Final Project - Spanish Portfolio

Mi nombre es Sophia Hardesty. Vivo en Durango Co. Tengo diecisiete años y me encanta montar a caballo y trabajar en mi rancho.

En América Latina, la temporada navideña en realidad no termina el 25 de diciembre. Para muchos, termina el 6 de enero, el día 12 de Navidad y el Día de los Reyes Magos. Esto celebra el día en que los tres reyes o tres reyes magos visitaron al niño Jesús. El Evangelio de Mateo dice que los tres reyes encontraron al niño Jesús siguiendo el camino de la estrella a través del desierto durante 12 días. Los tres reyes le dieron regalos a Jesús. Estos obsequios estaban destinados 
 ser simbólicos.
En España, la gente se reúne en las calles el día anterior para celebrar y ver el desfile. En México elaboran un pan llamado “rosca de ray”. Este pan típicamente tendrá un muñeco de Jesús escondido dentro. En los Estados Unidos, muchos latinos también celebran el Día de los Reyes Magos.


Me gusta ir a la montaña con mi familia. También me gusta montar a caballo con amigos.

Fahrenheit 451 By: Mitchell Story

Title of Book: Fahrenheit 451  Author: Ray Bradbury 256 Pages Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ Why This Book has Value: This book has value because it makes us understand how lucky we are to be as free as we are.

Summary: Fahrenheit 451 is a story of firefighters who set books on fire in order to remove harmful ideas and unclear ideas. Guy Montag, a fireman who questions the book-burning policy and suffers extreme pain and change as a result, is the protagonist of the story.

Theme: The struggle between freedom of thought and censorship is the basic theme of Fahrenheit 451. Ray  Bradbury's community has gladly given up books and reading, and the people, for the most part, do not feel offended or silenced.

Plot: Guy Montag's transformation from a book-burning fireman to a book-reader is shown in Fahrenheit 451. Montag lives in a dictatorship society that strives to remove all sources of difficulty, conflict, and uncertainty in order that gives simple happiness to all of its people.

Setting: Fahrenheit 451 takes place in an unknown city in the United States at an unknown point in the future. The events of Fahrenheit 451 could  take place anywhere, but the cities Bradbury names in the book indicate Montag lives somewhere in the center of the world.

Character Development: Guy Montag grows in Fahrenheit 451 from a mindless individual, who ignores his heart, to a man who recognizes his personal needs as a human being.

Maze Runner (Cal Parr)

Title of Book: Maze Runner 

Author: James Dashner

375 Pages 

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 Why This Book has Value:

My book the maze runner was very good and had many different twists and turns throughout. The main character was Tomas. He is very important because he knows things that the other people in the glade don't. He is very valuable to everyone in the glade. Another main character is Teresa she is very important too because she also knows things that the other people in the glade don't. 

The development of characters in this book is very interesting because when Tomas comes out of the cage he is very scared and frightened. “Thomas rocked back on his heels, then ran his arm across his forehead, wiping away the sweat´´ he was obviously very nervous in the glade. He can hardly remember his name when he comes up and he knows nobody and is shy in the beginning. As the book unfolds he becomes more social and he becomes very brave and adventurous as well. He actually helps most of the people get out of the maze. 

The plot is very gripping and compelling. I think that it starts out very hopeless because when Tomas comes up from the glade they are dying and getting stung by grievers. They are also getting no more shipments from WCKD so they have very little hope, but when Tomas enters the glade he makes a huge impact and helps many people escape from the glade. In the end, it takes a turn that I did not expect. It was very sad when Chuck died. In the end, Tomas is devastated. In chapter 62 ´´ He died saving you´´, Teresa said. ´´He made the choice himself.´´

The Setting is very cool and adventurous, inside the glade it is extremely rural and wooded. There are a bunch of rocks and it is always hot out, they never have freezing temperatures. ´´Id throw you off of the Cliff because it´d mean you´re a psycho.´´ The maze is another part of the maze that only Tomas and Mihno see but it is very cold, dark, and very scary.

The connection to the real world is that the people who are WCKD or are basically experimenting on the people in the glade. This can relate to today because I think that some scientists go too far with manipulating genetics with people so that they will have a certain hair or eye color. Some people in the glade, like Teressa, think that wicked is good when it really isn't. Like when she said  ´´Wicked is good´´.

Overall I loved the book and it had so many twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. There were a lot of characters that you kinda got to know, which I really liked and when I got to know those characters I felt that Although the book has a good but bad ending because Chuck dies I still loved the look. 

The Hate U Give (Jassir Rankin)

Title of Book: The Hate U Give 

Author: Angie Thomas 

# of Pages: 444

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

For this unit, I read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. The book follows a fictional character named Starr Carter. She is a high school student and after going to a party, her friend Khalil gets murdered by the police. The story shows the aftermath of when something involving a police officer shooting an innocent Black person and racism. Starr witnesses racism every day, whether that occurs at school, when hanging out with people, and basically everywhere she goes. I loved the book and would give it a 10 out of 10. 

The book used quite a bit of literary elements, including the setting, conflict, tone and mood, and plot. The book also had lots of dialogue. 

Setting: The book used the setting to describe what was happening and where. The book frequently used terms like “the east side” and other sides of the neighborhood Starr lives in. The neighborhood she lives in is Garden Heights. She considers it the ghetto, although she rarely mentions it to anyone. The setting was important because of the time of racism and racial profiling in America today. Since where Starr lives is considered the ghetto, police would tend to patrol more in that area. The officer shot Khalil in that neighborhood after forcing him to get out of his car just because he was talking back. 

Conflict: The whole book is centered around the conflict: police brutality and racism. One example of this would on page 111 when Starr is playing Basketball with her friends. While Starr was being distracted, her friend Hailey gets frustrated and yells to Starr “Hustle! Pretend the ball is some fried chicken. Bet you’ll stay on it then.” Personally, I would agree that this was extremely racist due to the fact that there are stereotypes for African Americans that they love watermelon and fried chicken. 

Tone and Mood: The tone and mood of this book does an incredible job at showing the characters’ feelings. In part of the book, Starr’s brother, Seven, gets angry about the situation they are faced with and says to Starr “Starr, what you wanna do?” and Starr responds with: “Anything. Everything. Scream. Cry. Puke. Hit somebody. Burn something. Throw something… ‘I wanna do something,’ I say. ‘Protest, riot, I don’t care--...” (page 389)

Obviously, Starr and her brother are very angry and frustrated about the problems that they were being challenged with. The tone and mood does a good job because it’s clear that Starr is upset.

Plot: The plot of the story is in sequential order most of the time. Starr does have flashbacks/dreams of her friend Natasha getting killed. This also happens with her memory of Khalil being shot. One night when she falls asleep, she has one of these nightmares about Natasha: “Natasha runs into the store again. ‘Starr come on!’ Her braids have dirt in them, and her once-fat cheeks are sunken. Blood soaks through her clothes. I step back. She runs up to me and grabs my hand. Hers feels icy like it did in her coffin. ‘Come on.’ She tugs at me. ‘Come on!’ he pulls me towards the door, and my feet move against my will. ‘Stop!’ A hand extends through the door, holding a Glock. Bang!” (141 and 142) The story has different parts to the story as well as chapters. There is a total of five parts. The parts do an exceptional job of spreading the story out and at the end of each part, it presents a good stopping point for readers. 

The book has lots of dialogue throughout the story and grips in readers fast. For example, Starr and Khalil’s interaction with “Officer One-Fifteen”. In this interaction, a lot is said and it makes it easy to get lost in the story. 

Overall, This book is extremely good. I would definitely recommend this book to young teens, especially teens of color. I would put a trigger warning, however. Even with the well-written storyline, the book can be intense at times and overwhelming. Also, there is strong language frequently used throughout the story, so I would recommend this book to high school students and higher.

Book Review Gavin Zborowski

Title of Book: Life of Pi

 Author: Yann Martel 

428 Pages 

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 Why This Book has Value:

Brief Summary: 

Yann Martel--an award-winning writer speaks about his own personal experiences with nature and animals through the 2001 adventure: Life of Pi. The book tells an astonishing story about a boy (Pi) living in Pondicherry, India. He discovers his morals through engaging in the study of different religions as well as in the zoo that his family owns. In his teenage years, his family decides to move to Canada; along with the animals, Pi and his family get onto a boat and head through the Pacific. On the way, however, the boat mysteriously sinks and Pi is the only human survivor. He makes way through struggles on a lifeboat for many treacherous months and discovers human nature through living with the sea. But also he is living in the presence of a Bengal tiger. 

Setting Variety:

Martel is able to tell an engaging and appropriate story through the grand yet fragile setting it is laid upon. The story originally takes place in 1976 when the Tamil Nadu government was brought down by New Delhi. Following this social and political collapse, the state of India changed dramatically. This prompted Pi’s family to try to get away from the mess. The Pacific experience for Pi is best described by this statement in the story: “I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging on to an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, a storm raging about me” (Martel 140). In times Pi lost hope, and other times he was energized with just a little bit of fish. Martel does a wonderful job keeping the setting intriguing and depth-defying by writing in descriptive language. It is truly incredible how he grasps the reader even in such an unexpected and unknown setting as the ocean. 

Importance of Characterization:

Additionally to the setting, the characterization plays a very important role in this incredible story. Earlier in the story, Pi is a very humble boy who learned manners and acceptance of animals in India. Martel also chose to add very specific detail to Pi’s life that proved to be a very predominant characteristic to telling a compelling story. Pi is a vegetarian, and when food runs out on the boat that he is in, he must turn to fishing. There was one symbolic life change that Pi had when he killed his first fish. The book said: “[As] tears flow[ed] down my cheeks, I egged myself on until I heard a cracking sound and I no longer felt any life fighting in my hands” (Martel 245). A disturbing message the author revealed to the reader that the will to live changes people, was clearly distributed here. While Pi changed dramatically throughout the book, the tiger that accompanied him did not. While the reader may have wanted the tiger to change, the intent on a static character is to move the story along--in fact, that is just what he did. He proved as a major being in Pi’s life. The story said: “A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger. If I still had the will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too much about my family and my tragic circumstances. He pushed me to go on living” (Martel 219). 

Writing Elements:

Martel’s writing style in the novel is very unique especially considering the fact that he tells two stories at once. The chapters alternate from telling the story of Pi’s adventure to the story of after Pi’s life. And in between the stories, there are so many figurative words that engage the reader. Martel wanted to incorporate many elements to make the story come alive, and that’s exactly what happened. The story is so vivid and colorful with all the details. One such comes when Pi catches a dorado: which is a very colorful fish. “The dorado did a most extraordinary thing as it died: it began to flash all kinds of colours in rapid succession. Blue green, red, gold and violet flickered and shimmered neon-like on its surface as it struggled. I felt I was beating a rainbow to death” (Martel 248). Under certain circumstances, this scene could sound horrifying but Martel did a beautiful job of using foreshadowing and hyperboles to symbolize life on the ocean. The writing style allowed the reader to feel what it is like living in the Pacific ocean. 

Theme:

Life copes together in the most unexpected ways. In some places it greets you and nourishes you—it stays with you and comforts you. But it also deceives you and pains you. It closes your eyes without [you] moving a muscle, it tests your morals, and worst of all—it leaves you just when you get used to it. A beautiful theme represented in the story--Martel writes in a way to show the hardest parts of life as well as the life we take for granted. In the ocean, Pi was surrounded by life of all kinds, from highways of colorful underwater habitats--to animals that get stranded with him on a lifeboat. And sometimes life is unpredictable, but isn’t that the joy of life?

A Voice in the Wind (Katie Parr)

Title of Book: A Voice in the Wind

Author: Francine Rivers

# of Pages: 496

 Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 Why This Book has Value:

A Voice in the Wind is an awe-inspiring book that has the power to change a person’s life. This book takes you through the spiritual journey of a faint-hearted girl named Hadassah as her world flips upside down. A Christian born in Judea, she is sold into slavery in Rome when her whole family is murdered. When Hadassah becomes a slave for the Valerian family- Decimus the father, Phoebe the mother, Marcus the son, and Julia the daughter-she sees the family’s desperation and is determined to help them. Hadassah goes through many trials and tribulations as she learns to lean on the Lord for the courage and strength she needs for her biggest test of all. 

A Voice in the Wind has an addictive plot that keeps the reader madly entertained. The plot bounces back and forth between three characters’ stories, Hadassah, Artretes, and Marcus, until their fates align and their stories become one. Even though there are three stories going on, the reader still feels like they personally know each character. As the characters are going through hardships, the reader deeply feels for each character. The reader feels on top of the world when the characters succeed, like when Artretes wins his freedom: “Turning, he looked for whoever stood between him and his freedom. Thousands of spectators were on their feet, waving white banners and chanting. It was a moment before Artretes’ mind cleared and he realized what the mob was screaming so loudly: ‘Atretes! Atretes! Atretes!’ He was the last man standing,” (Rivers 436). This is an example of how the reader felt like they were in the stands cheering for the character because they feel like they have personally been through everything Atretes has. The reader is consumed with the plot to the point where they feel like it is their own life. 

The compelling plot of this story leads to a very powerful theme that is hard for the reader to ignore. Whether aware of it or not, everyone serves something. Everyone gives their time, effort, and talents toward something, and they become a servant of whatever that thing is. The things of this earth can never fully satisfy a person. Whatever their “god” is, they will chase after it until they die, but never be fully satisfied; they will always have a sense of emptiness, confusion, frustration, etc. The only way to truly be satisfied is to commit your life to Christ. To seek after Him, to have a personal relationship with Him, to live for Him, and to glorify Him, gives a person an immeasurable amount of satisfaction and joy. To fully surrender to Jesus is the best way to live. To be in His will is the best place to be. Knowing you are in His hands and He cares for you, and knowing He is always with you is the most freeing thing. For Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty,” (The Holy Bible: John 6:35).  

This book shows exactly that as all the characters are seeking joy and approval from things of the world. Hadassah tries to show them that true satisfaction and joy can only be filled by Jesus. In the book, it says, “In a sense, they were all alike, each using religion to give them what they thought they needed- power, money, pleasure, peace, righteousness, a crutch. They obeyed their individual laws, made their sacrifices, performed their rituals, all the while expecting to have the desires fulfilled. Sometimes it seemed as though they succeeded, and then she would see the empty longing in their eyes,” (Rivers 234). In the book, Hadassah has a conversation with Marcus and she says, “How do I explain to them that I’m really to one who is free, and they are the captives?” (Rivers 234) and, “We all serve something, my lord,” (Rivers 124) as well as, “Are we not all bond servants to whatever we worship?” (Rivers 125). 

The plot and the theme of this story leads to developing paramount character traits in the characters. Throughout the book, Hadassah is fighting against fear. Hadassah explains this to Atretes when she says, “‘Through Julia, the Lord has set me free… Fear was my constant companion, from as far back as I can remember. I’d been afraid all my life, Atretes, from the time I was a small child visiting Jerusalem, right up to a few days ago. I never wanted to leave the safety of the little house where I grew up in Galilee or the friends we knew. I was afraid of everything. I was afraid of losing those I loved. I was afraid of persecution and suffering. I was afraid of dying.’ Her eyes glistened with tears. ‘Most of all, I was afraid that when the time came and I was tested, I wouldn’t have the courage to say the truth. And then the Lord would turn his face from me,’” (Rivers 484). Then, after all that Hadassah had been through, tested, and tried, she had learned to lean on the Lord for the strength and courage she needed in the moment. She explains, “‘And then it happened, the very thing I feared most...I stood before people who hated me, people who refused to believe, and I was given a choice: recant or die. And the cry came from within my soul, a cry the Lord gave me through his grace. I chose God.’ Tears ran down her cheeks, but her eyes were shining. ‘And the most amazing, miraculous thing happened to me in that moment, Atretes. Even as I was speaking the words, proclaiming Jesus is the Christ, my fear fell away. The weight of it was gone as though it had never been...in that moment, before Julia, before those others, I surrendered completely. He is God and there is no other. To not tell them the truth would be impossible,’” (Rivers 484).  Hadassah turned from a fearful girl to a girl who was willing to die for what she believed in: “Unless we have something worth dying for, Atretes, we’ve nothing worth living for,” (Rivers 484). This powerful development of character unlocks an amazing realization among readers if they are only willing to pick up the book. 

While the plot, theme, and character development are all very important and wonderful parts of a book, a truly good book connects these facets back to the reader’s life; the author makes the book relevant to the reader’s lives. This book, which is based in the first century in Rome, shows in depth the corruption of society as everyone is chasing after earthly possessions and approval. And as disturbing as it is, it is a reflection of what modern-day America is becoming. Francine Rivers, the author of the book, when asked about how similar first-century Roman culture and the modern-day world are, she said, “I was amazed at how closely we (America) mirror the attitudes of Rome. It was disturbing and should be taken as a warning.” 

Rivers, Francine. A Voice in the Wind / Mark of the Lion/ Book 1. Tyndale House, 1993. 

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments. Trinitarian Bible Society, 2010.

The Secret Life of Bees (Presley Gregory)

Title of Book: The Secret Life of Bees

Author: Sue Monk Kidd

# of Pages 302

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 Why This Book has Value:

The Secret Life of Bees is a heartwarming story about a girl named Lily. Lily’s entire life has been shaped around the very faint memory of the day her mother died. Her father T. Ray picked out an African American woman from his peach farm to act as her stand-in mother. After Rosaleen insults three of the biggest racists in town she and Lily head out of town. What Rosaleen didn’t know was that Lily was on the search to find answers about her mother in a nearby town. Lily and Rosaleen are taken in by three African American beekeeping sisters and are introduced into the captivating world of honey. This is an amazing book on forgiveness and female power.

Setting: 

The beginning of this book takes place in Sylvan, South Carolina. As Lily said, “T.Ray and I lived just outside of Sylvan, South Carolina, population 3,100.” (Kidd 8). Once Rosaleen and Lily take off on their journey they end up in Tiburon, South Carolina. This book takes place in the time period of 1964. “All people ever talked about after church were the negros and whether they’d get their civil rights.” (Kidd 20-21). In the period of 1964, African Americans were granted the right to vote through the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Author:  

Sue Monk Kidd is from Sylvester, Georgia. She graduated from Texas Christian University with a nursing degree. In her 20s she was influenced by the writings of Thomas Merton to find her inner self. So in her 30s, she started taking writing classes at Emory University. Her first published piece was a personal essay from her writing class published by Guideposts. This gave her a job as a contributing editor at Guidepost. She has gone on to write many more great pieces and is still writing today.

Subject Matter:

 This book has a serious topic matter. Racism. It is the main conflict in this book. 

“Well, look what we got coming here,” he called out. “Where’re you going, nigger? Firecrackers made a spattering sound in the distance. “Keep walking,” I whispered. “Don’t pay any attention.” But Rosaleen, who had less sense than I’d dreamed, said in this tone like she was explaining something real hard to a kindergarten student, “I’m going to register my name so I can vote, that’s what.” 

Rosaleen going to vote causes fury in the men and leads to a brawl. The three men against Rosaleen. Rosaleen is later taken to jail where the officer lets the men in her cell to continue beating her. This is all because she wanted to vote.

Theme:

There are a ton of different themes throughout the book. The one I decided to choose to focus on was Forgiveness. “Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We’re all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake, but she tried to fix it.” August had said. (Kidd ch.12).

Lily has had to learn to forgive throughout this book, “Drifting off to sleep, I thought about her. How nobody is perfect. How you just have to close your eyes and breathe out and let the puzzle of the human heart be what it is.” (Kidd ch.14). The author is trying to convey that we need to forgive to heal.

“The Hunger Games” Book Review

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Number of Pages: 358

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Why this book has value:

The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins takes the perspective of Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl in District 12 of Panem. The book starts off on the day of The Reaping, a day that 1 boy and 1 girl from the ages 12-18 from each district are chosen to fight in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games happen once every year where the contestants chose must fight to the death till there is only one person remaining. Katniss’s sister, Primrose, has her name drawn, and Katniss volunteers to take her place. 

Development of Characters

The characters that formed bonds throughout the book, helped push the characters to begin thinking or behaving a new way. The most important and noticeable bond I believe is Peeta and Katniss. We can see the change in Peeta’s behavior in these two quotes. “He hasn’t accepted his death. He is already fighting hard to stay alive. Which also means that kind Peeta Mellark, the boy who gave me the bread, is fighting hard to kill me.” (pg 56) is the realization that Katniss comes to when they begin their training together. “Listen,” he says pulling me to my feet. “We both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me.” And he goes on about how he loves me, what life would be without me” (pg 329). I believe that these two quotes show the drastic change of how the bond that he and Katniss have changed Peeta. 

Effectively Targets a Very Specific Audience Group

Suzanne Collins targeted the audience of teens and young adults because she wanted to extend her opinions to a more impressionable group that might be going through these issues. One of those beliefs could be considered anti-establishment based on how she takes the offensive what writing about the government in "The Hunger Games” book. “Gale’s voice is in my head. His ravings against the Capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored.” (pg224) Another belief might be anti-rich based on how she writes about the Capitol citizens. “the shiny cars that roll down the wide paved streets, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who have never missed a meal.” (pg56) These quotes show the distaste that the author has for people in power or in a place where they don’t really have to worry about what others suffer through based on the lack of money they have. 

Universal Human Experiences

This book connects to the universal experience of survival. The book is all about surviving these horrific games and being able to make it back home to their families. At the end of the day, all humans are tasked with surviving day-to-day and the book reflects that, but through a dystopian filter. 

Connection to Contemporary or "Real World" Issues

This book connects to the real-world problem of starvation and world hunger. Hunger is one of the most prominent issues in the book. Katniss has to work hard to feed her family once her father passes away in an accident and in a flashback recalls when she almost died due to starvation. “It was too much. I was too sick and weak and tired, oh, so tired. Let them call the Peacekeepers and take us to the community home, I thought. Or better yet, let me die right here in the rain.” (pg28) This connects to real life because people all across the world die from starvation or suffer from hunger.