Natalie Van Alstyne                          711           5-4-15

Coraline

Throughout the book Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, readers are able to see that the theme of the book is that there are two worlds and both of them are similar and different from each other.  The book is about a young girl, Coraline, and her parents, who move into a new house.  In the new house, at first, there is a door covered with bricks but later in the story gets uncovered, and at first leads only Coraline into a whole different world, which revolves only her which is different from the world she came from, where her parents do not pay any attention to her. At first, Coraline loves the new world, and wants to stay, but later on, she begins to hate it, and she and her parents, who are hidden from her, are trapped inside and cannot get out. Eventually, Coraline and her parents do get out, and go back to living a normal life.Throughout the book, before Coraline and her parents escape the other world, readers learn about both worlds and the way they similar and different.

In Coraline, some readers think that both worlds that the main character, Coraline experiences are similar.  On page 33, the book states, “The house looked exactly the same from the outside.  Or almost exactly the same: around Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s door were blue and red light bulbs that flashed on and off spelling out words, the lights chasing each other around the door.”  This shows each world is very similar because the author writes the houses “looked exactly the same from the outside,” and Coraline is surprised by that. Some readers believe this, but some others don’t.

Even though some readers believe both worlds that Coraline experiences are similar, the worlds also are very different.  On page 25, the author writes “she almost had it when someone said “Coraline”?  This shows the worlds are different because Coraline was surprised when someone she never met before knew how to pronounce her name instead of screwing it up which happened in the first world a lot.  Also on age 25, the author writes (talking about her mother, compared to the other mother), “Only her skin was white as paper.  Only she was taller and thinner.  Only her fingers were too long, and they never stopped moving, and her dark red fingernails were curved and sharp.”  This shows that although the first worlds were somewhat similar, they also were very, very different. As you can tell there are more examples to show both worlds are different but still, they are similar in a way.  

Overall, Coraline experiences both worlds, and readers can learn they are both similar and different.  Readers do not only realize both worlds are similar and different, but some of us also come to realize we should be grateful for what we have and learn to live in the moment.                  

Natalie Van Alstyne 711 4-15-15

China / “Gaoko” exam essay

In the article, “China’s Cram Schools” by Brook Larmer readers learn that in China, all teenagers in public high schools have to take an exam called the “Gaoko” which basically determines their future. This test is not fair to the thousands of students who take them, and so much should not be riding on them. Sometimes these students use medication and other harmful things to stay focused and study hard. The “Gaoko” exam should be more like our “SATS”, but unfortunately it is not. This exam is different from our “SATS” and too much is riding on these chinese students.

The “SATS” for American high school students, is very different because how well you do can contribute to where you go to college, but it doesn’t determine necessarily  what job you might have or how you make a living. On page 3 of the article it states, “The boys knew that manual labor would be their fate too, that if they failed to do well on the gaoko.” This shows that if students don’t do well on the exam then they would have to do manual labor, but if students got to take tests similar to the “SATS” then that wouldn’t be the case. Also, on the second page of the article it states,“In some ways, the gaoko is like the SAT or ACT but its more than twice as long and an the stakes are much higher: Given every June over several days the test is the only thing that matters for admission to universities.” This is not like the SATS at all because the SATS only count towards some of your application to universities (colleges) but mostly grades count as well as outside activities, your family history, etc.

The “Gaoko” test is definitely not fair for these high school students. The test can cause damage to teens and older children such as such as use medication and, even killing themselves. On the first page of the article there is a picture, and above it, “Intravenous Drips: Students in Hubei go to extremes to study beyond the point of exhaustion.” The photo also was of students using medication to focus and study hard. This statement shows students would do anything to prepare and get good grades on the exam. Also on the third page of the article, “Teenage suicide rates tend to rise as the gaoko neers.” This quote shows that students are so stressed and tired of doing this work, that they commit suicide. The effects of the “Gaoko” are not very good, and could possibly get worse.

Overall the “Gaoko” exam and there effects are very bad. If it were up to me, I would change the tests to be more like the “SATS”so the 20000 students that take the exam would not have to stress so much and could relax a little. The test is not fair and it basically determines your future. Some students waste their valuable childhood moments to study for this test, and that isn’t right.  

Natalie Van Alstyne 711 3-2-15

Poem Essay

Many relationships between a father and child are shown in many different and similar ways.  In both poems, “Those Winter Sundays”, by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz”, by Theodore Roethke are both similar and different. These Poems both show you a child/father relationship, but each relationships  themselves are different.

Both poems are similar because they both show relationships between a father and his child. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”,  in the last stanza the father shows kindness, the poem states, “Then Waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.” This is an act of kindness from the child’s father because, after they play rough with each other the father shows affection and kindness by holding the child and bringing the child into bed. In the poem, “Those Winter Sundays” the father shows acts of care, “Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands the ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze.” This shows that the father cared so much about his family because he gets up every day including Sundays, and has achy hands from the work he does during the week. Both poems are similar because each father loves their family, and cares for them.

Both poems are different because each father and child’s connection

is different. In “Those Winter Sundays” the author doesn’t treat his father the way his father deserves to be treated but, when the author looks back when he writes this poem he had wished he treated him better. In the last stanza of “Those Winter Sundays”  the author writes, “Speaking indifferently to him, who was driven out in the cold and polished my good shoes as well.” This means his father used to shine his/her shoes and he or she  didn’t speak with care or concern, not saying “Thank you” like he might’ve meant it. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” it seems that the father and childs/narrator's relationship was very healthy and happy. In the second stanza it states, “We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelves…” This shows that their relationship is very happy because they were having so much fun goofing off in the kitchen. These poems are different because each child and father have a different relationship with each other.

Overall,“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by 
Theodore Reothke are both similar and different. Both fathers show they love their children and but show love in different ways. No matter if any good relationship is bad sometimes, or the otherway around, both parents love and care deeply for their children.

Natalie Van Alstyne 711 3-9-15

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

In the book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll, the main character Alice dreams about her adventures throughout this magical place, Wonderland. She meets characters such as the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, Caterpillar, the King and Queen of Hearts, the Dutchess, and many more. Throughout the book, readers learn that this “Wonderland” has power over most of the characters, especially Alice. Wonderland is able to control the characters and it influences everything they do in crazy ways.

In the beginning of the book, Alice falls down a rabbit hole while chasing a rabbit she saw while dozing off when lying down on a riverbank next to her sister, who was reading a book.  The rabbit seems to be the one who starts Alice’s adventure, but the Wonderland is the one who invented this character, and put it in the beginning of Alice’s journey. On page 1, Alice follows the rabbit down the hole because she has never seen a rabbit that speaks and uses a pocket watch. “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!” Page 1. This shows early on that the Wonderland has control over Alice by having the rabbit lead her into the Wonderland. When Alice finally gets to the bottom of the rabbit hole, it turns out she is too big to go through the door leading to Wonderland. Alice finds a bottle that is labeled “DRINK ME” and after making sure it isn't poison she drinks it and finds out she shrinks very small. “And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and her face brightened up at the thought she was now the right size for going through the little door into the lovely garden.”  Page 3. This also shows the Wonderland has power over Alice because it caused her to drastically change size by making her “Drink Me”.

This theme of the Wonderland having control over Alice continues throughout the book. For example in contrast to how the Wonderland made Alice small, later in the book, it makes her too large.  She eats a piece of cake labeled “EAT ME”. “Just at this moment her head struck against the roof of the hall: in fact she was now rather more than nine feet high...”  Page 23. This shows Alice couldn’t control her size and was too big to fit comfortably in the Wonderland which is shown by her hitting her head against the “roof of the hall”. Another example of the Wonderland’s control over Alice is when she gets upset because she is too tall, she cries not like a normal girl, but instead “shedding gallons of tears, until there was a large pool all round her, about four inches deep and reaching half down the hall.” Page 24. This shows that Wonderland wanted Alice “to cry a large pool,” not just shed tears, because if it didn’t it wouldn’t have made her cry so much.   

In the end the Wonderland doesn’t only have power over just Alice but most of the characters as well. “There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head.” Page 61. This shows that the Dormouse couldn’t stay awake while sitting between two other characters, who were talking and using him as a cushion, even though he was at a tea party.  This is not normal behavior for any of the characters, and clearly the Wonderland is making the Dormouse incredibly sleepy. Another example is, “ ‘They were learning to draw,’ the Dormouse went on, yawning and rubbing his eyes, for it was getting very sleepy; ‘and they drew all manner of things-everything that begins with an M-’ ” This shows the Wonderland is again trying to get the Dormouse to go to sleep.   

Overall, the Wonderland has power over Alice and over most of the other characters in the book who act in crazy ways. Even though in the end readers learn that it turns out to be just a dream when Alice gets woken up by her older sister, we went through an exotic journey with Alice where she had little control over what was happening.  One thing readers can learn from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is that you don’t always have control in what will happen in your life, but you can usually get through it.

Natalie Van Alstyne 711     12-11-14

“Building Bridges” Essay

Sometimes in life you have to realize you have to let your child or grandchild go, so they can continue to follow their dreams. In the story the main character, Bebe is determined to work on the Brooklyn Bridge over the summer, but her grandmother Mama Lil won’t let her, because she doesn’t want to let go of her only family member. Throughout the short story, “Building Bridges” the author Andrea Davis Pinkney shows that it can be difficult to let go of someone in your family, but you have to realize their dreams are very important.

In the beginning if the story, when we first meet Bebe she wants to help fix the Brooklyn Bridge over the summer but Mama Lil will not let her, no matter what. In the story Mama Lil says about Bebe working on the bridge “Whatever you call it, it’s a white mans work,” on page 21. This shows that Mama Lil is the one reason for Bebe not to work on the bridge project. Also this shows Mama Lil thinks Bebe can’t do something because of the color of her skin. This quote also demonstrates that this is what Bebe wants for herself, but not what Mama Lil wants for Bebe. Another example on page 24 is when Bebe thinks to herself while staring at the Brooklyn Bridge, “I never got tired of looking out at its Steel girders and Iron cables.” This shows how much Bebe loves the bridge and that she is very committed and will not give up convincing Mama Lil to sign the permission slip to help her achieve her dreams. This shows Bebe’s determination.

In the middle of the story “Building Bridges” Mama Lil still won't’ let Bebe leave and go work on the Brooklyn Bridge, but will of course let her work at “Rimley’s Beauty Parlor”. On page 27 it says, “On the Saturday night before the project was to start, Mama Lil did something that got me real mad. She brought home a summer job application from Rimley’s Beauty Parlor, where she and her gossipy friends spent their days.” Further more, this showes that Mama Lil is trying to keep Bebe physically close to her no matter where she is or where she goes. Also on page 27 Mama Lil lit a Carlton, her favorite kind of cigarette,”She sat back on her sofa, blowing smoke straight ahead. Her eyes avoided mine.” As you can see, Mama Lil is thinking and realizing Bebe’s dream and doesn’t want her to grow up and let her fulfill her dreams of becoming an engineer.

In the end of the story Mama Lil will finally let her granddaughter work on the bridge because she is finally letting Bebe grow up and starting to let her go. For instance the text reads, “The Bridge renovation Crew was scheduled to meet at 7:00 at the Tillary Street entrance,” page 32. This shows that Bebe would be dedicated to the job, and if she knows all this information then this is really her dream. On page 34 Mama Lil says after she finally signed the permission slip, “Bebe that bridge is lucky to have you.” This shows that even though she and had to let Bebe grow up and be a young adult, she was willing to do what Bebe really wanted for herself.

Throughout the story Bebe is determined to convince her grandmother, Mama Lil to let her fix up the Brooklyn Bridge. Sometimes in life you have to deal with obstacles that being Mama Lil and Bebe’s relationship, in order to eventually get what you want, just like Bebe. You can also learn to not give up on your dreams like Bebe did in this story. It can be hard to let your child or grandchild go but you must let them have the opportunity to be able to do what they want, so they can follow there dreams.

Natalie Van Alstyne 10-6-14

Class 711

My Name

My name is fierce. My name is meaningful. I was given my name because my parents really liked it and did a little research on it. I was going to be “Kelly”, “Kaye”, or “Georgine”, but my grandmother hated those names for me. Also one of my parents favorite actresses shared the name.

My name means “Christmas Day” in Latin. Another meaning is a “strong one” or “blessed one”. My name reminds me of winter. What I mean is Christmas is in the heart of winter, and I do not love summer as much as winter. I was born the day before Thanksgiving, so it is in winter (at least at the beginning of winter).

My name has the same title as a Bruno Mars song. The song is weird, loud, and upbeat, just like me. My name is very special to me. I think that since Bruno Mars's song share the name I hope that the name is special to him as well.

My name reminds me of the color pink. A glittery pink. Maybe because that is my favorite color, but people say that I look like I would like the color pink, also I do wear a lot of pink. Pink is a very bright, happy, fun, and nice color, just like me.

My name has seven letters in it. Seven is a prime number. I love how my name is a prime number. Also my birthday is the eleventh month which is also a prime number. To me having a name with seven letters, and a birthday in the eleventh month, both being prime numbers,  means to me nothing can make me give in, and nothing can get in my way.

My name is Natalie

Natalie Van Alstyne                                                                                           9-16-14

711                                                                                                 Reading Response/Essay


                      This past summer I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashres. This book is about four best friends who have known each other all of their lives.   Bridget, who goes to soccer sleep away camp, Lena, who goes to Greece to see her family, Carmen, who goes to South Carolina, and Tibby, who stays home and works at Wallmans the local super market, all over one summer. In the book, Carmen goes to the thrift store and buys a pair of "magical" jeans before they all leave each other.  Somehow all of the girl fit into the jeans are magical because each girl fits into the jeans and the pants travel with each of the girls over part of the summer and gets sent to another girl after they are done with it.  In this essay I will show you how this book was inspiring and fun.

                     The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was inspiring to me because of the relationship of the girls together as friends. There bond together as friends was very special. They all were very close with one another, and supported each other through everything. One example how they supported each other through everything is when Bridget was growing up her mother passed away and Lena, Carmen, and Tibby were all there for her.  Another example is when Lena came home from Greece her friend all came to the airport to pick her up.  Maybe the most important example way they showed how special their friendship was when they got together before they separated for the summer at the place where their mothers first met when they were babies and performed a ceremony where they empowered the pants to make sure it brought them good luck when the pants traveled with each girl.  These are some of the examples why I am inspired by their friendship with each other.
                   
                    The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was fun because all of the characters seemed like fun and were very alive people.  Bridget was such a determined, cool, and funny person.  Bridget was determined when she tried to date her soccer coach at camp despite that she knew she had no real chance.  Carmen is very nice, happy and brave.  Carmen was brave when she stuck up for herself with her dad who paid more attention to his new family than to her.  Lena is flirtatious, funny and smart.  She was flirtatious when she met Costos in Greece.  And finally, Tibby is tough, smart, and hardworking.  Tibby is very hardworking because she creates a movie by putting a lot of hard work into it and making it great at the same time she is working at Wallmans.  Another reason why I think this book is fun is because all of these girls are always doing something and something is going on all the time.  They are never bored, alone or sad (besides when they are grieving about something which is understandable).  Another reason I thought this book was fun is because it was because it was always making me wonder "what will happen next"?  Lastly, the reason I think the book is fun is because it never slowed down, meaning I was never bored.

                    Overall, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was very inspiring as well as fun, for a number of reasons.  I hope you have learned some of those reasons in this essay.