Jem's Journal

Gee Minetti! That trial was a disaster! The small shred of credibility is now destroyed... But what I've noticed is that I have been seeing stuff differently about the people of Maycomb County.

First of all, I now understand why Boo Radley never reveals himself. It's not that he's kept inside, but he stays inside because of his own will.

I've also noticed that since Mr.Ewell spat on Atticus's face, the people of Maycomb County has sort of followed Atticus, losing respect for Mr.Ewell and what he did.

The Cunninghams are now often heard in Maycomb County. Scout wants to invite Walter Cunningham to dinner to find out specific details, but Atticus and Alexandra are not going to allow her to do so.

Overall, the people in Maycomb has changed after the trial, because they have seen how unfair it was. I feel like we're more united in a way, like if every one of us were in a family.

I didn't think that we should bother Boo Radley anymore, because I think that according to what he has done for me and scout, he is a nice person and it wouldn't be such a good idea to bother him when he stays in the house not because he is forced to, but he wants to stay in.

Cover for To Kill a Mockingbird

This cover is a simple and original cover for the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The white dots on the background represents the snowfall in Maycomb County, which almost never happens. The objects in the knot-hole represents the presents to Scout and Jem from Boo Radley. No story line is spoiled in this cover, and it is simple, representing the book.

Maycomb County Herald

Lord of the flies book vs movie

Lord of the Flies Book VS Movie

The three major differences between the movie Lord of the Flies by Harry Hook and the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding are the captain’s survival, the lack of the conch’s role and the unclear descriptions of the tension between Jack and Ralph.

The biggest difference that altered the movie from the book was the captain’s survival. In the movie, the pilot survived the crash along with the boys. Later on in the movie, the pilot becomes the “beast” as he runs away from the camp and hides himself in a cave. However in the book, the pilot dies in the plane crash and the “beast” is another pilot who crash lands on the island during the story. This is a very crucial difference because Golding’s intentions were to show that without an adult there is no order between the boys. However in the movie, Hook does not show this.

Another major difference was the lack of the conch’s role. In the book, Golding made the conch’s role clear and symbolic by making it symbolize a lot of elements. For example, it symbolized leadership because Ralph used it to gather the boys in the assembly. Also, it symbolizes order in civilization and democracy because everyone had a chance to speak with the possession of the conch. However, in the movie, Hook did not give a lot of meanings to the conch. The conch was mainly used to gather boys in the island by blowing it rather than symbolizing anything beyond its literal use. The destruction of the conch was symbolic in the book because it showed the end of democracy when the conch shatters to pieces. To the contrary, Hook did not even show the annihilation of the conch at all.

The last major difference between the book and the movie is the unclear description of the tension between Ralph and Jack as the book progresses. Every chapter, Golding showed how the relationship between Jack and Ralph worsened and how the aggression between the two became very tense. The clash for power was the reason why Jack and Ralph had a bad relationship. Jack wants the chief role but is unable to take over Ralph’s spot as chief. In the movie however, this important path is not shown. Hook also omitted some parts of the book that showed Jack’s frustration towards Ralph. For example, he omitted the part when Jack tries to outvote Ralph from the chief spot.

The three major differences show how the movie lacked specific details and how it omitted significant scenes from the book. The movie only showed the literal storyline of the book instead of showing symbolic and significant inside meanings of the book. Hook also modified some parts of the book in his movie version. But by doing so, it vaguely shows the outside storyline of the book while the novel contains deeper and symbolic meanings.

Your Version

Ralph stumbled over a rock, fell, and could not get back up. The group of hunters got close with Jack, many of them willing to take the first shot at killing the beast.

“Stop! Stop!” Jack halted the group to lower their spears. His thought of killing Ralph made him sweat with excitement. This was the end. This was the final path for him to be the real chief.

Ralph staggered, trying to drag himself away from the group of savages. He tried his best to claw through the sand, but it was useless. Suddenly, a brown stick whooshed through the air like a striking bird; it passed right next to Jack’s head, missing it by only a few inches. The sharp end pierced through Ralph’s chest. Ralph let out his last breath, and fell on the sand helplessly. The sand started spreading bright red colors. The sound of the wave echoed while the boys looked at the dead body with their eyes wide open with astonishment. Dead silence followed until Jack broke it.

“Who threw the-“

“I did,” a familiar deep voice came from the group of boys. Roger stood forward with pride as he stared down at Jack. “You got a problem?”

Jack stared back at Roger. For a slight second, the boys could feel the tension rising between their two strongest leaders. Tears ran down Jack’s cheek with frustration as he brought up his spear and launched it towards Roger. Expecting the situation, Roger bent down. Caught the spear at the side and pulled the spear, dismantling Jack’s only weapon. Then he threw a powerful fist towards Jack’s stomach, making Jack get down on his knees and cough. Roger walked away towards the Castle Rock, ignoring Jack’s presence. Jack couldn’t say anything; he was left to be embarrassed by his own group of boys. Boiling with frustration and anger, Jack fell on the sand, vision surrounded by darkness.

Jack opened his eyes to see his group of hunters, but only a few of them.

“Where are the others?” Jack said in amazement. All of his hunters had a sad face expression, every one of them afraid to talk to their chief. “Answer my question!” Jack shouted.

“Roger… Most of the boys followed Roger… He made his own tribe, I’m sorry, Jack,” Maurice managed to say with his head looking down.

“no….” Jack whimpered, as tears fell from his eyes. He thought he would be chief, but after letting Roger kill Ralph, everything turned into dust. Suddenly, Jack stood up, snatched Maurice’s spear. His face looked like a warrior about to confront his last battle. “Where is Roger?”

“Jack is now powerless!” Roger shouted at his group of boys. “I killed Ralph. I took down Jack as well. There is nobody in this island who can confront and win against me! Stay with me, and safety will be provided!” the crowd of little boys shouted with confidence as Roger made his statement clear. He had moved to the beach shelters, along with a group of boys when Jack fainted by his might punch.

“Roger!” a voice sounded from the outside. Roger knew this would happen and was ready.

“Remember boys, this is the final step. Win this and we will be dominant,” Roger said without hesitation. He went outside; along came his group of boys, with each of them grasping a spear in their hands.

“You’re not chief,” Jack said.

“Well, you don’t deserve to be chief, because I am stronger than you,” Roger said back.

It was enough to ignite the fire. As soon as Jack raised his spear, everything was out of control. The boys from each side started fighting each other, regardless of who they were fighting against. Roger himself confronted Jack as the leaders clashed for the final throne. Blood was everywhere; unconscious boys lay on the floor.

Suddenly, a gunshot from a distance was heard. All the boys stopped fighting and looked towards the direction from where the gun was fired. A man with a white topped cap was running towards the boys with his revolver pointing upwards in the sky.

“What’s happening here?” the naval officer said. “Everyone drop their spears!”

“Sir, we were just…” Jack tried to protest.

“So you kids are British? I’d have thought that British kids would have done better than this,”

The boys were surprised and astounded. They were living in their own dreams, not knowing that rescue would eventually arrive.

“I will be waiting at the end where the ship is. Come when you’re mentally ready to leave,”

The kids just stood there, until one of them decided to follow the officer. At the end, only Jack and Roger stood on the sand. They were addicted to the taste of power and now they have realized the fact of the rescue. Warm breeze blew as Roger lead the steps with his face pointing down. Jack followed, and the island was left with just bodies and blood, everything they have tried going to dust.

Analysis:

In previous chapters, Golding provided noticeable clues about Roger. Jack could not punish or even say anything to Roger, because Jack was afraid of Roger. Roger never hesitates to kill; meanwhile Jack did not directly commit any murders. What happens in the Lord of the Flies happens commonly in history, as Jack takes over Ralph’s chief spot and Roger foreshadowed to do the same if Golding did not send the officer to the island. In Chinese history, many leaders have overthrown the king and set a new dynasty. It is human nature to want to be the leader, making people inhumane and savage. Golding did a great job showing human nature for power in the Lord of the Flies.

Tanka

The conch, now useless

Civilization is lost

No specs and no fire

The power has been shifted

Ralph, hopeless, helpless and lost.

You Can't Have it all

You Can’t Have it All

By: Kun Hee Yeo

But you can have the sweltering bright sun rays of Panama,

Like thousands of light bulbs all merged as one.

You can have the friendly buzz of mosquitoes

Waking you up at 3 A.M, asking for blood donations.

You can have your neighbor’s small dog, barking at every single

Movement you make. And when it is November,

You can have the infinite pouring of water every day. You can have love,

Even though rejection will occur often, like small little earthquakes,

Happening all around the world every day.

You can have the guitar noises of Slash and incredible singing of Axl Rose,

All in the songs from Guns N’ Roses. You can have hopeless “friends”,

Giving $20 to the cashier just for one box of Marlboro Light.

You can insult anyone out loud freely in Korean,

And them making mysterious faces, showing no clue about what we are talking about.

You can visit the grave of your great grandpa,

Ride 100 miles every year for someone you never knew.

You cannot turn invisible, an ability that everyone wants,

But what were you planning to do with it, anyways?

You can always dream,

Go back to your sweet hometown in a second, get millions of crispy green papers with the face of Benjamin Franklin, jump down from a 63 story building and still live, become the king of the world,

Until the disgraceful beep of the alarm clock waking you up at 6 A.M.

You can see your grandpa at least once every three years,

Not knowing when to say “Good Bye” to him.

You can have great friends,

A friend who always corrects you when you make a grammatical error,

A friend who always accompanies you with basketball,

A friend who beats you in math, just by a single point,

And a friend who is always busy with tennis.

You can live in seven different countries,

The sombreros of the Mexicans, bare footed kiwis, dirty Argentine taxi drivers,

And the unique “Que Xopa” from the Panamanians.

You can have the sweet blended banana smoothie from your aunt, the spicy pork ribs only your mom can make, and the mysterious soups with unknown ingredients from your grandma, which you are forced to eat.

There are the voices of your friends strengthening you in clutch situations; they are always there, no matter what. You can’t have it all,

But there is this.

Poetry Notebook

Basketball

Selected by Kun Hee Yeo

Description:

Being one of the most popular sport worldwide, basketball is played all around the world by a lot of people. It is also proven that playing basketball helps growing taller when played at a young age. Basketball is also scientifically proven to increase your agility if played continuously. Here are some poems by veteran basketball players. Some of the poems show about the feeling when playing basketball and others compare basketball actions to other activities.

Synopsis:

My favorite sport is basketball so I decided to make the topic of my collection as basketball. Here are some wonderful poems by veteran poets.

Poems:

• Slam, Dunk, & Hook by Yusef Komunyakaa
• Buzzer Beater by Zack Fick
• Old Men Playing Basketball by B.H.Fairchild
• Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike
• Foul Shots: A Clinic by William Matthews
• Basketball by Zack Fick
• Love of the Game by Josh Underwood
• Chasing Perfection by Zack Fick

Gray Owl-Benjamin Moore-2137-60

By: Kun Hee Yeo

Cold, frigid, and frozen

He sits on the field of

Clear, milky white snow

Bare-foot,

Basic clothes,

Broken down.

Above where he sat,

Was a luminous streetlight

Eating up the darkness

His hopes were

As fragile as a candle light

In the open storm.

He sets up

A rusty tin can,

His only hope.

Revealing

Three shiny copper pennies

His hair

Was turning white

By the settling snowflakes

A man

Stroll pass

The snowy field

As if the boy wasn’t there

Showing no sign of pity.

Only

The Great Grey Owl

Sitting on the pine tree

Looks at the boy

With its

Wide eyes

As the freezing winter

Wears upon him

And puts the boy

Into a deep sleep

Never to wake up

But to reach

The world

Above the sky.

Beast from Water

Beast from Water

Perhaps that’s

What the beast is-

A ghost.

My dad says,

There’s things-

Squids.

Beast my foot!

He lost himself

In a maze.

Did not know

Where.

A thin wail out of the darkness chilled.

Who are you

Anyway?

Sitting there

Telling people

What to do.

Bollocks

To the rules!

Who cares, Ralph?

Ralph stood

Knee-deep

In the central grass

Looking down

At his hidden feet

Powerless to help himself.

Like dry leaves

Drifting,

And going rotten

Jack was

The broken storm

A thin wail out of the darkness chilled

Broken down,

Shaken by the wind,

And lost

In deep waters.

Too late to stop

And the spring had been tapped

Beyond the reach

Of authority.

Where I'm From

I am from the streets of Korea, where everyone is busy and traffic jams are normal

I am from the roof of my grandparents’ house

Painted all green, wide, the bright red color of the dried chili peppers.

I am from tall climbable trees,

Brown, insect-full and the smell of the rotten barks

I am from the bowls of traditional Korean seaweed soups,

Served on every birthdays and cooked from my mom and grandma with their expert cooking skills

I am from the bird decorations our family buys every time,

Cranes, chickens, owls, parrots and ostriches

Which are found flying all over my house

I am from my dad’s sayings about

“Life is unfair,” and

“Being taller than me doesn’t make you boss,”

I am a pure Korean from Seoul,

The spicy cooked fish meals that make you sweat and

The warm chicken soup that keeps you warmed even in winter times

I am from the suburbs of Anyang, Korea

Where my mom grew up as a child

The seashore of Incheon

Where my dad hanged out with his friends and caught fishes to be cooked at his house

I am from seven different places,

The Skytower of New Zealand,

The Sombreros from Mexico

But deep in my heart,

Only one nation.

I am from those moments,

My life is like a budding tree

Vulnerable at first

But stronger as I grow

With the experiences becoming the roots of the tree

Devastation in Japan

A crucial event occurred in March 11^th in Japan as devastating earthquakes and tsunamis hit the coastal areas of the north of Japan. Adept seismologists agreed that it was a tsunami of 8.9 in the Richter scale (later edited to 9.0). The fitful plates around 200 miles from the Japanese coasts collided abruptly, causing the earthquakes and tsunamis. The shaking buildings were audible, and lots of people inside were in a hurry to avoid injury. However, the disaster was inevitable.

The damages were severe: copious amounts of houses, cars, and boats were flooded. The streets were ruined and the farming fields were flooded as well. There were a lot of casualties, but the exact amount cannot be determined as the situation is not over yet.

People thought that the worst was over, and that the gruesome situation would decelerate. However, the situation did not get better as the nuclear power plants in Fukushima exploded. The dangers of radiation had increased. Experts analyze that this nuclear plant issue will not be like the Chernobyl accident, but the scientists haven’t been able to control the nuclear power plants. Three different emergency generators have been deployed to facilitate the control of the power plants, but all of them have failed.

Helpers from all over the world were deployed to Japan in order to rescue the victims of the earthquake. Every country gave unique aids to Japan, some of them including rescue dogs, nuclear experts, capacious planes and boats holding millions blankets, and debris-clearing machines. The rescuers will be grappling the debris and waters to be able to reach the trapped victims.

We all hope that Japan will be able to recover from the situation as quick as possible. It is truly a tragedy that nature struck the Japanese coasts, and countries should help rescuing the survivors by sending in aids and supplies.

Epileptic

Epileptic

By: David Beauchcard

As Jean-Christophe comes out of his room with a kitchen knife in his hands, David comes out, tackles him and intercepts the knife. David didn’t want anyone to get hurt. “What’s going on?” David’s dad shouts storming from his room. David does not tell him about the knife, to protect Jean-Christophe from getting sent to the hospital.

David Beauchard gives us a unique story of his life in Epileptic. Epileptic is a story about the author, David, living a hard life with his brother, who is diagnosed with epilepsy. Hence, the author titled the book Epileptic. David’s brother, Jean-Christophe, gets epileptic seizures three times a day, not being able to find a cure. The book is about the author and his family journeying to battle Jean-Christophe’s epilepsy.

The book starts from the author’s childhood. Told chronologically, the author becomes an adult at the end of the book. During the author’s childhood, he was the first person to find out about his brother’s epileptic disease. Almost three times per day, Jean-Christophe experiences epileptic seizures, unconsciously falling to the ground, drooling and whimpering. David makes several attempts until his adulthood to cure Jean-Christophe, but unfortunately fails every time.

From childhood to adulthood, the author realizes about a lot of things. First he was worried about his brother and hoped that a doctor will be able to cure him later on. But as several medical attempts fail, David loses hope and thinks about plans to kill him. His siter thought the same as David, and they both had the mutual feeling of pity and hatred towards Jean-Christophe. But when David reaches adulthood, he understands Jean-Christophe’s epilepsy and feels empathy for him.

There were no favorite lines I liked since the book was a graphic novel, but I still had a favorite graphic. It was in page 235, because I could really know how David felt with all the attention going to him and his brother. It was a picture of the crowd looking at his brother having a seizure. It described really well how David felt embarrassed of the crowd because of his brother.

I believe

I believe that every student has forgotten

Their homework at least once

But that it’s normal

I believe some people

Are too obsessed with celebrities

I believe that basketball

Is the winners’ sport

I believe that money

Is not the source of happiness

But the poor need it

I believe that life is like a mountain

Once you reach the peak,

The rest is easy

I believe that luck will never run out

But I shouldn’t rely on it too much

I believe that I cannot survive a month

Without spicy food

I believe that Red Bull

Really gives you wings

But overdrinking kills

I believe that I cannot live

Without Rock N’ Roll

I believe that being busy

Is better than being bored

I belive that dogs

Should not be eaten

I believe that everything

Will eventually fly away from me

Or I

Will fly away from them

So we must make

Good use of the time

And enjoy our lives

Like today’s our last day

Calamity in Staples Center

The stadium was full of people and it was hard to assimilate into the crowd. Kevin came to see the classic game of the Lakers VS Celtics with his son Blake. He could not afford the expensive seats in the front rows, so he had to buy the seats on the back of the stadium. The Staples Center was always crowded, especially when there is a classic game like Lakers VS Celtics. Kevin regretted buying the $20 dollar seats. He could barely see the players on the court.

Kevin saw a strange man sitting down right next to him. He had a guitar case strapped to his back. It was strange. Why did the man bring a guitar case to a basketball game? His facial expression looked as if he was drugged and drunk. Kevin thought that the guy was suspicious, and decided to meticulously watch over him constantly. He didn’t want his son to get hurt.

During the second half, Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers received a technical foul for aggressively pushing a player from the other team. The fans were outraged. Bryant shouted at the referee in dissension. The referee ejected Bryant from the game, and the fans shouted in disgust. That was when the stadium was in a state of calamity.

The stranger opened his guitar case and took out what looked like a sniper. Nobody noticed since everyone’s attention was on the basketball game. However, Kevin noticed. The stranger aimed at the court. Kevin immediately reacted and tackled the stranger. The bullet was fired, but it didn’t hit anybody. Kevin had tackled him at the right time. The stranger dropped his sniper, and the sound of the bullet made everyone’s attention go towards the stranger and Kevin. Kevin held him down on the floor while the security guards came. Kevin, his son, and the stranger were all arrested but Kevin and his son was later on released.

The next day, Kevin was lionized by the citizens of Los Angeles. He was on the newspaper and his neighbors had congratulated him. The stranger was found guilty for attempted murder and was sentenced 10 years in jail. Kevin was a town hero for saving the players from getting hurt. NBA granted Kevin and his son VIP membership to all future NBA games.

Ending the king's anarchy

A long time ago, there was a lazy king. A king who cared only for himself and didn’t care about the citizens of the country. His lack of work also made the government lackadaisical. He would raise the tax just for building a new palace for himself and his family. The citizens didn’t like the anarchy at all. They were mad. They had meetings in small towns and planned for a riot. Soon there were protests and riots in every part of the country. However, everyone who participated in the riots were apprehended and put in jail by the king. The citizens were outraged. They wanted the king to resign. Some even wanted him dead.

Johnny, a 35 year old veteran assassin could not stand the king's madness. Other people begged him to assassinate him. Therefore, Johnny planned for a conspiracy with his crew of assassins. They planned to kill the king while he was on his way to terminate the riots. It was obviously a simple plan and nobody thought that Johnny would succeed. The king always carried the best trained army called the Black Capes. Only the best of the soldiers were able to join the Black Capes. All of the Black Capes members were given a long black cape as an approval of the king. However, Johnny was not an ordinary assassin. He was highly trained since he was a young kid. Even the king had feared him. One time, the King wanted Johnny to be the leader of the Black Capes. Johnny declined back then. Johnny and co. wanted to end the anarchy and give the country back its peace. The Black Capes was no match for Johnny's agility and skill. While his crew distracted the Black Capes, Johnny quickly assassinated the king with his nimble body. The king was dead and the country regained their peace. The citizens asked Johnny to become their new king, but Johnny declined.

Travel Journal...Day 26

The early sunshine in Bocas Del Toro woke me up. Today was one of my best days in Bocas Del Toro because we did a lot of touring. With a private captain and a private hotel boat that only carried our family and the captain, we went around the islands near Bocas Del Toro. Much included snorkeling, dolphin watching, seafoods and beaches. It was funny when the captain caught a sloth from a tree and showed it to our family. The lazy monkey was the slowest creature I ever saw.

Travel Journal...Day 25

Today I woke up at 4:30. I had to wake up early because we were going to Bocas Del Toro today. But the bad part is that the trip was by... car. We had to drive all the way to Bocas Del Toro and it took around 9 hours in total to get there. In a port near Bocas Del Toro called Almirante, we had to park our car since we couldn't take our car to the island. Then we went on a boat to the Isla Colon Island. The best part was that we went to a hotel OVER the ocean. So the hotel was basically not on land, but over the water. It was like an isolated place, but it was really good there. The emerald green water was really clear.

Travel Journal...Day 22

Basketball Again =D Today however, I played with some special people. Matthew and his dad and his younger brother Sammy, Evert, Nich, their parents, and a guy called Sebastian and his parents. We played basketball in the small school gym. After that, I went to Nich/Evert's house and played 1-on-1 against Nich. I lost 20-16, but trust me, it's pretty hard to win against a guy who is almost the height of an NBA player... I had a great day, hanging around with Matt and playing basketball all day.

Travel Journal...Day 16/17

Happy New Years!

This is the day 2010 ends and 2011 starts!I stayed up until 12 and I watched the mediocre fireworks from the windows of my apartment. The fireworks sucked compared to the fireworks in other countries but at least there were fireworks. I hope 2011 is better than 2010 and I hope nothing gets stolen again like my laptop and my iPhone...