Spencer

[]

Pop-pop Pop-pop who has green candies and asks who wants some who is dinner and butter who is glasses and soda whose grey and white hair is growing back is struggling to get down the stairs who used to have an inviting pool who always went swimming whose worn out eyes rest behind glasses who can’t go to the kids to play works in his woodshop all day whose laugh gives way is sick is taking medicine so he’s a brick is waiting is no more skating is going to bed is butter and bread is hugs and humor who is a heavy sleeper has green candies asking who wants some is all family and comedy

Theme 5

Imagine the anticipation of waiting to walk across that stage, with the sight of a massive black blob flashing explosions of light. Through excited eyes you can see all of the students you have spent the last 3 years with, and the memories that come with them. From the first day of 6th grade, when the year was about getting to know people, to the time in 8th grade when there were still required classes. Lights are shining so that the stage is lit up with lights bright enough to blind a man. Up on the stage are teachers from your 8th grade year, with a table full of certificates, which gets lower and lower like a plate of cookies. Readily awaiting your turn, you can see the excitement and nervousness in all the other kids’ faces. Coming from the crowd are sounds of proud parents and wiggling siblings that don’t want to be there. Claps can be heard up until the names are being called. There are whispering voices coming from the student section about what it was like for them. Now it is time. The walk begins and thoughts race through your head. Don’t trip, don’t fall, don’t stumble, and don't do something stupid. One step, two steps, here comes the third- thoughts of looking out into the crowd wave around in your head as you count your steps. Teachers are getting closer as you walk towards them. A certificate is being picked up and placed in the hands of the teacher. The clapping seems to escalate the closer you get. You see smiles and feel thousands of eyes on you. At the arrival you are handed a certificate and shake hands with the teacher. You remember being told to be sure to shake with your right hand. Thoughts of showing an extreme form of emotion such as jumping or screaming run through your head, but quickly disperse. There is a feeling of happiness and bliss that stays with you until you start onto the other half of the stage. It had slowly began and seemed to drag on with the anticipation for the upcoming happenings, but as slowly as it had begun the end was so soon and quick after. The certificate is given, and feelings of accomplishment run through you like fish in the sea. You begin your walk back to the seat. Seeing the student council as you are walking back puts thoughts in your mind such as when are they getting their certificate? Your moment has passed and what seemed like hours was no more than a few minutes. All the feelings and emotions start to dim down when done. Going down the other side of the stage is nothing like going up. No counting steps, no more spotlights, and no more waiting. Walking back you can exchange a few glances and high fives but it’s over and now there are others mome nts to experience from your seat in the audience.

Voicethread Project:

http://voicethread.com/share/998667/ (for this link you have to copy and paste it into the url bar.)

Intro.) For my project I read The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail and parts of the book Walden.

1.) Bibliographical info., cultural, or historical info. about the author. (3 facts min.) :

Henry Thoreau lived and died in Concord Massachusetts. Born in 1817 he lived a full life and at one point in his life he was offered some land by Emerson, a great writer of the time. Thoreau lived there for 2 years in an experiment for living on his own with just his thoughts. This led to one of his most famous books he wrote, called Walden. He also wrote a couple essays and a few books but most of them never got published.

2.) Choose one from the list:

"Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion." (Thoreau 12) I would agree with this quote because it's very true. What you think is going to go farther than what people want you to think. For example, when someone tells you what to do there is an instant, or longer, that you don't want to do it. This is your opinion and you will believe this more then what people tell you at first or what a majority tells you.

"We are made to exaggerate the importance of what work we do;" (Thoreau 14) I would agree with this also because its true. When we do good work or accomplish something we are made to think very highly of that. For instance, when you win in a sport you don't just win the game you get a trophy and sometimes a party. These things are just added things to remember the thing we did and its exaggerating the importance of what was done.

2.) Physical description of main character:

Henry was a man that lived an easy life and thought a lot about it. He had an opinion about everything and hows things went in the world. He always had a problem with what the government was doing and the wars in the world. Also he liked to share his thoughts to others and make them try to see it in his point of view.

3.) Description of setting:

In the book The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Henry was in a jail sell with one other bunk mate telling him stories about his life. In the book Walden he lived in a wooden shack by a pond in Massachusetts. He lived by himself and didn't go anywhere else but on his farm.

4.) One thing from "read like a professor.":

(Don't read through your eyes. 25) I think seeing things through Henry's eyes would be hard to do because his mind goes everywhere. He thinks in random outbursts and his thought train went anyway. When he starts to talk its easy to understand what hes saying but looking through his eyes would be difficult to do.

5.) Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a philosophical book. Either one of the books are good but Walden is hard to read because of the detailed description of everything and The Night thoureau spent in jail is hard to read because its a play and its sometimes hard to understand whats going on.


 * [[image:file:///Users/13spquinn/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg]][[image:file:///Users/13spquinn/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-1.jpg]][[image:file:///Users/13spquinn/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-2.jpg]][[image:file:///Users/13spquinn/Desktop/confucius.jpg]][[image:http://www.wwu.edu/depts/skywise/cosmo/confucius.jpg]]||  ||   ||
 * Confucius the famous Chinese philosopher. He believed in leaders using peace and example to rule a nation. ||  ||
 * Confucius the famous Chinese philosopher. He believed in leaders using peace and example to rule a nation. ||  ||


 * [[image:http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pNGJ8AbXyV_JaS9Bnm6-PvOb5HyoEZkId0sabu24OXRgG_dpXn0f7AMwzdFoXqYVtzRpwKoxiaHQ]] ||
 * Confucianism is a teaching that turned into a religion. It was Confucius' beliefs that people enjoyed and followed. ||  ||


 * [[image:http://images7.cafepress.com/product/57703807v1_225x225_Front.jpg]] ||
 * Confucius had lots of quotes that inspired many and are still used today. ||  ||