1.
Pantomime - The art or technique of conveying emotions, actions, feelings, etc., by gestures without speech.
2. Proclivities - Natural or habitual inclination or tendency, propensity; predisposition.
3. Centrifuge - An apparatus that rotates at high speed and by centrifugal force separates substance of different densities, as milk and cream.
4. Odious - Deserving or causing hatred; hurtful; detestable.
5. Jargon - Unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing.
6. Ravenous - Extremely hungry; famished; voracious.
7. Proboscis - A long, flexible snout or trunk.
8. Parlor - A room or store conducting certain business or professions.
9. Stagnant - Not following; foul; stale.
10. Cacophony - Harsh, jarring, discordant sound.
11. Tamped - Past tense of tamp, to pack something tightly by tapping.
12. Flourish - To grow well or luxuriantly, to thrive.
13. Plateau - A land area having a relatively flat surface.
14. Rollick - To move in a care manner.
15. Asylum - An institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill or other persons requiring specialized assistance.
I read Taking Sides by Gary Soto, who actually is one of my favorite authors :). The book is about a boy name Lincoln Mendoza who is a basketball player and he had recently just moved out of his old neighborhood into this more suburbia neighborhood because his mother though that the other one that they were living was just to dangerous. Now he is also in a new high school and he is on the basketball team but the only difference is that the whole team is white players. Lincoln felt like an outsider especially since he is the only mexican on the team but he found some friends that help him along the way.
The reason why I like Gary Soto as an author because his reading is just so relateable in the common life of a person especially for a latino/latina. Every time I ready one if his books I can totally imagine myself as the main character and just being in their shoes
I really fell in love with this book because I was some what in that same situation. I originally came from a jr. high school that most of the population of students were mexican and before the end of my 8th grade year I had the choice to go to Santa Maria High school (which all of my friends were going to go to) or Righetti High School (which I only new is that the student population has a lot more white people there). I decided to go to Righetti because I wanted to try something new. I wanted to be in a new environment to where I felt like I would need to adapt to. The first day of the new school I was just a lost person. I didn't know what to do, where do go, or who to hang out with? Luckily I was in the marching band and the upper class men took me under their wing, showed me the ropes and eventually we all became very good friends and they just treated me like if I was part of a family.
When I read this book it sort of reminded me of my situation when coming to a new school. That's why I can relate to this book just because Soto writes about things that happen regularly in a persons life and that is probably why Gary Soto is with out a doubt one of my favorite authors who I will enjoy his books for a really long time. :)
I think when Ray Bradbury wrote the novel he was trying tell us to not be so closed minded about things. Before Montag met Clarisse he didn't really think much but after they met he was realizing what he has been doing and taking another look at things. I think as time goes on we forget to realize what we have like books, libraries, museums, teachers or just other people that can have us when ever we have a problem or situation that we want to get out of. We have all of these things that we can use but do a lot of people use them?
When people see it, they might just see it as one thing.
When I see it I spend every single second
studying every exact little detail.
I study the different shapes, sizes, noises,
Design, and styles.
Four-teen, ten, twelve, six-teen and twenty-two.
Maple with a grey steel finish.
That is what I use but everyone has their own voice.
The attack of the snare, the punch of the kick,
And the high and low tone of the toms.
These things make me happy, when I use them in
Pattern I become ecstatic.
Especially in company with the bronze golden cymbals
That make beautiful sounds.
The ticks, dings, suspense, and crashes.
The just add on to my voice and everyone elses who uses them.
When I use it I express myself for who I am
I am the instrument.
As I find my place in this world and all the knowledge I take in, I feel like I can truly be myself and let people see me for who I really am. My interests are music, drumming, teaching people things or subjects that I actually know, and finding ways to connect certain things with others. Now I do feel that if I do take ownership of my own learning process I could show other what I am learning, what I've learned, or what I know. It's just a matter of putting in the time and effort into it.
I have two goals for this semester.
1) The first one is to be more active in school work. I've always had a problem staying on task and I just want to change my bad habits and be a better student, I'm tired of not exceeding to my full potential.
2. My other goal is improve my knowledge on music theory and drumming. As a musician obviously I take music seriously, but lately I felt like I've been slacking off and that stops now. In the future I would love to study music and attend Berklee College Of Music at Boston, Massachusetts or Fresno State.
I do consider music a form of literature. There are many different styles of music as there are many different styles of literature. When we hear a song it usually has a story, meaning, emotion, and experiences that have gone or are going through. Music can grab someone's attention and when they listen to it they can connect or relate to it, and that's what I feel what literature does, it can just grab someone's attention and they can just relate or connect to it.
