Monday, May 25, 2009

The Great Gatsby Book Review....A Classic

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is an interesting novel. I did not enjoy reading the book very much, but it was not too bad.

The Great Gatsby is not the easiest read ever. I had some trouble trying to distinguish what was happening at given times. The story is kind of hard to follow along with. It goes from one place and time to another with just the changing of a paragraph.

The story is told through the eyes of Nick Caraway. He explains what is going on and how he feels about what is going on. Nick's character acts just like people from the real world. He stands up for his friends when he knows they did nothing wrong. Nick has mixed feelings about some of the characters. Sometimes he feels as if he loves them, and then at other times he can not even stand to be them.

Jay Gatsby is a well to do man. He throws huge parties that hundreds of people come to. Gatsby is a very considerate man with great manners. He is not mean to anyone and keeps his cool in times of crisis. Gatsby was not always a rich man. He grew up poor, but he knew there was something out in the world for him. He joined the army, and when his time was up he was given a job. Gatsby does not use his real name. He was born with the name Jimmy Gatz, but he changed it after his time in the army. Gatsby is in love but he does not know how to get the attention of the woman he admires.

The setting of the novel is set in the 1920s on Long Island and the surrounding areas.

Gatsby earned most of his money from organized crimes. He used the money to buy a great mansion and many expensive clothes. Gatsby was not the only one who did this though. Most of the characters with fancy homes and clothing were also ones who committed crimes. Many people wanted money and great things for themselves, and so they would do just about anything to get it. The people wanted to live in comfort with no worries of money.

The Great Gatsby was definitely not one of my top 10 favorite books. I enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby very little. Just because I did not like the novel does not mean you would not, so I encourage you to read The Great Gatsby if you truly wish to.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Of Mice and Men Book Review

John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men was an interesting read. I found the novel a bit boring, but I still enjoyed reading it.

The main characters Lennie and George travel around together working on different farms in different towns. Lennie is not as smart as most people. He cannot ever remember many things unless he repeats them over and over in his mind. Lennie is bigger than most people, and he is very strong. Lennie has the strength of over two maybe even three men. George is not as big as Lennie, nor is he as strong. Ever since Lennie's Aunt died, George has been watching over him. George is pretty smart and takes care of all of the business negotiations. Lennie likes to pet soft things, but he winds up killing all of the animals he pets.

George and Lennie wind up sleeping in a bunk house at a ranch run by a man named Curley and his dad. Curley is an evil man. He does not like people that are bigger than him, and tries to pick fights with people to show how tough he is. Curley does not like Lennie because Lennie's size intimidates him. George and Lennie pick barley each day so that they can make some money to buy a few plots of land.

The characters in Of Mice and Men seem to be very lonely. Candy works on the ranch with George and Lennie and his only companion is an old dog. Curley's wife is also lonely. Curley does not give her enough attention, so she walks around the ranch talking to the men. Crooks is also lonely. He is the only black man on the ranch, and he has no friends. He is not even allowed to stay in the same bunk houses as the white men. George and Lennie were both lonely which resulted in their companionship. The novel illustrates how people need to have friends and people to talk to so that they do not become lonely. Every person deserves to have at least one companion to talk to.

The novel Of Mice and Men is kind of boring, but I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend the novel to just about anyone, but if you get offended easily do not read the book.

Reflection of My Sophomore Year

When my sophomore year first started, I thought that it would never come to an end. Each day drug on and on without end. I had trouble in most of my classes, and to be completely honest I did not like all of my teachers.

As the year continued on, my thoughts about being a sophomore changed. I started to enjoy some of my classes and some of my teachers. The other students in my class helped make each day more enjoyable and fun. Jokes were made everyday that resulted in the sudden outburst of the whole class. The class work became easier as the year continued. Though the class work became easier the days still continued to go on and on forever.

I may not have enjoyed my classes, but I had a great job participating in all of my club activities. I helped out the Key Club with the canned food drive and the Hog Barbecue. Along with the services in Key Club I was also elected as next year's secretary for the club. I became the Sophomore Representative in the Drama club and had a blast. When the homecoming pep rally came to town, I was a part of the Earth Club's float for the parade. I also enjoyed being a member of the Beta, Christian, and Spanish Clubs.

Softball season was my favorite part of being a sophomore. I had so much fun practicing after school each day and traveling to the ball games as well. The softball team may not have won, but we played hard in every game and made it pretty far. The new freshman on the team were really amazing. Two of them made the varsity team from day one. I loved playing softball this year, and I am going to continue playing for as long as I possibly can.

The school play Oklahoma was very fun to participate in. I did not have a major role in the play, but I had so much fun learning my part and singing and dancing. The cast of Oklahoma practiced and prepared for over three months. Mr. Williams, the director, was amazing and helped us learn our parts easily.

I also attended the homecoming dance. I had so much fun going to find my dress. When I got to the dance I talked to my friends and listened to the music. I did not dance, but I still had fun.

My sophomore year was pretty good. I found that most days were boring, and that the homework and classwork was hard, but I still had fun. I enjoyed all the activities I did this year, and I would do them again in a heartbeat.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The House on Mango Street Book Review

Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street was somewhat confusing. There was really no story line in the novel. I did not like reading The House on Mango Street. I found the book kind of boring.


An amazing thing about the novel is that Esperanza and Cisneros are both Mexican American women. They both have hardships they are battling to overcome. Cisneros and Esperanza have many qualities in common, and they show in The House on Mango Street.


The main character in the novel is Esperanza. She has lived in many different houses in her life, but she never considered any of them home. Esperanza has always dreamed of living in a beautiful house that her whole family would fit in. Instead of having her dream home though, Esperanza is stuck in a one bedroom house on Mango Street. She and her family have to share the room, and it is very crowded.


The novel does not really have a plot to it. Unlike most novels, The House on Mango Street does not tell one continuous story. Each chapter is a whole new story in itself. Esperanza tells about her name in one chapter, and in another she talks about a time when her grandfather died.


I would not recommend The House on Mango Street to anyone. I found the book uninteresting, and I did not really enjoy reading it.