Blog Reflection

http://shanzasreadingblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/krista-ramseys-writing-style.html

          In my opinion, my best blog post was the one that talked about Krista Ramsey's writing. In the blog I used some quotes from the text which made helped support the things that I was talking about. I also think I did a good job at explaining the topic of Krista Ramsey's article at the beginning. It helped make my post easier to understand when I made references to the article. At the end of the post I asked some questions to Krista Ramsey which is something I don't normally do. The questions made me think a little and might've also made whoever was reading my post think a little bit too.
        
          I had many things that I struggled with while writing blog posts throughout the year. One struggle I had was trying to fit in some textual evidence into my blog. I never really used any quotes and I think if I did that a little more it would help make my blog post better. But, I tried to write about things that I could easily connect to the book and that way I could find places to put quotes. I also wasn't very good at using strong diction. I think if I put in some words that had a bigger meaning it could make my sentences stronger and mean more. Although there are many weaknesses I had during blogging, I think I also had some things I was good at. For example, I think I did a good job at explaining the books in my posts. That is a good thing because without a good explanation of the book the person reading might not understand what I was talking about in my blog post.

Delirium #2

I am halfway through Delirium and so far I really like it. I knew a little bit about the book already when I first started reading it and I knew I would like it. The book shows a utopian society and the plot is very strong and makes sense. A lot of times I read books and get confused easily but I think this book made it easy for me to follow along. I also really enjoyed reading it so far. 
I'm not finsished reading the book yet, but I would definitely recommend it to people who like reading dystopias. I would also recommend it to people who enjoy a little bit of romance. Delirium makes you wonder what it would be like to live in a world like that. While you're reading the book you'll feel like you are a part of it.

Delirium

This week I started reading Delirium. The book shows a utopian society where love is considered a disease. The government tells people that love is a disease and they call the disease deliria. There is a cure for the "disease" and people 18 years and older have to get the procedure done so that they don't ever fall in love. The main character in the book, Lena, has been looking forward to the procedure for a long time But, right before she has to get the procedure done she falls in love with someone and that is how far I have gotten in the book.
I decided to read Delirium because a few people have recommended it to me. I also decided to read it because I enjoy reading books that are about utopian societys. I like to read books that show the world from a different view and books about utopias do that very well. This book also has a good plot so far so I'm excited to keep reading and see what happens next.

Playlist for the Dead

I finished reading Playlist for the Dead recently and I really liked it. The beginning of the book was a little slow, but as you read it got more interesting. The book started off with a shocking event and that made me want to keep reading the book. But, even though the beginning was interesting the next couple of chapters were a little slow.

After I got past the boring part of the books I couldn't put the book down. There were so many small mysteries that kept me asking questions as I was reading. The book had a good story and message that it was trying to get through to the reader. I think since the book was relateable to some teens it was more fun to read.

Satire

The picture to the right shows an example of satire becuase it it making fun of the McDonald's logo. Someone changed the logo to make fun of the McDonald's. A person can look at the picture and laugh at it becuase they understand where the idea came from. The satire is in a form of a parody. The picture criticizes the company and at the same time is makng people who look at the picture laugh.

Krista Ramsey's Writing Style

The column I read was about Ramadan (which is when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for 30 days) and how it is a time for Muslims around the world to reflect and be grateful. The column included quotes from Muslim teens who described how Ramadan it is actually a peaceful time for them and how it makes them all better people. Here is a link to the column: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/06/28/krista-ramsey-ramadan/11635451/

A line that Ramsey wrote was, "Urged to avoid profanity, undertake acts of charity, emphasize simplicity and honesty, some youths say Ramadan leaves them with a renewed sense of purity." The quote does a good job of explaining some affects of Ramadan on people and explains it to people who want to learn more about the topic. Some observations I had about syntax in this line is that Krista Ramsey uses a lot of commas in her writing. That breaks everything up in one scentence instead of dragging it out. She also uses words that are more descriptive which also helps the reader understand the topic better.

Krista Ramsey uses descriptive words in her writing. She also uses many quotes and goes on to elaborate more on what the quote said. She uses real life situations and shares it with the world. In al three columns that I read there were quotes from multiple people. All three of the columns were also focusing on current situations going on in the world that some people might not pay attention to. Some questions I would ask Krista Ramesy are:

• How do pick what you are going to write about?
• Do you ever have trouble coming up with something to write about?
• How long have you been writing?

The Book Thief #1

This week I started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I chose to read this book because I thought it would be interesting to read a book that is written in the perspective of Death. I also like reading book that talk a little bit about the Holocaust and how life was like for Jews and people hiding Jewish people. This book is very different because of the way it is written. It is also very detailed and interesting because it has examples of dramatic irony, foreshadowing, similes, metaphors and may other types of figurative language.

The book is about a girl named Liesel. The book is written in the perspective of Death. The books setting takes place in the time of World War II. Right now in the book Leisel is an angry girl because of things that have happened to her in her life. Death is mocking and dark. I think I will like the book because it is different and written in an interesting way. To watch the trailer for the movie go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92EBSmxinus