Blog 25: Chapter 6: Torey's Lyrics

Is he alive, or is he dead? Freight train running all thru my head means that Torey is worried about Christopher Creed's death and whether or not he is still alive. He is also thinking about Christopher Creed a lot and can't seem to get him out of his head.

Catch Me If You Can...

Is he alive, or is he dead?

Freight train running all thru my head.

I wonder if he sleeps

Beyond the woods oh so deep.

If only we were to hear a peep.

Then we'd hear this noisy creep.

No matter how hard we search

You will always be on the verge.

To look.

To look.

To look.

Once we're through, we will eventually find you.

The Body of Christopher Creed.

Blog 24: Chapter 1 in The Body of Christopher Creed

Christopher Creed was the class outcast and a geek no one understood or wanted to understand. Everyone victimized Christopher Creed at some point, including Torey. Once Christopher Creed is missing, Torey finds himself regretting his own behavior that he showed towards Christopher Creed and everyone else's behavior toward him. When Torey says "People can love their lies, tell their own lies, believe their own lies until hell pays a visit," he means that you can lie to yourself all you want, but at some point you will be faced with the truth. As hard as Torey tried to forget Christopher Creed, the memories would come back to him. He says this to convince the reader that the story he is about to tell is absolutely true; that he does not intend to lie about it no matter how difficult and that he will tell the whole story and the truth is the point to the story.

Blog 23: Issues in Our American Society

In the article Is Your Lunch Causing Global Warming, the author makes a very strong and solid argument that it is contributing greatly. After reading the statistics and the chain of events that take place to put the food on our table, any skeptic would be convinced that we need to make some appropriate changes to our diet. The biggest culprit of creating the most greenhouse gases we learn is beef . It is amazing to me that it creates 100 times more greenhouse gases throughout production than the same weight in carrots. We always hear about cars and factories creating the problem, but the author reveals how much more our food consumption is responsible. It is not good for us to eat so much red meat anyway, we have another reason to cut back. I will definitely think twice before ordering my meals.

In the article Driven to Distraction, the author discusses the toughest law to crackdown on texting behind the wheel that was passed by Utah. It basically treats texting while driving in the same manner as driving while intoxicated. Alaska is the only other state with such penalties, while 17 states ban texting while driving. The author makes a strong argument against texting and driving citing several accidents with convictions and quoting the Harvard study of 2600 deaths a year linked to the multitasking of texting and driving. I agree that they should be treated equally, my only problem is the need for proof that the person held responsible was definitely texting and driving. When there is a drunk driving accident, a blood alcohol level can confirm the link, but there is no such test or way to definitively link texting unless it was witnessed somehow, or possibly with confiscating the cellphone. In order to put someone in prison for fifteen years if a death occurred, I would need proof. In one case that was cited where two people were killed, the cellphone was used one minute before 911 was called. Does that prove it was the cause of the accident. Even the author expressed this issue. There is no doubt that texting and driving must be banned and punished, but each case and crime needs to be reviewed individually at this time.

Blog 22: The "Birds" & The Bees

1. What if Ms. Angelou was living in Stamps when she became pregnant? How would Momma have handled the pregnancy?

Since Momma was a deep religious person, she would probably welcome a new life even though she would be disappointed in how it came about.

2. Would Ms. Angelou have experimented with sex on her own if she hadn't been raped as a child?

I do not believe there is any relevance with her sexual experimentation and her childhood rape. I think the opposite could of happened. She might have been afraid to experiment with sex after such an experience. But generally speaking, teenagers experiment.

3. What is the likelihood of Ms. Angelou becoming pregnant if Momma or Vivian had discussed the subject with her earlier?

Probably Ms. Angelou would not have allowed herself to become pregnant if she was sexually educated. She was bright and wanted to do something with her life.

4. What if Ms. Angelou had never been sexually abused? Could her pregnancy have happened anyway? Why or why not?

Absolutely. Ms Angelou's pregnancy had nothing to do with the rape. She wanted to experiment sexually and she was uneducated about it, which led to her pregnancy.

5. What qualities has Ms. Angelou developed as she matures that will help raise a child alone?

Ms. Angelou has developed many good qualities and traits the novel, but her best trait is that she was headstrong. She becomes much more independent and levelheaded and she faces all of her fears of raising a child. She also learned the importance of accepting herself and fond of who she is.

Challenge:

1. What if Maya Angelou didn't write I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

If Maya Angelou did not write I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, we as readers would not be able to hear or listen to what Maya Angelou went through most of her life. We as readers would also not be exposed to such an inspirational writer who can open her literature and life to the world.

2. What if there was no identity in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

If there was no identity in the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, then there would be no "caged bird." In the course of the The "caged bird," Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-possessed, dignified young woman capable of responding to prejudice. The novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. If there was no identity, none of these important things would appear anywhere in the novel.