Free Choice Blog

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Chapter 9

For a school assignment in English III, we had to read Chapter Nine of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. While reading this chapter we had to describe a theme we could choose from but throughout the book, mostly one theme is constant, and that is that "Slaves were treated no better than, sometimes worse than, livestock". In the beginning of this chapter, Douglass described  how slaves would starve to death because thay barely got any food and/or they were extremly limited to food. Comparing this to actually livestock, the livestock were most likely, whether good or bad food, fed everyday. Slaves were treated less than a farm animal, less than livestock. They were just something to own.

This makes me feel horrible inside about how terrible slaves were treated. If I lived during this time, I would make friends with the slaves and consider them as my own family. I wouldn't even call them slaves. I would celebrate their birthdays, have them live in my home, eat full meals with me at my dinner table and many more. I would make them feel very happy. I would even help other slaves escape to the north.

The author's intent in telling about this is to let the world know how badly slaves were treated and that they have any right that a white man should. they have justice, they can learn to read and write. The pattern of organization is chronological order.

Free Choice Blog

Selected for an Amazing Contest

The assignment said that I was able to read anything for the free choice blog and I just have to say it because I am super pumped about this so sorry if it isn’t a chapter of a book or an article of anything. If it doesn’t meet expectations please let me know and I’ll do another one.

            So, this past weekend I was non stop working on this fan art of these characters from a company called Voctro Labs, and I found out that they were having a contest looking for artists to design their new Spanish VOCALOID (Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer application originally developed by the Yamaha Corporation that enables users to synthesize singing by typing in words into the system and it will sing! There are now over 50 different voices ranging mostly in Japanese to Chinese, Korean, English, and Spanish). I submitted an email saying I was more than interested in designing their new VOCALOID and also sent some previous artworks I have done. (I didn’t realize until the day after it was due that I was late in submitting my entry) So the next day I got an e-mail from Voctro Labs saying that I was one of the selected artists to design the new Spanish VOCALOID! To sum the e-mail up, it said that after taking a loo at my work (among others who had submitted) that they thought that I would be a good candidate to design the VOCALOID. It said that I could design it freely with some restrictions with it being female, age 15-30, pop-diva style, drawn anime/manga style and had to be an original design. If my design is picked I have to give them all the rights to it but will be given a lot of credit. Demos of the voice were provided to give us an idea of the design and we have to complete it be the 15^th.

            My reaction to reading this ecstatic! I was so happy and surprised and couldn’t believe that they actually selected me! I was jumping up and down and just had to tell my friends and family. My mom made me call my dad at work just to tell him. Now, though, I don’t know what to do for her design and I haven’t started yet! I’m going to ask my best friend for help so hopefully (and I’m crossing my fingers for this) that I win. If my design gets chosen, my heart would literally skip a beat!

            The authors intent was obviously to inform the reader of the e-mail that we were chosen for this amazing and huge contest. They gave us details for the design and a deadline. And it bet it made everyone who read excited and ready to start working on this design as best as they could. (Now saying this makes me less confident knowing that there are most likely better artists but I guess I am still really good to be able to be in this group selected by Voctro Labs! Patterns of organization I observed are Order of Importance. The e-mail gave the more important information first saying that I was a candidate and then on to what they expect all the way to the deadline.

Here’s a link to the fan art of their previous Spanish VOCALOID’s that I did:

http://icetree13.deviantart.com/art/Bruno-and-Clara-384186803

Click the picture to enlarge

Free Choice Blog

Fruits Basket Chapter 1

          Fruits Basket is a manga series (japanese comic).

          The first chapter of the amazing series centers around a girl named Tohru Honda. After her mother past away and her grandfathers house having to be remodeled, Tohru decides to live on her own and pay for her own expenses all while living in a tent (without realizing she was on Sohma property). A student from her school and the man he's living with come upon her tent and welcome her to their home, and after he tent gets destroyed she ends up living with them until her fathers house is finished remodeled. While staying at the Sohma house, she comes upon a terrible secret. They turn into animals of the chinese zodiac when they are hugged by the opposite gender.

         I read this story twice since I love it so much, but even in the second read (which I just finished reading the chapter last nigh) it still made me laugh aloud and choose one male character over the other. The first time I ever read this story though was completely diferent. Reading this book was also my fisrt timereading a manga book, esecially reading from right to left. I thought the story was very strange and awkward. There were funny parts and some parts that I didnt understand but after reading it, I got hooked into the story and couldnt stop reading. This series was the start of my love for anime and manga! It literally changed my life!

         The pattern of organization I saw in this was chronological since when you read the story, you read as the events happen in order. There were some Order of Importance  for the impotant information first so you know what is happening in the story and the reason for why things are they way they are.

          If you are at all intersted in manga and/or not have yet read any, this would be the best series to start reading!

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Skinned

I have just started reading a book called "Skinned," by Robin Wasserman. This is the summary of the third chapter of the book.

Lia Kahn had imagined having a terribly burned and scare face after her horrific car accident. But when she looked in the mirror, her face was perfect, except, it wasnt her face, it was something else. BioMax, a boitech company, had downloaded her brain into a machine, a robot which people called them a 'skinner'. Lia didnt want to be in this and wanted to go back to her normal body, but they couldnt for it was just an unrecognizable charred pile of burned flesha and bone. Lia realized while looking at her dead body that even thought she knew it was disgusting and wretched, she couldnt 'feel' any of the emotions she would have had.

My personal reaction to reading this section was how much sadness and anger and despair I felt for Lia. I wouldn'twant the same thing to happen to me. (well, it might be kind of cool.) Having to see your burned body with amputated limbs and being able to feel sick like you used and just instead 'know' that you feel it because the brain computer is telling you what the feeling should be instead of actauly feeling that feeling.
I feel bad for Lia.

If I were to create notes to remember the important points from the book, I would use an outline. This type of note-taking style provides good information with just one word and I would know everything about or having to do with that information. Outlines are also more comfortable with me. I always use them.

What Was the Last Thing You Read?

          The last thing I read that made me happy was a book titled UnRemembered by Jessica Brody. It was the first real book I have read in a very long time that wasn't a manga (japanese comic) and wasnt a classic that the class had to read for school. It was a book that I had picked myself out of the library with a very interesting story with both science fiction and romance mixed together. It made me happy because it made me forget about what was happeneing in the real world. I could relate many things with our world today. The technology in the story was really neat and made me imagine what it would be like if I would be able to have the same technology-to be able to travel through time and space! The ending was the happiest part to read, it kept me on the edge of my bed (since that was where I was reading). The characters finally escape from their enemies and go to the time where they can spend time together with their kind of love and where no one goes after them.

          But I guess another thing that I recently just read (and I mean just a few minutes ago) that made me happy was a text I got from a friend. I havent checked my phone in a long time since it was deactivated. I've been wanting to hang out with my friend but I couldnt find his umber anywhere! I searched for the little slip of paper he wrote his number on for days but no luck. Unitl minutes were finally put onto my phone and found that he had texted me! Yay! I was so happy. Now I will be able to hang out with him. I also kind of like him. ;)

What Kind of Reader Are You?

What kind of reader am I?
          I always thought of myself as an action type of person. I would always enjoy the feeling of suspense that each story portrayed. But now looking at the stack of books I recently checked out from the library, I am really into the science fiction and romance. I obviously like all kinds of fiction books that are interesting. But since I am sort of a girly-girl, I'm into the girly-girl type of books with cute and emotional relationships that my younger sister doesn't seem to enjoy as much as I do.
          On the quiz I took earlier about finding what kin of readr I am, the result came out both as I expected and what I totally disagreed with. My favorite genre is fiction! Yes! I will always read books that take me far away from this world and into another full of many different surprises. Science fiction, romance, horror, and maybe some mystery mixed with the others are the best kind of stories. But the results also said that my secod favorite genre is sports. I'm am never really into sports. They are always confusing to me and make no sense. The only sport that I actually play is tennis and sometimes I run on the tredmill sometimes, but that isnt a sport. I think the quiz got that misunderstanding from when I answered the questin about what I like to do when playing video games. Yes I like solving puzzles, and doing the action but what I try to do my best is win! I want to solve everything and see what happens in the end.
          Reading will always take m to another place and I will always enjoy them, it's just that I am not sure if I will be able to read ll of the many interesting books that I want to read!