Handcuffs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.policehow.com/equipment.php&usg=__

Novel Pen Pal Letter

September 6, 2010


Dear Jude,

       My name is Emily P. I loved reading about you in the book, Jude, by Kate Morgenroth. Even though you have spent some of your summer in jail, my summer has been packed full of fun experiences. This summer, I visited Ocean City, MD. We stayed in Bethany for a week. We had many pool parties at my house and also had an English soccer coach stay with us. His name was Ricky, and he was a lot of fun to be around. Ricky stayed with us because he was coaching a camp for my sister called the Challenger camp. I also got a puppy this year. You can see a picture of her to the left. Her name is Winnie and she is an English yellow Labrador. Even though I had a big summer, I can’t imagine what it must have been like trying to convince your mom that Harry had set you up.

       I enjoyed your book very much. It entertained me, and I could hardly put it down. I think that you handled all of the problems that you were faced with exceptionally well. You were smart enough to prove that you were set up, and knew enough information to support it. I was the most surprised when you found out how everything tied together. For example, Harry was the man behind the murder of your father, and he also landed you in jail. I think that you show lots of responsibility for trying to help your mom win the election. Hopefully, next time you will be more careful of who to watch out for and who to trust.

       I think that the author explained everything very thoroughly. She made the story very mysterious, and it was interesting to see how it unfolded. I liked how the most seemingly innocent person in the book became the one behind all of the bad things that happened. The entire story held my attention, and every time something new happened it became even more interesting. I think that she gave you the right emotions, and that you took the right actions every time an important scene occurred. Overall, the author did an excellent job of making you realistic and unfolding the story.

       Even though the book was very well described, I still have a few questions. What ever happened after the book? Did you ever end up talking to your mom? If not, I think that you should forgive her even though she didn’t trust you. She had a good reason considering that you didn’t have a very good history. Did your dad ever talk about your mom? You must have had to ask some questions, like where she was or what happened. Even though I didn’t list all of my questions, I still have a lot to ask and hope to find the answers out eventually.

       This novel made me think a lot about social issues and about people in your position. There are many social issues in your story, but there are also many ways that you can raise awareness. I could help create projects to prevent drug use and make people aware of the hazards and consequences of drugs. I could also get together groups and clubs to talk about things like jail and drugs. Also, many people have separated parents so it would be easy to find people that would talk about it with each other. Even though most of the social issues are bad and need to be prevented, there are many ways to raise awareness and try to prevent them in the future.

       Although you’ve had a tough life so far, I hope that things get better for you. By the end of the book, it seems that you have things pretty sorted out. I really enjoyed hearing about your life, and I hope that you enjoyed learning a little bit about mine. In the future, I will always remember what you went through, and it will help me to see how lucky I am. I really enjoyed reading about you, and hope to find out more soon.

Sincerely,

         Emily P.

Summer Reading Questions

       This summer, I read Jude by Kate Morgenroth. here are some of the answers to the questions i had to complete:

Emily P.                                                          Jude

                                                          By: Kate Morgenroth

Social Issues: mother and son relationship, teenagers in prison, juvenile justice



The Book:

1. The main character is Jude, and his personality is rough because he grew up in a bad city with his drug- dealing father. He is also very tough and surprisingly responsible.

2. The beginning is very important because it explains how Jude’s life is and it shows when he goes to live with his mother. The middle of the story explains Jude’s life with his mom and Jude’s plan to take credit for his mistake and help his mom win the position of mayor. The end is when Jude finally works out the mistake he made in trusting his mother’s boyfriend and shows how Jude’s life ends up.

3. The author uses Jude as a figure to show us that you can’t always trust everyone, but u can always try to find a way to fix your mistakes. It also shows us that even though your childhood may be bad and you’re not raised correctly, you can always find a way to succeed in the future.

The Issues:

1. One major issue is that Jude’s father is killed. Jude’s problems are that he knows who the murderer is, and he can’t tell the police because of the promise he made to the murderer in order to survive. Another problem is that Jude’s mother is dating Harry, the man behind the murder.

2. Jude is faced with a social issue when he goes from a public school in the city to a private school in a very good area. It is harder for him to fit in because he is used to being around the people that he knows. Another issue occurs when Jude is lied to by his mother’s boyfriend. Jude is tricked into going to jail and learns that not everyone can be trusted. The author makes big issues seem immediate and personal because she gives us a view of what it would be like to be put in the same situation, and describes the situation very clearly.

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My Unique Profile

        My name is Emily P. I have done many exciting things in my life, and I have many hobbies and sports that I play. I have been swimming since I was four, and I played soccer for six years. I also just started horseback riding about six months ago, and I ride every Monday. I have been to many places on vacation including Mexico, Jamaica, and Haiti. We visited these islands on a cruise, and on my trip to Haiti we got to shop at one of the local markets. In my family, I have an eleven year old sister named Hana, my mom, and my dad. We also own a Beagle and an English yellow Labrador. The school that I came from was Saint Margaret, but I have only been going there since fifth grade. Before St. Margaret, I went to Good Shepherd. My family moved when I was nine years old, and that is when I switched to St. Margaret. I moved from Havre de Grace to Darlington, MD. As you can see, I have a very busy life. I love everything I do, and I hope that I can continue it in the future.