When Breath Becomes Air(Round 2)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. I have read 98 pages of this book so far.

Subject

    We are learning more about what the author did at medical school and residency. We also learn that he gained a deep understanding of life and death even before he got diagnosed with cancer. He experienced deaths while working in the emergency room to save lives. He tells us about moments where he had to make decisions between the patient dying, or living a life with their body paralyzed and only eating through a tube. He strived to treat each patient with care and explain their diagnoses in terms they could understand. 

Occasion

    The author wrote this book at the time he did because he knew that he might die. He wanted to document his life and put his feelings into words because what he was going through was so profound. He went from telling his patients about their surgeries and risks of death to becoming a patient himself.

Audience

    I think the author is really trying to speak to people that are going through medical school. He urges doctors to understand what patients are going through and explain it to them thoroughly. He also is speaking to people in general about what neurosurgeons go through, and what it feels like to walk the line between life and death.

Purpose

    The book is very informative on the intricacies of what it takes to be a doctor. I am learning a lot of new medical terms. The story is also entertaining, as he fills it with funny anecdotes from his journey through college. There are also many stories about patients with brain cancer and how he treated them, so we learn a lot about neurosurgery and neuroscience.

When Breath Becomes Air [non-fiction] - Round 1

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. It is about a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with lung cancer in his final year of residency. He dies at the age of 37. I have read 43 pages of this book so far. I chose this book because my cousin recommended it to me. I also want to learn more about cancer. I think I will continue to read this book and write about it.

Subject

    This book is an autobiography. It is about a neurosurgeon named Paul Kalanithi, who is entering his first year of residency. He starts to experience back pain and weight loss. At first, he and his doctor think his symptoms are due to aging and work. However, as his symptoms get worse, he gets a scan and is diagnosed with lung cancer. Then, we flash back to his childhood and college years, during which he studied both literature and human biology. He talks about his journey through medical school and treatment for his cancer. He talks about what it means to be alive and dealing with death. 

Occasion

    The book was written in 2015 and was posthumously published in 2016. I don't think the year influenced this book because it is solely about the author and his battle with cancer. It is his personal memoir which he wrote because of his diagnosis of cancer and being faced with death during his treatment.

Audience

    I think the audience of this book would be people who want to learn more about lung cancer and read about it in length from the perspective of someone who actually had it. Also, people who are looking for inspiration in life might read this book. The audience could also just be people who want to read this book for entertainment.

Purpose

    The purpose of this book is to show people that life is short and that things can change at any moment. The author wants us to live life to the fullest and understand how precious life is. He wants to show us how it feels to have death looming over you.

Speaker

    The author is Paul Kalanithi. He originally lived in Bronxville, New York, but moved to Kingman, Arizona when he was ten. He gained a deep love of reading throughout his teenage years. He went to Stanford and studied both English literature and human biology, but found himself drawn to psychology and neuroscience. He died in 2015 at the age of 37. He has a wife named Lucy and a daughter named Elizabeth.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 5)

Book Update/Coming of Age Connection

    I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, it is about Jem and Scout being attacked after Maycomb's Halloween carnival. After the trial of Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell threatens Atticus, but ends up going after his kids that night. Arthur(Boo) Radley saves them, and the kids realize that he is actually a nice person. One characteristic of a coming of age story in this book is Scout psychologically maturing. She learns to empathize with other people. For example, when she is at Arthur Radley's house, she tries to see her actions from his point of view.

Characterization

    I would be friends with Jem Finch. He is brave and kind. He is protective of his younger sister. He believes in equality and can't stand racism and unfairness. He would impact my life because we would go on many adventures together and explore Finch's Landing.

Characterization 2

    A character who is different from Jem is Bob Ewell. He is a mean and racist man. He tries to convict an innocent man for rape, and hits his own daughter. However, it doesn't seem plausible to me that he is as lazy as described in the story. 

Setting

    I think the author did a good job with world building. It was hard to remember exactly what places were near each other, but I got the general idea of the layout of Maycomb.

Conflict 

    I think the main conflict of the book is thought provoking and interesting. I enjoyed seeing Atticus Finch stand up for what he believes and prove Mr. Ewell wrong. However, I think the conflict could be resolved better because Tom did not have to die. 

Connection

    My family friend Ashwini would like this book. She just finished studying to be a lawyer. She also really likes reading. I think she would really like Atticus and things he says to Jem and Scout.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 4)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, the book is about the trial of Tom Robinson and the racism that exists in Maycomb. One example of a coming of age characteristic is struggling with the knowledge that the adult world is complex. Because of the trial, she learns that juries can be unfair and that evil people like Bob Ewell can get away with their crimes.

Characterization

    Scout's father, Atticus, has influenced her the most. He teaches her and Jem how to respect people and treat everyone equally. He tells them, "You'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but...whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." Atticus strives to teach Scout about injustices in the world and wants her to understand right from wrong. Atticus also teaches her important lessons she will use throughout her life.He tells Scout, "You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat." Atticus clearly influences her because she doesn't try to hit anyone for saying something about her dad after that.

Characterization 2

    A character my family would hate is Bob Ewell. He lied about Tom Robinson raping his daughter, tarnishing Tom's reputation. He also beat his own daughter, which is horrible and unforgivable. He is racist towards black people. Ewell also spits on Atticus and curses at him after the trial, showing that he is an angry, malicious man.

Setting

    The time period that the story is written in is the 1930's. This is similar to our time period because people say we might go through another Great Depression, which was the big event of the 1930's. Our time period is also different from the 1930's because we don't have segregation laws anymore.

Conflict

    An internal conflict that Jem is facing is that he is angry that the jury was unfair and did not step up to save Tom Robinson. People in his town are racist and will always believe a white man over a black man. Today, the American South is still a racist part of the country. A lot of white people in the South today don't understand the impact of slavery that still makes it harder for black people to get ahead today.

Connection

    An issue raised in the book is an innocent person being punished for a crime that they did not commit. This still happens from time to time today. People are given life sentences for something they didn't do. Thankfully, now our courts treat all people the same and most people understand that no one is less of person because of their skin color. We are also reviewing cases with new DNA evidence and acquitting innocent people who are sitting in jail.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 3)

Book Update/Coming of Age Connection

    The book I am reading is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. So far, it is about the trial of Tom Robinson, who was accused by the Ewell family of raping their daughter. Aunt Alexandra has come to visit and wants Scout to act more ladylike, though Scout despises the idea. One coming of characteristic in the story is having an education outside of school. Scout learns a lot about the injustices of life through Atticus. Also, when Calpurnia takes her to her church, Scout learns how black people worship at church.

Characterization

    A character I would like to interview is Atticus Finch. 
1. How do you stay so calm when other people say bad things about you?
        I would ask him this because Atticus always seems to keep his cool when Scout complains that someone said something bad about him. Also, he doesn't seem to care that the whole town thinks he's crazy.

2. Do you think Aunt Alexandra is a good influence on Scout?
        I would ask him this because he always acts nice to her but it seems like he would rather not have her at their house.

3. What made you decide to become a lawyer?
        I would ask him this because Atticus is passionate about his job and there must have been something in his life that pushed him to study to become a lawyer.

Characterization 2

    The story might be different if Scout, the main character was a boy. Aunt Alexandra wouldn't be so obsessed with making Scout behave like a girl. Also, she wouldn't have gotten "engaged" to Dill, and their friendship might be different. The relationship between Scout and Jem would change too. They would be brothers, and that might make them closer.

Setting

    If this story took place in our present, things would be a lot different. First, there are no more segregation laws so there would be less racism in the story. Atticus defending a black man would be completely normal and wouldn't solicit rude remarks from the residents of Maycomb.

Conflict

    Scout just made the decision come out of hiding and run to Atticus after following him to the county jail. The advice I would have given her is not to run out because she doesn't know the people who are talking to him. She might also get hurt by the strange men. I would tell her that there is a reason that Atticus didn't tell her where he is going.

Connection

    I would jump into the story in the part when the trial starts. I would like to see the trial of Tom Robinson and Atticus in action. The story would change with my arrival because it would be strange to see an Indian person in the 1930's in the United States. 

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 2)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, the book is about the Finch family living in Maycomb County.There is talk about Atticus's case defending a Negro. One way this book illustrates the characteristics of a coming of age story is her transition from having lots of freedom to having to follow rules and social norms. She used to be able to do whatever she wanted at home to having to follow school rules and do what the teacher tells her.

Characterization

    Two characters in my novel are Jeremy "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. I know they are siblings because they live together and have the same last name. Jem often bosses Scout around but she plays along. They are very close and Jem always looks out for Scout. When she wants to go to the Radley house with him at night to retrieve his lost pants, he tells her not to come to protect her.

Characterization 2

    A character is telling this story using "I". Her name is Scout and she is thoughtful, but whiny at times. We get to hear Scout's thoughts on various topics, and we learn a lot about her town from her explanations. 

Setting

    A main location in the story is Maycomb County in Alabama. This location is important to the plot because many of the conflicts involve the residents of Maycomb and their personalities. 

Conflict 

    An obstacle Scout faces is getting into a fight with her family member who is one year older than her. He calls Scout's father, Atticus Finch, a n----- lover, and she starts to get mad. She punches him in the face, and when the parents come he blames it all on Scout and doesn't tell them what he said about Scout's father. Scout is extremely frustrated that all the parents don't believe her and that Uncle Jack thinks she broke her promise to him not to say bad words. However, later she tells Uncle Jack her perspective of the fight. Scout overhears her father talking about it to Uncle Jack and learns that she has to learn how to keep her temper because things will get harder as the trial starts.

Connection

    A part of the book I feel strongly about is when Jem angrily cuts Mrs. Dubose's camellias with Scout's baton. Atticus tells Jem to go apologize to Mrs. Dubose, and she makes him read to her every day after school. At first, I thought Mrs. Dubose was evil and racist, and even if she is those things, she was struggling with a morphine addiction. I admire her effort to try and get off the medication before she died.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 1)

Book Update 
    The book I am writing about this week is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, it is about the main character, Scout Finch, along with her brother Jem Finch and their friend Dill Harris trying to get the mysterious Boo Radley to come out of his house, which is thought to be haunted. Scout also goes to her first year of school, which she hates. There are not any coming of age characteristics in the story so far. 

Characterization
    The main character and narrator of the story is Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. She is 6 years old. She is very smart and is ahead of her class in reading and writing, which her first grade teacher doesn't like. She also sticks up for other students, and tries to explain to her teacher the ways of Maycomb, and why Walter Cunningham cannot accept her money.

Characterization 2
    The main antagonist of my story has not been revealed yet. However, Nathan Radley could be considered an antagonist. During Jem, Scout, and Dill's final attempt to get Boo's attention, they are able to get into the Radley. When Jem starts to climb up the porch, they see a figure in the yard that attempts to shoot at them. Another antagonist could be Miss Caroline, Scout's teacher. She doesn't like that Scout already knows how to read, and punishes her.

Setting
    One significant setting in the story is Jem and Scout's backyard, where they play games with Dill, their neighbor that is visiting Maycomb for the summer. They also act out parts from books they have read and even try to to act out Boo Radley's life story in their backyard. They have a tree house that rests 'between giant twin chinaberry trees. Another significant setting is the Radley house. Scout, Jem, and Dill try multiple times to get Boo Radley to come out of the supposedly haunted house. It is gray with rotted roof shingles. There are oak trees in the front and pecan trees that are said to have pecans that could kill you.

Conflict
    A major conflict the main character faces at the beginning of the story is getting in trouble with her first grade teacher, Miss Caroline, on the first day of school. The problem starts when a student named Walter Cunningham does not have a lunch and the teacher tries to give him money to buy some. He stays quiet, so Scout tries to stick up for Walter, a poor farm kid whose family does not take money from anyone. Already mad at Scout for knowing how to read before starting school, she hits Scout on the knuckles with a ruler and makes her stand in the corner of the room. This causes Scout to resent school and her teacher.

Connection
    The parts of the story I liked were when the kids tried to get Boo Radley to come out. It was fun reading about their antics. I was also wondering if Boo Radley would actually come out and if Scout, Jem, and Dill would get caught.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 5)

Book Update:

    The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by

J.K. Rowling. I have finished the book. It is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron

Weasley and Hermione Granger in their third year at Hogwarts growing up together and

facing the threat of Sirius Black. They figure out that Sirius Black is actually not evil and

that Peter Pettigrew, who was disguised as Ron's pet rat Scabbers, was the one who

betrayed Harry's parents.

Characterization:

    I would be friends with Harry Potter. This would impact my life because I usually

wouldn't go and try to defeat evil people, like Harry, Ron, and Hermione do. I usually

mind my own business and stay quiet, so being friends with him would be quite a

change. He would make me more adventurous and brave because I would sneak

around with him in Hogwarts and go on trips to Hagrid's house with Ron and Hermione.

I would probably also go along with him and Hermione when the try to reverse time

and save Buckbeak and Sirius Black.

Characterization:

    A character that is different from Harry is Professor Severus Snape. He is thoughtless

and cruel. He doesn't like Harry because he reminds him of Harry's father James, who

he hated. At times, he seems implausible to me because he unfairly targets Hermione

during Potions class. I also didn't understand why he sought Dumbledore's approval so

much. Snape probably acts the way he does because he never got over being bullied as

a child and having a prank played on him by James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus.

Setting:

    I think the author did a great job with world building. The world that the characters

live in is very descriptive and engaging. Almost all of the story takes place in one

location, Hogwarts castle and its close surroundings, but the author creates a clear

picture of where everything is in relation to the castle. I could imagine where Hagrid's

house would be, and the Whomping Willow, and what the Quidditch field looked like. I

would definitely want to live in this world and be a student at Hogwarts because the

students learn so many interesting things. 

Conflict:

    The main conflict in this book was epic and shocking, with many plot twists. I think it

is resolved very well when Hermione and Harry go back in time and help Sirius Black

escape. The time travel part was very well thought out and surprised me when I

thought I had it all figured out.

Connection:

    I think my dad would like this book. He likes science fiction and time travel books, so
I think he would enjoy the time travel aspect of this book. He isn't really into magic, so
I think this would introduce him to the amazing world of Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 4)

Book Update:
    The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. I have read 402 pages of this book so far. So far, it is about Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their third year at Hogwarts, trying to save Hagrid's pet, Buckbeak, and exploring the mystery of Sirius Black. Currently, Harry and Hermione are trying to reverse time and save both Sirius Black and Buckbeak.

Characterization:
    The people that have influenced Harry Potter the most are his parents. They were killed by Voldemort when he was just a baby. Harry wants to make them proud because they died for him. Their death also makes him want to find out the truth about Voldemort and defeat him.

Characterization 2:
    I think my friends would like Sirius Black because he seems like a very loving godfather to Harry. He offers to let Harry stay in his house, which would be way better than living at the Dursleys. He also comes to check on Harry at Hogwarts in the form of a black dog. Sirius Black also stayed true to himself, and didn't turn evil, even when everyone thought he was evil.

Setting:
    In the book, the story takes place in what seems to be current times. It could also take place in the 90's. This time period is similar to the time period I live in because we also have TV's and buses. Both time periods have relatively happy feelings.

Conflict
    A conflict that Harry is facing is trying to decide whether Sirius Black is evil or not. Sirius has been portrayed on the news as a very dangerous criminal, but now he is asking Harry to listen to him. 

Connection:
    An issue that was raised in this book is whether to trust magic or not. Professor Trelawney says many things about the future that some students, and even Dumbledore are skeptical of. I have seen this issue raised in real life because some people believe in fortune tellers and some think they are just crazy. It's up to us to decide what we believe in and be accepting of others.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 3)

Book Update:

    The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. I have read 339 pages of this book so far. So far, it is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione navigating their third year at Hogwarts. Harry plays on the Quidditch team, helps Hagrid prevent his pet from execution, faces evil dementors, and deals with peculiar teachers, all under the looming threat of Sirius Black coming after him.

Characterization:

 I would like to interview Hermione Granger.

1.  Why do you take so many subjects?

         I want to ask her this because she is so overloaded with homework and classes, and I want to know why she does that to herself.
2.  How do you get to all your classes on time?
        I want to ask her this because throughout the story, we learn that Hermione sometimes has two classes scheduled at the same exact time, and somehow makes it to both of them.
3.  How did you feel when Harry and Ron stopped talking to you?
        I want to ask her this because when Harry and Ron started staying away from Hermione because they thought her cat ate Ron's mouse, we didn't really get to see what Hermione was doing because the story follows only wherever Harry goes.

Characterization 2:
    
    If Harry Potter was a girl instead of a boy, she would be Harriet Potter. Harriet would be much closer to Hermione and they wouldn't have fought as much as Harry and Hermione. Harriet might have also had a better childhood because Dudley might have not teased and tortured her as much as he did to Harry. Snape might have also hated her less because she wouldn't look like James Potter(who Snape hated) as much.

Setting:

    If the characters were placed into our present, the story would be different in many ways. First of all, the secret Hogwarts castle wouldn't be so secret because students would post pictures of it from their phones. Also, students might use online textbooks and computers in their classes. Teachers might also have to punish students for using their phones in class.

Conflict:

    Harry is about to make the decision to fight Sirius Black after he finds out that he was actually the black dog he has been seeing. The advice I would give him would be to listen to what Black has to say before trying to attack him. Anyway, he wouldn't be able to kill Black because he is older, taller, and more experienced at magic than Harry.

Connection:

    If I could, I would jump into the story when Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave dinner to go to Hagrid's house. I would watch them closely because the three of them escape Hogwarts castle often. I would follow them and ask them where they were going, and that might have stopped them from going to Hagrid's house and being pulled into the Whomping Willow. This would prevent them from having a confrontation with Sirius Black.

  

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 2)

    The book I am writing about this week is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. I have read 241 pages of this book so far. So far, it is about Harry and his friends in their third year at Hogwarts, learning new subjects and fearing Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner coming to Hogwarts. Harry also faces dementors, who make him hear his mom's voice the day she died and cause him to pass out.
   Two characters in my novel are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They are good friends who are both studying at Hogwarts. They are in the same house, Gryffindor, so they are in all the same classes. I know they are good friends because they are always talking after classes. Also, they go shopping for supplies and spell books together before school starts.
    The story uses third person limited narration. We know about Harry's thoughts and feelings and he is the character that we follow throughout the story. We always know where Harry is, and the story only narrates things that are in his proximity or things that he knows. We don't know anything Harry doesn't know. The narrator is very thoughtful, and we clearly know how Harry is feeling at all times, allowing us to understand the story well.
    A main location in the story is Hogwarts. This is where almost all of the main plot happens. Hogwarts is important to Harry because he never had a home where he felt comfortable and happy. The Dursleys were always tormenting Harry and hated him, so Hogwarts is like an escape where he can be himself.
    An obstacle that Harry faces is falling off his broom during Quidditch because he sees dementors. This affects Harry going forward because he is frustrated that the dementors cause only him to have this reaction. When the dementors come near Harry, he feels "as though freezing water were rising in his chest, cutting at his insides." All this frustration makes Harry very determined to beat the dementors when Professor Lupin gives him lessons on how to ward them off.
    A part of the story that I liked was when Harry went through a secret passage to Hogsmeade. Fred and George Weasley had given him a map that showed the secret parts of Hogwarts, and Harry wanted to see what Ron and Hermione were doing in Hogsmeade. I enjoyed this part because I was wondering how there could be a passage from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade and I was wondering if Harry would get caught or not. It was also fun to read about all the shops and food in Hogsmeade, and I found myself wanting to go there.