Ind. Reading MP4 #2

Prompt 1:
In the most recent part of my novel, Paige found out she was pregnant. Nicholas, her husband, is welcoming of the news and incredibly excited to tackle this new step of their life together. Paige, on the other hand, is terrified and doesn't want a baby at all. Nicholas reacts in such a positive and different manner for two reasons. Firstly, he was raised under normal circumstances with loving parents in a nurturing environment. Secondly, he doesn't know all the secrets about Paige's past that are making her so scared of this new obstacle. Paige, on the other hand, describes her fear, "I was scared about not knowing how to hold an infant. I was scared that I might not love my own child. More than anything, I was scared that I was doomed before I began, that the cycle my mother had started was hereditary and that one day I would just pack up and disappear off the face of the earth" (105). It will be interesting to see how this baby helps tear their marriage apart.

Amir's Atonement

Amir has made plenty of mistakes in the first eleven chapters of Kite Runner. His biggest sin was definitely being silent during Hassan's rape. We can tell that this event haunts him for the rest of his life, as he recalls, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975... That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking in that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years" (1). This is where the lies commence and how the web for the rest of the story begins to spin. He frames Hassan for stealing his watch and money. He can never fulfill his father's expectations. The list goes on and on. Amir explains his wrongdoings with, "I ran because I was a coward... That's what I made myself believe. I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba" (77). I believe that in order to reach atonement, he needs to stop running. He needs to face up to his sins, apologize, and move forward with his life.

Atonement means making of amends or reconciliation; exemplified in the novel and movie of the same name, originally written by Ian McEwan. I believe that atonement for past sins and mistakes is possible. Everybody, by shear nature of being human, makes mistakes. Most of the time, it is not the mistake itself but what we do about it that defines who we are. If we each can capitalize on any mistake we make, turn the situation around, and make anew, then, yes, certainly atonement can be achieved. But if we all hold grudges for all of eternity, then it will become quite difficult to reach that point of forgiveness.

Ind. Reading MP4

For the fourth marking period I will be reading Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult. I am an avid Picoult fan and was very excited to pick this book. I am 106 pages in so far, and as always, it is spectacular. I have been introduced to the main characters, Paige and Nicholas. Paige ran away from home right after graduating high school and has fallen in love with a medical student at Harvard, Nicholas. They got married less than a year after they met, and at this point, Paige has just found out that she is pregnant. She is terrified of becoming a mom because her mother left her when she was five, and she doesn't want to turn out the same way. There are many secrets about Paige's life that have not yet been revealed. Furthermore, the book opened with a scene that is a good deal into the future from where the story begins in Part 1. In the coming chapters, Picoult will continue to fill in the missing details and explain how Paige got to the point she was in the Prologue. I look forward to finding out more.

Scramble Story- "The Alien that Wouldn’t Die"

I’ll never forget that night, no matter how hard I try. It was terrible. I can still remember every detail, every smell, every sight of the night I came home and found my mother crying and my father gone. I was so afraid that as soon as I came into the door, I almost walked right back out. When she told me he had been vaporized by a renegade alien passing through our galaxy, I could hardly believe her.
“MOM!!! WHAT HAPPENED????” I shrieked.
“Oh, John,” my mother looked at me with fear in her widened eyes, “this world is coming to an end! We are being taken over by aliens!” I decided that the death of my father had driven my mother crazy and she must be taken to a mental institution. I kept seeing different sides of my mom. This attack had made her go mad; she was foaming at the mouth and that is when I realized something… she was one of the aliens. I had to escape my home before it was to late! As I began to run away, she stuck her tongue out and it appeared to be 10 ft long and coming after me. I did a quick sidestep-triple sow cow and maneuvered myself so the foyer was between me and the beast.
“What the heck am I suppose to do now?” I thought to myself as I quickly wiped the dripping sweat off my face. Magically, a glittering brilliant sword appeared right under the silk pillow on the coach next to me. I ignored the sword and reached for the shotgun above fireplace. I got it down and readied to blast that alien scum into pieces, but when I went the pull the trigger nothing happened…it was empty, “Oh $%#@,” I muttered to myself.

Recipe for Afghanistan

5 tablespoons revolution
4 liters bloodshed from wars of hate
3 ounces unjust treatment of women
2 cups unwanted American soldiers
1 teaspoon instability

Mix revolution and instability in separate bowl. Add unwanted American soldiers and bloodshed to create more upheaval. Top with unjust treatment of women and bake in oven at 262 degrees for 34 minutes. Enjoy the chaos you have just created.

Spring Break Adventures

This spring break was incredibly relaxing, but not that exciting. Lacrosse has a way of taking over my life when I really don't want it to. We had a power clinic on Sunday, but I thankfully got to miss it for a reception for Boston University's accepted students. Monday, we were supposed to play Hatboro, but the game got rescheduled, and we had to document an incredibly impossible workout in its place. Tuesday we had a "team-bonding" experience followed by practice, all of which totaled to a magnificent five hours spent with the lacrosse team. Wednesday, we finally got our chance to play Hatboro-Horsham, a notoriously aggressive and talented team that we barely beat last year in the final moments of the game. Wissahickon has never had a good relationship with the team, and so we were out to conquer despite the early start time. Against all odds, a few starters on vacation and clearly not enough subs, we completely dominated the entire game. With flawless connections, nearly every draw control and ground ball, and fantastic shots on cage, we defeated Hatboro an astonishing 16-6. This was most definitely the highlight of my spring break.

A Happy Ending & A Touching Story (Prompt 5, Chapter 233)

In this final chapter of the novel, Christopher ends with, "And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything" (221). This happy ending makes me incredibly proud of Christopher. He faced so many obstacles and uncomfortable situations and faced them all with courage and strength. He is very correct in saying that by accomplishing all of this, he can then in fact do anything.
I found the entire book to be quite touching. It is a moving story of how one boy can face seemingly simple situations and conquer them in his most unique manner. The culmination of the novel brought home Mark Haddon's purpose in showing the nature of autism in a light that makes the world understand why these children live the way they do.