Throughout this semester I have improved a lot as a learner by applying my reading and writing skills that continue to grow. This year’s English 10-1 in Mrs. Hunnisett’s class was a phenomenal year with many obstacles and opportunities that assisted in refining my skills.

There were some changes that were evident such as an immense improvement in my poetry analysis/comprehension and also my general writing skills. In my perspective, keeping a journal that we wrote in the beginning of the class was something that largely assisted in my growth, sparking certain ideas or concepts that I did use afterward in the semester. Writing blogs was another thing that at first seemed unnecessary, however I slowly came to realize how they were indeed inspiring me and helping me to improve my writing.

In this class the separation of “Say, mean, and matter” in the three part diagram has helped me view certain concepts differently and polish my paragraphs when writing essays. Some strengths during this semester were definitely reading and the ability to apply the concepts taught in class. However, there were also some challenges such as the poetry unit; however those challenges were eventually faced and met with efforts to improve.

Reading is something that was not only required to boost my growth during this semester, but it is also something that I have enjoyed doing for many years. During the past few months my reading skills have exceptionally improved and I have started to read books that are more challenging and out of my comfort zone in order to further improve my skills. Books such as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and many others have increased my passion for reading and continue to ignite my  desire to read more books. In my opinion, all genres of books are great as long as the novel contains suspense and description which engages the reader to dissolve in the story, unable to put the book down. A few years in the past my reading skills were not as strong as they are today; however, I need to continue to read daily with the aim of one or more books per month, as advised by Mrs. Hunnisett, to continue to develop my reading skills in the future as well.

Although there was a sudden improvement in my reading skills since the past years, this contributed in helping my writing ability enhance and better develop. As mentioned before, the three stages of say, mean and matter were certainly helpful; also the practice we received in class to write many pieces provided me with confidence. Since short stories had always fascinated me rather than essays, I was more confident in writing short stories, however after this semester I have gained self-confidence and improved my skills in writing essays which was one of my key growths during this year. I believe I can provide more clear evidence related to the topic and organize my essay accordingly better than I could before.

In the future, I plan to read more books and set goals to challange myself, but at the same time enjoy it. In order to further develop my writing skills it is important to revise all the different concepts taught and also practice because the more the practice one gets the more they can improve. Overall, this semster in L.A with Mrs.Hunnisett taught me how writing and reading are so valuable and enjoyable that one completely transitions to a seperate melodious world of imagination when they learn to create a passion for reading and writing.

“Atticus was right…he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”- Scout (page 324). The transition from innocence to maturity is portrayed as the ideology of an individual experiencing certain events in their life that can lead to their loss of innocence and create a path for maturity. Since maturity comes with experience, there is not a certain age for this procedure to occur as it happens when a certain level of understanding is established in a person. The change of perspective from innocence to experience can be influenced by society and individuals in the surrounding environment. Society can also take advantage of one’s innocence and make an individual believe certain things; however during the transition from innocence to experience, the individual can realize the misconception of the oblivious society and form values of their own. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores the change in perspective of a naive individual named Scout who is living in a society that influences her to believe certain things; however, the perspective change from innocence to experience allows the individual to form values that can oppose the values of the ignorant society. The author establishes the change from innocence to maturity by portraying how the perspective of respect toward a person can result in them providing guidance to the individual, the perspective of how fear can create prejudice but overcoming this obstacle can lead to maturity, and the influence of family surroundings can also assist in the transition from innocence to experience.

Initially, if one forms a perspective of respect toward an individual, that individual can guide them to the right path during the transition of innocence to experience and teach them right values; despite the societal influences. Since respect can lead one to following a certain individual’s guidance, it is important to embrace all the values taught in order to fully gain the help that they are provided with. The formation of respect toward someone also means that the person trusts them to provide good guidance to the correct path and this trust can form a strong bond between the two individuals. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Jean Louise (Scout) shows a certain level of respect to her father, Atticus. Although Scout’s innocence is affected by the society’s beliefs, her father continually tries to guide her to the right path of experience. For instance, Boo Radley is considered a horrific phantom to society and Scout believes this because her innocence is in believing what she hears. However, Atticus explains to Scout that it is not right to judge someone until “you crawl into their skin and walk in around it.” In other words experience things from their side. Scout does use Atticus’s theory throughout the book, as it symbolizes the ignorance of Maycomb society and the prejudice placed toward Boo Radley. This portrays how the ignorant values of the social order can intervene with ones change in perspective because it teaches the individual prejudiced values rather than creating a considerate level of understanding. Because Scout had a sense of respect toward her father she was able to follow his teachings and experiment with them in order let go of innocence and absorb the sensation of maturity by forgetting the teachings of fear given by society.

Secondly, the perspective of fear can breed prejudice toward certain individuals; however overcoming prejudice and being open-minded can lead one closer to experience. Since prejudice is formed from fear, it can be easily overcome if one is taught the right principles. Fear is something that can be demolished as long as an individual has the courage to escape the values causing it and just face it. Scout is an ignorant 6-year old who is terrified of the phantom, which was caused by society’s teachings. During the end of the book her perspective completely shifted from the horrid phantom to the caring man—Boo Radley. Boo had an immense impact on Scout’s shift throughout the novel because Scout prejudged him during her first stages of innocence, however her bond with Boo became so close that by the end of the novel she was the only one from the three children who got to see the true him.  This represents the motif of fear as a result of prejudice but it slowly diminished when Scout had learned that he saved his life, demonstrating the loss of innocence at the end of the novel. Since the perspective of fear was destroyed within Scout, the values she was taught were slowly forming into new beliefs. Although the preconception in Scout led to the creation of fear, it influenced her actions toward the Radley place. Boo is a very important symbol during Scout’s maturity and symbolizes the perspective of fear Scout and Jem both had against him; however Jem recognized the wrongs of prejudice before Scout’s transition to experience.

Finally, the individuals surrounding one (especially friends or family) can help an individual during their shift from innocence to maturity by helping them through their previous experiences. When one experiences the shift from innocence to maturity, they slowly start to acknowledge the right values and can use the experience of maturity to help others. Because a person undergoing these crucial stages has an evident change in perspective, they can influence the people surrounding them with their actions and opinions. An example presented in the book was Jem, who was himself going through the stage of maturity, which greatly influenced Scout’s shift also. Although the motif of love between Jem and Scout is not specified in the novel, certain events can display the love established between the two siblings which signifies that Scout had followed Jems footsteps because she knew he would always teach her the right principles. Jem’s maturing helps Scout mildly understand what he is going through and the change in perspective of Jem guides Scout to the right path. Since Jem slowly understands how prejudiced Maycomb society can be, he influences Scout to slowly believe the same values which is evident in the end of the novel. Although Jem understood Boo’s point of view before Scout, he did try to help her but unfortunately Scout’s innocence prevented her from understanding Jem’s perspectives. Because of Jem’s maturing helps Scout start her shift, the motif of good vs. evil is also depicted (“Good” = Jem, while “Evil” is Maycomb society).

The transition of innocence to maturity is evident in Scouts life with the assistance of some she respects (Atticus), perspective of fear (Boo Radley), and the individuals sharing their experiences (Jem). Innocence is common in one’s childhood and can be influenced by society’s values also. Since the development from innocence to maturity requires patience and understanding it is exceptionally necessary for one to create right values that are separate from society. Certain events in a person’s life will help them overcome the obstacles that they face during this shift; however it also depends on the level of thinking of the individual. Although societal influences play a large role in integrating one into the society’s beliefs, when the individual encounters the stage of experience they can distinguish between “good” and “bad” values. Since the shift of perspective from innocence to maturity ia a very important aspect of life that teach one many lessons, gaining experience is significantly considered a difficult path.

Ordered increasingly by most recently read:

1.  Of Mice and men by John Steinbeck (112pp.)
2.  Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (272 pp.)
3.  Allegiant by Veronica Roth (544 pp.)
4. Catching Fire (400 pp.)
5. The Catcher in the Rye (224 pp.)
6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (390 pp.)
7. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (336 pp.)
8. Looking for Alaska by John Green (221 pp.)
9. The Fault in our Stars by John Green (352 pp.)
10. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (372 pp.)
11. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay (320 pp.)
12.  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (432 pp.)
13.  I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (352 pp.)
14. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (384 pp.)
15.  Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (297 pp.)
16.  Ghost by Alan Lightman (243 pp.)
17.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (241 pp.)

To Date:  5492 (106 each week/ 15 pages each day)

 Top 3 books and Reviews:

1.  The Kite Runner  indeed was an inspirational story from the perspective of a man that reflects back on his past. This book takes place in Kabul (a town in Afghanistan) which is taken over by the Taliban, greatly affecting the lives of the two innocent children that were raised up together. The occurrence of an event guides the story in an entirely different direction, leaving the reader filled with suspense. I wasn’t able to put this book down and it was a very brilliantly written book!

2.  Sarah’s Key is a truth-filled novel in which a journalist’s life entangles with the previous events during the Holocaust. A brother’s life is in hand of his sister that is taken away by the hands of the French police in her own city. This is defiantly a heart-touching novel beautifully written by Tatiana De Rosnay, enlightening the dreadful eventsof the past with a mournful tale. I loved this novel and it makes people reflect on the historical events and the ever-lasting impacts they had.  

3.  A Thousand Splendid Suns, is another honest story exquisitely written, giving the reader a feminist view on things that took place in Afghanistan. This is certainly a novel in which the reader has to resist the urge of putting the book down due to the suspense and conflict creating an emotional bond to the story itself. In my perspective, this is a story that will defiantly shed some tears, however it is an inspiring story that should be read in order to gain insight on the lives of two women brought together by circumstance, trying their best to endure the dangers that they are faced with.

My goal is to read at least 9 books or even more by the end of the school year in order to future improve my reading skills.

Currently Reading: 1984 by George Orwell

 Books I plan to read are:

1. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
2. Lord of the flies by William Golding
3. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
4. Night by Elie Wiesel
5. Einstein’s dream by Alan Lightman

Dear Carolin,

I know how you take your time to read books slowly with depth and try to understand every little thing by completely entwining in the novel and forgetting everything surrounding you, I love that about you. I am sure you will love to read this book called Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, which enlightens the past events of the dreadful Holocaust that took place. This is surely a book that provides the reader with a new insight about how horrific the Holocaust was and the ever-lasting impact it left on some families causing grief and misery. The story describes how a journalist is assigned to research on the Vel’ de’Hiv’ that occurred during that Nazi invasion, in which she reads about the life of a girl that took place during this time and the numerous misunderstandings that occurred.

This book that was beautifully written by Tatiana de Rosnay made me realize how much pain and difficulties the Jewish families had to face just because of their race which is not right.  I realized how lucky I am to be living in a country that racism is not that big of issue to the point where killing and brutally torturing people is necessary.  Although this book takes turns from establishing two different perspectives, I know you will love to read it since there is suspense filled in every turn of a page. The author describes all of the events using vivid description and imagery which creates an emotional bond between the reader and the character (The little girl that experiencing the Nazi invasion- Sarah).  While reading this book, I have noticed that right from the beginning of the book Tatiana De Rosnay establishes a strong beginning with the police knocking on the family’s front door, creating suspense right from the start of the novel.

This book has had vast impact on how I view things. Sarah’s Key portrays the ideology of how even though the Nazi’s and a large group of the population were in favour of persecuting the Jews, there still were some people who were willing to help those in danger. It brings a sense, reminding individuals that  although there can be not necessarily a  “bad” group of people but rather people with beliefs that might harm others, there still is a small “good” group of people within that “bad” group that will help others, fighting against the wrong.

“The girl wondered: These policemen… didn’t they have families, too? Didn’t they have children? Children they went home to? How could they treat children this way? Were they told to do so, or did they act this way naturally? Were they in fact machines, not human beings? She looked closely at them. They seemed of flesh and bone. They were men. She couldn’t understand.”

This one quote from the book was really powerful, stating Sarah’s thoughts when the policemen had arrested her and her family, locking them up with several others in a large stadium. It shows how a little child questions the reason why people that have families/loved ones are being this cruel to others in their own town and she recognizes the loss of faith in humanity during that time. While reading this book whenever Sarah encountered a horrific experience or witnessed a death it filled me with fury and sorrow and I kept questioning the reason why the Holocaust took place at all, which provided nothing except death for millions.

“The eyes of a woman in the face of a ten-year-old girl.”

This petite girl’s loss of innocence at such a young age reminds me how many difficulties and cruelty the children faced and are still facing today. Sarah was determined and she knew she had to do anything and everything to rescue her little brother. This taught me that difficulties in life can cause one to change themselves in many forms in order to accomplish their goal; in this case the loss of Sarah’s innocence is necessary in order for her to try to rescue her brother. I connect to the book because Sarah was extremely attached to her younger brother which similar to the attachment between me and my brother and I understand the feeling that she had to go back to him to save his life which is the most she could do.  I am really attached to my family and I cannot imagine the fear and panic this 10 year old girl had to face, including the pressure on her (as time ticks by) to save her brother.

After all this description of the book and my experiences I honestly believe that you will enjoy this book a lot and it will remind you about the past events that have occurred. I know that we both can connect to this because you and I both have a younger brother and we can feel Sarah’s fear and pain. I hope you find the book really interesting and develop some thought on this inspiring story. Take your time to read this book with great care and thought!

Love,

Ishmeet

The stars twinkled brightly in the midnight black lonely sky as the winds blew fiercely in the piercing cold weather. The night was still and no creature dared to make a sound in the freezing chill that formed frost on the fallen leaves of the naked bare deciduous trees. The bushy Christmas tree quivered helplessly in the bitter icy cold temperatures forming from the artic winds that were blowing in aggressively by the minute. The Christmas tree decided to sadly brush off the frost that continually formed on its pine branches as the winter continued to suffocate the area with its icy breathes. The tree slowly looked up to the sky seeing clouds being pushed in, predicting the fluffy white blanket that was going to cover the ground in the morning. As the tree watched the clouds envelope the clear sky it slowly drifted to sleep; despite the whining wails of the artic gusts.

Suddenly, the screeching tires came to a full stop on the bleach-white snow that covered the ground like a magical landscape, as the Christmas tree jolted awake. The winter sun was shining without providing any warmth and two children accompanied with their dad stepped on the crisp white snow slowly making their way to the Christmas tree. The tree confusedly looked around itself confirming that it was the one the family was making their way to.

“D-D-Dad! This o-one!” said the boy through his chattering teeth, despite that was dressed with several layers of clothing, only revealing his blue sparkling eyes. The dad took out a massive chain-saw revealing its many sharp teeth as he placed it against the Christmas tree’s rough trunk. The tree closed its eyes horrified and frightened about what was going to happen to it. Slowly the tree opened up its eyes surprised to see itself on the glacial snow on the ground that surrounded it. The children were laughing and jumping on the tree and the tree smiled. The tree was put on the cold metal roof on the car and shivered as it was strapped carefully and then the car ferociously started as the engine roared loudly the car sped off into the fog.

The car finally came to stop as the tree let out a chilled gasp wondering what had just happened. The tree was hurriedly unstrapped and taken inside the house. The warmth greeted the wet cold tree by enclosing around it, melting the remaining snow on its pine branches dripping on the wooden floor. The mother was delighted to see the tree and brushed it with love and care. The tree felt loved. The children laughed and happily placed ornaments on the Christmas tree decorating it with joy. The tree was pleased.  The father wrapped lights around the Christmas tree and whispered that this was the most beautiful Christmas tree ever. The tree shyly blushed.  The dim light of the moon glistened through the window on the tree as it slowly snored asleep. The parents had quietly come and placed presents of different shapes and colours underneath the tree and silently went back to bed.

The next morning the children zoomed down the stairs screaming and laughing waking the tree up as it looked beneath it to find a dozen gifts. The children played with their toys all day running around the tree. The tree felt like it had a family, a family of its own.

When night had arrived once again and the tree was feeling cheerful than ever and the children were sent to sleep, the father harshly ripped off all the lights from the tree. The mother took off all ornaments at once. The tree was bare. The tree was astonished. The tree was extremely disappointed. The father tugged the tree from its place, dragging it toward the door, the tree resisted all it could but couldn’t make a difference. The icy blow of winds hit the tree and the cold snowflakes that merely blew in the wind touched every single part of its branches.  The Christmas tree was thrown outside of the house and weakly leaned against the fence. The snow started falling again. The tree cried frozen tears. The tree was lonely once again.