Summary: The first half of the book starts out with these young boys not going to school on a day of the World Series between the Giants and the Dodgers. Knowing that they are broke what they do is sneak in or recklessly barrage their way into the stadium to enjoy the game. While watching the game they make a couple of friends and talk to some fans and they were Dodgers fans so they all rooted for them but since they were down they looked for a comeback. A couple of times into the book the narrator which is the main character talks about the Cold Wars going on and how everybody at the Stadium is enjoying themselves and not worrying about whats going o outside the borders at all. Then the Dodger fans get what they wanted and they came back to tie the game.
Quote:"You shout because it makes you brave or you want to announce your recklessness"(DeLillo 11)
Reaction: As I read this quote I actually took the time to think about it and it actually turned out to be true and i found it interesting because its not the most detailed description but it can get you thinking and it shows an excellent use of imagery without a big sentence explaining it.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Chewing Gum: Fortunes of Taste #61-100
Summary: Now Britain wanted to get a share of the Chicle manufacturing business so they came with a compromise to own a part of the forest since Mexico was 24 million dollars in debt. They started doing their own manufacturing, then a Mayan General, General May, got himself involved in the trade by providing protection for the trade and he got a share of the money in it. Then in the U.S the chicle production boosted but then dropped around the great depression. Then more and more cooperations grew in Mexico and after this and during the beginning of world war II the chicle production got another boost. the gum was used for more than just chewing but also for weapon protection and fixing things.
Being a chiclero was also a hard job for Mexicans and it needed people to handle a machete and climb a tree and sell the chicle sap from the tree. It was also dangerous and people often died because they are deep in the forest and are prone to animal attacks, snake bites, falling from trees, and some others who travel to and from British Honduras often died on the way. Then after they had protection of workers because of the dangers and that started a time where people wrote books on the chicleros and their lives.
Quote:"The forest, like the people who inhabited it, had built defenses against invasion."
Reaction: This is a metaphor used by the Mayans and workers and they believed that the forest acts like regular humans to protect itself. For example how humans have their own defense mechanism, the forest has the same thing only that the forest is more through nature. For example the sap would be poinsonous, and spines that cut on contact.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Chewing Gum: The Fortunes of Taste #25-60
Summary: After Santa Anna and Thomas Adams met and made the Staten Island agreement to produce gum they started making it from the chicozapote tree and they sold chicle which was a type of latex to raise money. Santa Anna then got impatient so he disappeared and left it all to Thomas. Then Thomas saw a girl buy a pack of gum that was made of Paraffin wax. So he took the chicle he made and started selling it to stores and traveled with it to sell also. They also had many different ways of selling gum also; they used sex appeal since the gum goes into the mouth, and they used colors and designs on the wrapper which worked the best. Chewing gum came into society during the time of big migrations and also industrialization meaning that cities are also growing. This fed into every entrepreneurs plan to sell and promote gum since the city was filled with people. Now that gum is a big thing and many people are making it they had to sell it and the wrapper with the best name, tatse, and most importantly best design always was the most popular stick of gum. Then the Mexicans and the Mayans went to war with America again during the Caste war over borders. This time gum was widely used by both sides of the military to chew on during battle and also the latex from the gum were used in weapons(not the gum itself).
Quote: "If people did not chew their food properly, they did not produce saliva, and this watering of the mouth produced the true or earned appetite that helped to keep people healthy" (Redclift, 37)
Reaction: Even though this book is on chewing gum its interesting to see and find out that "chewing properly" is a way of staying healthy. This gives a lot of emphasis on chewing food correctly and chewing gum to help with this.
Quote: "If people did not chew their food properly, they did not produce saliva, and this watering of the mouth produced the true or earned appetite that helped to keep people healthy" (Redclift, 37)
Reaction: Even though this book is on chewing gum its interesting to see and find out that "chewing properly" is a way of staying healthy. This gives a lot of emphasis on chewing food correctly and chewing gum to help with this.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Chewing Gum: The Fortunes of Taste #1-24
Summary:Chewing gum in Mexico is a lifestyle for most Mexicans as it is their jobs to either make, sell gum, or find the ingredients used to make gum or as they call it chiclet. There would be people that would make a living off of selling gum in downtown Merida with reasonable prices also, they dont want to sell it for real cheap but they dont want to overprice it which is about 2-5 pesos(20-50 cents). Gum comes from a product named henequen and it is made by the agave cactus which is only found in Mexico so it became a big job for some people when gum production rose. The history of chewing gum started at a meeting of Santa Anna and Thomas Adams but there was many events before this that actually led to the event. First was Santa Anna's victory in Alamo Texas. Then Santa Anna was captured and while being stoned on Opium he agreed to a Texan independence and also for his troops to be retreated. Then Santa Anna moved to Staten Island, New York and this is where the history of chewing gum begins to unravel after he meets Thomas Adams.
Quote:"The development of the product that made chewing easy" (Redcliff 17)
Reaction: This quote is something that can be questioned in my eyes because chewing gum doesn't really make chewing easy but makes people want something to chew on. They are two different things because chewing is an everyday action and chewing gum just makes it more fun for people not easier at all.
Quote:"The development of the product that made chewing easy" (Redcliff 17)
Reaction: This quote is something that can be questioned in my eyes because chewing gum doesn't really make chewing easy but makes people want something to chew on. They are two different things because chewing is an everyday action and chewing gum just makes it more fun for people not easier at all.
Friday, February 25, 2011
"Walls turn flexible, gothic windows wink, a wraith morphs into the bedsheets and every face carved into the woodwork stands a chance of coming alive; don't even ask about the gryphon statues lining the humongous grand staircase"(Maslin, Janet)
-The book doesn't mention any parts of the house doing this and the movie does a good job with the graphics and adding a little more spice to the movie. so I agree with the emphasis on the graphics and effects that are in the movie.
"Things really do go bump in the night"(Maslin, Janet)
-This is a really good way to explain the movie because the director really does make it seem that the house is haunted and that things really do happen at night. The biggest scares happen only at night.
"Especially notable is the work of Phil Tippett and Craig Hayes, visual effects supervisors from 'Jurassic Park,'"(Maslin, Janet)
-The directors and the special effects supervisors were a good reason why the movie was a success. They make the movie what it is and made it interesting and i agree that the staff did do a good job in making this movie and were the reason for the success.
Maslin, Janet (http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/23/movies/film-review-things-that-go-bump-and-worse-in-the-night.html?scp=2&sq=haunting%20of%20hill%20house%20film%20review&st=cse)
-The book doesn't mention any parts of the house doing this and the movie does a good job with the graphics and adding a little more spice to the movie. so I agree with the emphasis on the graphics and effects that are in the movie.
"Things really do go bump in the night"(Maslin, Janet)
-This is a really good way to explain the movie because the director really does make it seem that the house is haunted and that things really do happen at night. The biggest scares happen only at night.
"Especially notable is the work of Phil Tippett and Craig Hayes, visual effects supervisors from 'Jurassic Park,'"(Maslin, Janet)
-The directors and the special effects supervisors were a good reason why the movie was a success. They make the movie what it is and made it interesting and i agree that the staff did do a good job in making this movie and were the reason for the success.
Maslin, Janet (http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/23/movies/film-review-things-that-go-bump-and-worse-in-the-night.html?scp=2&sq=haunting%20of%20hill%20house%20film%20review&st=cse)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Haunting of Hill House #34-66
Summary: Now Eleanor finally gets the courage to step into Hill House and Mrs. Dudley takes her to her room where she will be staying. The more Eleanor stays and looks and examines the house the more she wants to leave and get out.Then Mrs. Dudley tells Eleanor that she leaves before dusk comes and that she wont be available after that and there would be no one that can help her at night which is kind of sketchy. Eleanor then gets unpacked in a rush and furiously and then she meets Theodora and where they then get tho see the Green Room. Then Theodora and Eleanor walk around the house and wonder what they could do while being there at the house. Then Theodora starts asking Eleanor a bunch of questions and they both come to the conclusion that they were indeed cousins which was unexpected at all. Then while being out in the hills Eleanor and Theodora meet Luke and they later come into the house and meet the Dr. Montague before dinner. Dr. Montague has a map of the house so he brings the people to the dining room but also warns them that the house can be very tricky. The doctor then tells them that the plan or the next day is to explore the house and do whatever they please for the day. Then they go into talking about the Hill House and its heirs and explains that possibly Mrs. Dudley is planning to get rid of Luke to inherit all of the house and its riches.
Quote: "There were blue dimity curtains over the two windows... and a blue figured rug on the floor, and a blue spread on the bed and the bed and a blue quilt at the foot. The walls, dark woodwork to shoulder height, were bluefigured paper above, with a design of tiny blue flowers," (Jackson 40)
Reaction: This is when Eleanor enters what is called the "Blue room" and its is not too descriptive but it says so much about the room that you can picture it. She is stating all of these blue colored accessories and things that make the room Blue. This also justifies the name of why it is called the blue room.
Quote: "There were blue dimity curtains over the two windows... and a blue figured rug on the floor, and a blue spread on the bed and the bed and a blue quilt at the foot. The walls, dark woodwork to shoulder height, were bluefigured paper above, with a design of tiny blue flowers," (Jackson 40)
Reaction: This is when Eleanor enters what is called the "Blue room" and its is not too descriptive but it says so much about the room that you can picture it. She is stating all of these blue colored accessories and things that make the room Blue. This also justifies the name of why it is called the blue room.
The Haunting of Hill House #1-33
Summary: The beginning of the book talks about Hill House and how it isn't a very delightful place and its been at the hill for 80 years. Then we are introduced to Dr. Montague who is a doctor of philosophy and has a degree in anthropology. he invited some people to Hill House for him to observe everything thats been going on at Hill House through the stories he's heard. The we meet the characters Eleanor Vance who had a hard life from her, her sister and her mother losing their home. Theodora who was a very down to earth and very enthusiastic person who wore soft colors and Dr. Montague was impressed by her so he invited her. And Luke Sanderson whose aunt was the owner of Hill House and he was the next heir to the house itself. Then when Elanor gets to the house she meets the caretaker Mrs. Dudley but then Eleanor is afraid to even step into the house.
Quote: "NO LIVE organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality" (Jackson 3)
Reaction: This is one of those quotes that blows your mind because its the first sentence of the book, it made me stop for a bit and reread it and got me hooked on the book. Because it says that no living thing can live a sane life without having something that they can question to be real or not a.k.a ghosts.
Note: (I understand that these posts are very late, I had gotten the book the day of and i had to catch up on the reading)
Quote: "NO LIVE organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality" (Jackson 3)
Reaction: This is one of those quotes that blows your mind because its the first sentence of the book, it made me stop for a bit and reread it and got me hooked on the book. Because it says that no living thing can live a sane life without having something that they can question to be real or not a.k.a ghosts.
Note: (I understand that these posts are very late, I had gotten the book the day of and i had to catch up on the reading)
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Rule of the Bone #141-175
Summary: Now Bone is riding with the guy and he tells him to hide the money since hes running a show and doesn't want to give the people the money beforehand especially since they were black. Then as their there the group gets into it with the guy and ask for the money and as that happens bone tries to escape with froggy but froggy doesn't seem like she wants to go. Then the Adirondack Iron, or whats left of them, fight the group now and bone convinces froggy to go and they finally head out. Now they head back to the school bus that Russ showed bone last time and to their surprise there was a new guy there who was Jamaican and his name was I-man. He gets to know him and his story and how he to to the bus and what he wants to do: I-man was a farmer worker and since he was a Rasta he didn't like anything unnatural so he left and he now wants to make it back to Jamaica without the government catching him since he has no documents. Then they all live together and Froggy opens up more and tells bone her mom's name and he wants to call her and let her know she has her daughter. After he calls her, her mother thinks its a joke then its serious and she finalizes to bring her home and bone does that and promises to buy her a ticket home.
Quote: "every honest man was an outlaw" (Banks 156)
Reaction: This quote is a very powerful quote given by I-man on the bus while bone and him were talking about slavery. what i take from this quote is that every person who stood up for what they believed in were criminals in society back then in racist and slavery times.
Quote: "every honest man was an outlaw" (Banks 156)
Reaction: This quote is a very powerful quote given by I-man on the bus while bone and him were talking about slavery. what i take from this quote is that every person who stood up for what they believed in were criminals in society back then in racist and slavery times.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Rule of the Bone #109-140
Summary: After Russ and Chappie got their tattoos and changed their names they looked for a place to stay. Russ had an uncle who owns a house that they never stay at but check up on from time to time. They sneak into the house and stay there for a little bit and live off of everything they had at the house. They ate spaghetti daily and never washed any dishes and never cleaned up, didn't have much to do but watch TV and some board games. One day they found Joints in the house and split it up since they felt they needed some but Chappie, or bone, found a gun and didn't tell Russ about it also. After a while they started arguing with each other and not seeing each other and then Russ decides to leave. He decides to go back to his aunts house, and when he tells Bone about this he's hurt and cries a little. After Russ leaves Bone takes on his new identity by cutting his mohawk and taking off his earring and nose ring and he is comfortable with it and accepts it. Then he decides to go to Albany so he starts to hitch hike but the driver that picks him up was the same guy he met at the mall that he ran away from. Instead of going to Albany now he's going to Plattsburgh with him, and throughout the ride he keeps it cool and doesn't do anything that will push the guy.
Quote:"I took out my nose ring for the first time in a year and my earrings too and laid them on the counter. for a second it felt funny like I was going to sneeze but then it felt more normal than ever." (Banks 130)
Reaction: This is a very powerful quote after Chappie, who changed his name to bone, now is by himself after Russ abandoned him and left. He goes to the bathroom of Russ' uncles' house and makes a new identity of himself by taking off his earrings and nose ring and cutting off his mohawk and this all felt normal to him, which really meant that he's a new person now.
Quote:"I took out my nose ring for the first time in a year and my earrings too and laid them on the counter. for a second it felt funny like I was going to sneeze but then it felt more normal than ever." (Banks 130)
Reaction: This is a very powerful quote after Chappie, who changed his name to bone, now is by himself after Russ abandoned him and left. He goes to the bathroom of Russ' uncles' house and makes a new identity of himself by taking off his earrings and nose ring and cutting off his mohawk and this all felt normal to him, which really meant that he's a new person now.
Rule of the Bone #109-140
Summary: After Russ and Chappie got their tattoos and changed their names they looked for a place to stay. Russ had an uncle who owns a house that they never stay at but check up on from time to time. They sneak into the house and stay there for a little bit and live off of everything they had at the house. They ate spaghetti daily and never washed any dishes and never cleaned up, didn't have much to do but watch TV and some board games. One day they found Joints in the house and split it up since they felt they needed some but Chappie, or bone, found a gun and didn't tell Russ about it also. After a while they started arguing with each other and not seeing each other and then Russ decides to leave. He decides to go back to his aunts house, and when he tells Bone about this he's hurt and cries a little. After Russ leaves Bone takes on his new identity by cutting his mohawk and taking off his earring and nose ring and he is comfortable with it and accepts it. Then he decides to go to Albany so he starts to hitch hike but the driver that picks him up was the same guy he met at the mall that he ran away from. Instead of going to Albany now he's going to Plattsburgh with him, and throughout the ride he keeps it cool and doesn't do anything that will push the guy.
Quote:"I took out my nose ring for the first time in a year and my earrings too and laid them on the counter. for a second it felt funny like I was going to sneeze but then it felt more normal than ever." (Banks 130)
Reaction: This is a very powerful quote after Chappie, who changed his name to bone, now is by himself after Russ abandoned him and left. He goes to the bathroom of Russ' uncles' house and makes a new identity of himself by taking off his earrings and nose ring and cutting off his mohawk and this all felt normal to him, which really meant that he's a new person now.
Quote:"I took out my nose ring for the first time in a year and my earrings too and laid them on the counter. for a second it felt funny like I was going to sneeze but then it felt more normal than ever." (Banks 130)
Reaction: This is a very powerful quote after Chappie, who changed his name to bone, now is by himself after Russ abandoned him and left. He goes to the bathroom of Russ' uncles' house and makes a new identity of himself by taking off his earrings and nose ring and cutting off his mohawk and this all felt normal to him, which really meant that he's a new person now.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Rule of the Bone #66-108
Summary: In these pages Russ comes up with the idea of stealing the stolen VCR's and computers from the bikers and make a profit from it with Chappie but he denies the offer and Russ does it on his own. At first Russ was successful but when he was out one day Bruce (leader of the bikers) noticed that some were missing. Chappie didn't tell him that Russ did it but he did tell him that he didn't do it. Then he tied him up and locked him up in Russ' room and plotted what they were going to do next, after a while of banging his head on the window to get people's attention he gave up but started again when he saw Russ pull up and Russ came in to his surprise through the porch and in the window. Then the curtains caught fire and they fled quickly and after a while the flame grew throughout the whole house. After watching the flame they fled and stole a volunteer firemen's truck and planned to crash at this junkyard where there was this bus where they stayed with these brothers who dropped out of college named James and Richard who owned the bus. They sold the truck they stole to the brothers and decided to get a new tattoos and a cover art for Russ. Then they changes their names and identity, Russ changed it to Buck and due to Chappie's skull and bones tattoo he changed his name to Bone.
Quote: "They had hoses snaked all over the place and were shooting hard heavy streams of water into the fire but it was like the fire was alive and the water was its food that only made it grow larger and hungry for more" (Banks 82)
Reaction: This quote was explaining the moment when the house Russ and Chappie was living in with the bikers caught on fire and they had escaped and were watching from another yard. This is a STRONG quote that catches the imagery of the roaring fire and the firemen's efforts to put it out. "but it was like the fire was alive and the water was its food" this quote uses personification to show the imagery of the fire feeding off of the water being used to put it out and it continuing to grow and burn.
Quote: "They had hoses snaked all over the place and were shooting hard heavy streams of water into the fire but it was like the fire was alive and the water was its food that only made it grow larger and hungry for more" (Banks 82)
Reaction: This quote was explaining the moment when the house Russ and Chappie was living in with the bikers caught on fire and they had escaped and were watching from another yard. This is a STRONG quote that catches the imagery of the roaring fire and the firemen's efforts to put it out. "but it was like the fire was alive and the water was its food" this quote uses personification to show the imagery of the fire feeding off of the water being used to put it out and it continuing to grow and burn.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Rule of the Bone #43-66
Summary: Now that Chappie is permanently living with Russ and the Biker gang, Adirondack Iron, he is now a part of the them and as Bruce calls it they are "fam-i-ly"(Banks 43). While in the apartment with them he sees and goes through hell and experiences some crazy stuff. For example there is one biker that threatened to cut his Mohawk and there is a weird way to stop him which was to pull his collar real hard. Then they were all about to get evicted because of the biker gang's ruckus and Russ' lack of keeping up with the video store but with Russ' negotiation they got to stay. Now the Biker gangs are starting to steal appliances and sell them for a lot of money to some friends in NY. Russ is trying to rush into the deal with them but it failed and was about to get beat up by Bruce and Chappie comes in and saves him before it happens.
Quote: "in winter the snow keeps reality like clean and covered in white but in spring you see everything too much for what it is" (Banks 50)
Reflection: Chappie, the main character explains why he doesn't like the winter, mostly because he feels as though the winter hides everything especially reality and when winter is gone and the snow is gone you get to see the ugly and dirty truth thats been lying underneath all the snow.
Quote: "in winter the snow keeps reality like clean and covered in white but in spring you see everything too much for what it is" (Banks 50)
Reflection: Chappie, the main character explains why he doesn't like the winter, mostly because he feels as though the winter hides everything especially reality and when winter is gone and the snow is gone you get to see the ugly and dirty truth thats been lying underneath all the snow.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Rule of the Bone #1-42
Summary:
In the first 42 pages it starts out right into Chappie's life and a little bit of his background information up to the point in his life that he's talking about. He is living in a trailer with his mother and stepfather and he basically lives a horrible life with them. His biological father is gone, he left him and his mother on their own. Chappie doesn't seem like the type that wants to be anything in life so he takes everything day by day. He's failing in school, matter of fact he's 16 in the 8th grade, he's basically addicted to weed, and he doesn't necessarily have a good relationship with his parents. His parents caught him when they suspected him of stealing old and valuable coins, which were his grandmother's, for weed and they kicked him out the house. Then he started smoking weed even more and actually dealing some to get money and he lived at his friend Russ' apartment. Only time he returned home was for Christmas and he brought gifts for his mother and stepfather, but then got kicked out again for robbing a Victoria Secrets store. Now he gets into this whole adventure stalking this guy who has this girl who he thinks seems to be held hostage but he mistaken s it. He then robs the guy of 20 dollars after he tells him that he demands 20 dollars for a screen test and runs off with the money he made.
Quote:
"I'm peaking out at a million RPMs and my heart is hammering in my chest and my hands are all sweaty." (Banks 29)
This quote talks about when he almost gets caught after he's playing detective and following this guy with this little depressed looking girl around in the mall.
Reflection:
These pages I read were a very good way to put me right into his situation, almost like putting a picture straight into your face, to get to know the character fast as possible. Also it already explains his hardships he's had and its been a lot of them. This really lets you know this kid has a HARD knock life.
In the first 42 pages it starts out right into Chappie's life and a little bit of his background information up to the point in his life that he's talking about. He is living in a trailer with his mother and stepfather and he basically lives a horrible life with them. His biological father is gone, he left him and his mother on their own. Chappie doesn't seem like the type that wants to be anything in life so he takes everything day by day. He's failing in school, matter of fact he's 16 in the 8th grade, he's basically addicted to weed, and he doesn't necessarily have a good relationship with his parents. His parents caught him when they suspected him of stealing old and valuable coins, which were his grandmother's, for weed and they kicked him out the house. Then he started smoking weed even more and actually dealing some to get money and he lived at his friend Russ' apartment. Only time he returned home was for Christmas and he brought gifts for his mother and stepfather, but then got kicked out again for robbing a Victoria Secrets store. Now he gets into this whole adventure stalking this guy who has this girl who he thinks seems to be held hostage but he mistaken s it. He then robs the guy of 20 dollars after he tells him that he demands 20 dollars for a screen test and runs off with the money he made.
Quote:
"I'm peaking out at a million RPMs and my heart is hammering in my chest and my hands are all sweaty." (Banks 29)
This quote talks about when he almost gets caught after he's playing detective and following this guy with this little depressed looking girl around in the mall.
Reflection:
These pages I read were a very good way to put me right into his situation, almost like putting a picture straight into your face, to get to know the character fast as possible. Also it already explains his hardships he's had and its been a lot of them. This really lets you know this kid has a HARD knock life.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Beneath The Surface #109-144
Summary:
Phelps is now a pro and is attending many many races and also is getting paid for winning, breaking records and for sponsorship money. Theres many records he breaks at such a young age and so many meets that he goes to. Then Micheal talks about what he defines as a "hero," he states that a hero doesn't have to be family, someone important, but has to be someone thats inspirational and can get the best of you. He gives 3 stories about people who I think he believes are heroes. One was a swimmer, Stevie, who works extremely hard but each time he has been diagnosed with tumors; first in his brain and in his spine which is very tragic. The other one was a man named Jim who was a very healthy guy, he even ran the whole Boston marathon, but he died from a heart attack and Micheal comforted his wife to help her get through it. The next one was his mom and for everything she has done for him he went out and bought her a Mercedes Benz ML320 for Christmas which was a wonderful gift. Then he talks about his experience in Australia having clinics down there and getting some training done down there. As he becomes more and more famous he gets into more media attention, for example there was one time when an Australian reporter put words in his mouth saying that he claimed he was a better swimmer than another Australian swimmer(which in my opinion he was).Now hes in the World Championships and not only is he breaking many records but he broke one in a matter of 5 minutes. Also for each record he broke he got a dog and he had 5 broken records.
Quote:
"say what you want about makes a hero, but i can't think of a bigger one than Stevie" (Phelps 118)
This quote states that even though Stewie has many problems and isn't a big star or isn't well known, he is still a hero to him no matter what.
Reflection:
My thoughts on these pages were they were full with emotions and it had a good mix of different feelings. It went from him being happy and competitive during races, meets and practices to serious and down talking about what it means to be a hero to him and who are examples of heroes. Then it gets to more of an informational voice where he is talking about what he's learned but i took it in as him not only sharing his knowledge but giving us what he's learned for us to use.
Beneath The Surface #82-108
Summary:
Micheal Phelps is now in the USA Olympic team so he is in the spotlight and he is doing things he wouldn't be normally be doing racing for his club team. He's been going state to state for swim meets and even country to country for swim meets as well. He's also been swimming to people that were a lot better than him so thats also been a new experience for him. Also Micheal Phelps shares his thoughts and what he remembers about 9/11, which was a tragic incident especially since he lived in Baltimore which was very close to the Pentagon. Then Micheal Phelps talks about the time he actually went pro as a swimmer. One of the first things he had to do was find and agent which took a while but he managed to find one that represents a lot of Olympic swimmers down in Virginia. They got to meet with him and Micheal got to get interviewed and he got himself an agent.
Quote:
"..Counting the number of unbelievables in an interview. Once I learned about not saying it, I started to relax, take my time with my answers and say what i was actually thinking. Believe it." (Phelps 107)
This quote talks about Micheal Phelps getting interviewing lessons and they set a restraint for him using the word "unbelievable" and at the end of the sentence he jokes around and adds a "believe it" which made me laugh a little.
Reflection:
My thoughts on these pages were that it seemed like Micheal Phelps was growing more into a devoted swimmer not only for him but for everyone else. He says in the book that he swims so he can change the sport and wants people involved with it. Thats real strong for a 16 year old swimmer to say which was great. And also he explains some of the difficulties of being a professional.
Micheal Phelps is now in the USA Olympic team so he is in the spotlight and he is doing things he wouldn't be normally be doing racing for his club team. He's been going state to state for swim meets and even country to country for swim meets as well. He's also been swimming to people that were a lot better than him so thats also been a new experience for him. Also Micheal Phelps shares his thoughts and what he remembers about 9/11, which was a tragic incident especially since he lived in Baltimore which was very close to the Pentagon. Then Micheal Phelps talks about the time he actually went pro as a swimmer. One of the first things he had to do was find and agent which took a while but he managed to find one that represents a lot of Olympic swimmers down in Virginia. They got to meet with him and Micheal got to get interviewed and he got himself an agent.
Quote:
"..Counting the number of unbelievables in an interview. Once I learned about not saying it, I started to relax, take my time with my answers and say what i was actually thinking. Believe it." (Phelps 107)
This quote talks about Micheal Phelps getting interviewing lessons and they set a restraint for him using the word "unbelievable" and at the end of the sentence he jokes around and adds a "believe it" which made me laugh a little.
Reflection:
My thoughts on these pages were that it seemed like Micheal Phelps was growing more into a devoted swimmer not only for him but for everyone else. He says in the book that he swims so he can change the sport and wants people involved with it. Thats real strong for a 16 year old swimmer to say which was great. And also he explains some of the difficulties of being a professional.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Beneath the surface #65-81
Summary:
These few pages talks about Micheal Phelps and his preparation for the Olympics. He receives talks from his coaches, officials, and his mother about whats expected of him at the Olympics. His coach comes up with a packet of Do's and Don'ts before and for the actual Olympics. Micheal Phelps also talks about the athlete drug tests and how officials can demand a test at any random time or else they would be violating the rules. Then he shares his experience in the preliminary swim meet for the Olympics and how excited he was when he heard he made the cut. After making the cut he raised his best Olympic time but didn't win a medal that year. Micheal Phelps was doing all of this by the age of 14! and he was the youngest to qualify for the Olympics since 1932
Quote:
"the aortic route is clear and my heart is in good shape-as long as my Baltimore Ravens are winning" (Phelps 66).
I love this quote because it shows that the narrator(Micheal Phelps) has a good sense of humor. The end of this quote was so unexpected and so funny that it picked up my interest in the book.
Reflection:
For the pages I have read it tells me a lot about how much of a dedicated swimmer Micheal Phelps is and how dedicated people are to him. Also its a lot of work to be a very well known athlete with the many things you have to do, can't do, where you have to be and etc. I've also noticed and enjoyed Micheal Phelps' sense of humor in the book, to the quote I explained to another quote that he talks about getting hooked to and using it a lot then ending up using it.
These few pages talks about Micheal Phelps and his preparation for the Olympics. He receives talks from his coaches, officials, and his mother about whats expected of him at the Olympics. His coach comes up with a packet of Do's and Don'ts before and for the actual Olympics. Micheal Phelps also talks about the athlete drug tests and how officials can demand a test at any random time or else they would be violating the rules. Then he shares his experience in the preliminary swim meet for the Olympics and how excited he was when he heard he made the cut. After making the cut he raised his best Olympic time but didn't win a medal that year. Micheal Phelps was doing all of this by the age of 14! and he was the youngest to qualify for the Olympics since 1932
Quote:
"the aortic route is clear and my heart is in good shape-as long as my Baltimore Ravens are winning" (Phelps 66).
I love this quote because it shows that the narrator(Micheal Phelps) has a good sense of humor. The end of this quote was so unexpected and so funny that it picked up my interest in the book.
Reflection:
For the pages I have read it tells me a lot about how much of a dedicated swimmer Micheal Phelps is and how dedicated people are to him. Also its a lot of work to be a very well known athlete with the many things you have to do, can't do, where you have to be and etc. I've also noticed and enjoyed Micheal Phelps' sense of humor in the book, to the quote I explained to another quote that he talks about getting hooked to and using it a lot then ending up using it.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Beneath the surface #43-64
Summary:
In these 20 pages Micheal Phelps talks about how he learned to be good to his fans through experience at a young age and also how he got close to his father through him working at the club. Also with that he talks about his relationships when he was in middle school. He had a girlfriend when he was in the 7th grade and she was in the 9th grade and had to split, he had said that was a rite of passage and made him feel different especially after his first kiss.Then he learns that excuses don't work at all as you grow when his coach, Bob, made him get his suit and practice on a resting day. Also his coach finds out that he will be making it into the 2000 Olympic team.
Quote:
"If dad could introduce me to fishing, I could coax him into playing video games" (Phelps, 45)
I like this quote because it really shows the father son bond between them, even though their parents are split up they can keep their bond. Also it shows how that bond can work both ways for the son and the father.
Reflection:
In these couple of pages so far the most that has caught my eye is how dedicated his father, and coach is to him. He spends a lot time with his father, which is very important, at the pool club and quality time. His coach, Bob, spends a lot of time making sure to better him as a swimmer and always pushing him no matter his age or excuse.
In these 20 pages Micheal Phelps talks about how he learned to be good to his fans through experience at a young age and also how he got close to his father through him working at the club. Also with that he talks about his relationships when he was in middle school. He had a girlfriend when he was in the 7th grade and she was in the 9th grade and had to split, he had said that was a rite of passage and made him feel different especially after his first kiss.Then he learns that excuses don't work at all as you grow when his coach, Bob, made him get his suit and practice on a resting day. Also his coach finds out that he will be making it into the 2000 Olympic team.
Quote:
"If dad could introduce me to fishing, I could coax him into playing video games" (Phelps, 45)
I like this quote because it really shows the father son bond between them, even though their parents are split up they can keep their bond. Also it shows how that bond can work both ways for the son and the father.
Reflection:
In these couple of pages so far the most that has caught my eye is how dedicated his father, and coach is to him. He spends a lot time with his father, which is very important, at the pool club and quality time. His coach, Bob, spends a lot of time making sure to better him as a swimmer and always pushing him no matter his age or excuse.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Beneath the surface #1-42
Summary:
The following pages, 1-42, is about Micheal Phelps reminiscing on his past and his childhood before becoming a legendary swimmer. In the book so far he goes through his life from when he was a little kid in the first grade to when he is now talking about his sister and what she struggled through. Micheal didn't really like the water at all, when he was put to swimming lessons he kind of grew into it and became a natural due to his hard working ability and high energy level. He grew up idolizing his sisters first who got a head start in swimming before he did at a sports club in Baltimore. Micheal also talks about how hardships in the family that he didn't understand back then and he does now, for example when his sister suffered from an eating disorder and when his parents got a divorce. Now his sister is recovering and the family is recuperating and he doesn't understand it as a child but looks back and understands it now.
Quote:
"I'm glad he doesn't coach my group. .... At the same time, the coach walked away, mumbling to himself 'thank goodness, I will never have to coach that kid.' We were both wrong."(Phelps 26)
I like this quote because it shows a clear foreshadow which is funny and give away the irony since there was a new coach and they already got on each other's bad side. Then when you flip the page you find out that they are both going to be working with each other which is ironic. I found this pretty funny.
Reflection:
The thing I like most about this novel is that it has many flashbacks and seems to be going in chronological order. The author starts of in the Olympics but then he goes into his childhood and his growth in life and family but also his growth in swimming. Another thing that really interested me was that the author talks to the reader and shares his thoughts, share his flashbacks, relates to his flash backs and also comment on certain situations. Almost as if he's sitting next to you, conversing with you and telling you his story.
The following pages, 1-42, is about Micheal Phelps reminiscing on his past and his childhood before becoming a legendary swimmer. In the book so far he goes through his life from when he was a little kid in the first grade to when he is now talking about his sister and what she struggled through. Micheal didn't really like the water at all, when he was put to swimming lessons he kind of grew into it and became a natural due to his hard working ability and high energy level. He grew up idolizing his sisters first who got a head start in swimming before he did at a sports club in Baltimore. Micheal also talks about how hardships in the family that he didn't understand back then and he does now, for example when his sister suffered from an eating disorder and when his parents got a divorce. Now his sister is recovering and the family is recuperating and he doesn't understand it as a child but looks back and understands it now.
Quote:
"I'm glad he doesn't coach my group. .... At the same time, the coach walked away, mumbling to himself 'thank goodness, I will never have to coach that kid.' We were both wrong."(Phelps 26)
I like this quote because it shows a clear foreshadow which is funny and give away the irony since there was a new coach and they already got on each other's bad side. Then when you flip the page you find out that they are both going to be working with each other which is ironic. I found this pretty funny.
Reflection:
The thing I like most about this novel is that it has many flashbacks and seems to be going in chronological order. The author starts of in the Olympics but then he goes into his childhood and his growth in life and family but also his growth in swimming. Another thing that really interested me was that the author talks to the reader and shares his thoughts, share his flashbacks, relates to his flash backs and also comment on certain situations. Almost as if he's sitting next to you, conversing with you and telling you his story.
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