Sunday, December 23, 2007

Under Enemy Colors

Under Enemy Colors
Post B
Dear lieutenant Charles Hayden,

I write you again because I am now wondering what will happen to Mr. Hawthorn, Mr. Wickham, and yourself now that you are off the captured French ship and now in a French town as ‘spies’. I also wonder if you agree with what Mr. Hawthorn says about how he thinks that he just put Hayden and him on this mission because he does not want them on the ship, or he wants them to die. Were you mad when Mr. Wickham showed up on the beach when it was only suppose to be hawthorn and Hayden? Do you think it was a good idea to kill that French captain, because I don’t? To me it was stupid; he blew your only cover. Also do you think that you guys will make it back to the ship safe? Like I think that someone will either be shot or will be captured. And if that is the case then you will have to back and save them.

Under Enemy Colors

Post A
Vocabulary words
1) Capitulat on page172
Verd
1.to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms.
2.to give up resistance: He finally capitulated and agreed to do the job my way.

2) Blundereron page 173
noun
1.a gross, stupid, or careless mistake: That's your second blunder this morning. verb
2.to move or act blindly, stupidly, or without direction or steady guidance: Without my glasses I blundered into the wrong room.
3.to make a gross or stupid mistake, esp. through carelessness or mental confusion: Just pray that he doesn't blunder again and get the names wrong.
4.to bungle; botch: Several of the accounts were blundered by that new assistant.
5.to utter thoughtlessly; blurt out: He blundered his surprise at their winning the award.

3) Vindictiveness on page 173
noun
a malevolent desire for revenge

4) Ostracization on page 174
Noun
1.to exclude, by general consent, from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc.: His friends ostracized him after his father's arrest.
2.to banish (a person) from his or her native country; expatriate.
3.(in ancient Greece) to banish (a citizen) temporarily by popular vote.

A quote that appeled to me was "You shall take the prize to portsmouth and, upon my return, face a courtmartial. now remove yourself from my sight." page 166.
I picked this quote because i thought that it was strange how a captian would punish some one who just captured an enemy ship. Also because they captured it they will get prize money. but i cansee why the captian is mad because he did not follow orders and come back to the ship when the captian told him to, but still hayden capured one of the enemys ships, and did not lose very many men doing so either.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Under Enemy Colors

Post B

Dear, lieutenant, Charles Hayden

I write you again because I was wondering how you felt on the issue that captain Hart stooped you from chasing the two French frigates. Because when I read that chapter in the book it seemed to me that the captain was scared to go after them, and I think that this is going to foreshadow for something to happen, like he will tell you he is scared to fight, or he does not want to because he know the crew cant be trusted with weapons and could try to mutiny. Also I was wondering why doctor Griffiths came to you after he had treated the captain for his migraines and told you that the captain would not be felling well for a day or so. I know that he was just letting you know that but it just seemed a little fishy to me, but then again he could have just been warning you. Another thing I wanted to bring up is do you think it was smart to take over the French? Because I know that you wanted to do it for the prize money and to help keep the sailors from mutinying but as you were making your way to the ship the captain was ordering you to come back. Also I don’t think he is going to be very happy that because you went over to get the ship tow men died, one man will soon die, and eight are injured. To me I think that you will not be able to catch up to the other ship but if you do I think the captain will be mad at you and he will take the prize money for him self, but then again i could be wrong and I hope I am for your sake and the sailors as well.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Under Enemy Colors

Post A
vocabulary words are

1.)dis·par·i·ty
–noun,
lack of similarity or equality; inequality; difference: a disparity in age; disparity in rank.

2.)sil·hou·ette
–noun
1.
a two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, as a cutout or configurations drawing, uniformly filled in with black, esp. a black-paper, miniature cutout of the outlines of a famous person's face.
2.
the outline or general shape of something: the slim silhouette of a skyscraper.
3.
a dark image outlined against a lighter background. –verb (used with object)
4.
to show in or as if in a silhouette.
5.
Printing. to remove the background details from (a halftone cut) so as to produce an outline effect.

3.)par·son·age
–noun
1.
the residence of a member of the clergy, as provided by the parish or church.
2.
English Ecclesiastical Law. the benefice of a parson.

4.) ebbed

1. To fall back from the flood stage.
2. To fall away or back; decline or recede. See Synonyms at

5.)pro·pi·tious

1.presenting favorable conditions; favorable: propitious weather.

2.indicative of favor; auspicious: propitious omens.

3.favorably inclined; disposed to bestow favors or forgive: propitious gods.

6.)pu·sil·lan·i·mous
–adjective
1.lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.

2.proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

7.)coxswain
–noun
1.the steersman of a racing shell.

2.a person who is in charge of a ship's boat and its crew, under an officer, and who steers it.

A quote that i thought was significant was this one on page 144. "Hayden suppressed a smile.' patience, Baldwin. I think we'll scare 'em more if we we're in range. don't you'". So he said this because they were chasing after a French ship and they were going to fire a warning and then Hayden said the quote above.and then they end up taking over the French ship. and that's where i stop ed and i think that it was really significant.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

under Enemy Colors

Post B
Under Enemy Colors

Dear Lieutenant, Charles Hayden
So on page 100-101 you describe the pamphlets that Mr. Wickcham found in the library when Mr. Aldrich returned the books to wickham. The pamphlets were called Common sense and The Rights of man; I just want to know a couple things like, why did you not tell the caption about the pamphlets? Were you scared about what he would do, because I think you should have told him he could have helped you figure the problem out and if he didn’t, you could have told Philip Stephens (the man you are writing to, to tell him how caption hart is as a caption) and you could have maybe taken over the ship. Another question is, are you worried about this the pamphlets being on the ship and all? Because to me that shows that mutiny could come around, and what do you plan to do about it if it does. Were you worried that the pamphlets came from Mr. Aldrich?

Under Enemy Colors

Post A
Under Enemy Colors
Here are some vocabulary words

Ponderously 99
adverb
1.
in an uninterestingly ponderous manner; "the play was staged with ponderously realistic sets"
2.
in a heavy ponderous manner; "he moves ponderously"

Cherubic 100
adjective
having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub; "an angelic smile"; "a cherubic face"; "looking so seraphic when he slept"; "a sweet disposition"

Commendable 103
adjective
1.
worthy of high praise; "applaud able efforts to save the environment"; "a commendable sense of purpose"; "laudable motives of improving housing conditions"; "a significant and praiseworthy increase in computer intelligence"
adverb
1.
in an admirable manner; "the children's responses were admirably normal"

Boastful 104
adjective
exhibiting self-importance; "big talk"

In·dic·a·tive 105
–adjective
1.
Showing, signifying, or pointing out; expressive or suggestive (usually fol. by of): behavior indicative of mental disorder.

2.
Grammar. Noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb used for ordinary objective statements, questions, etc., as the verb plays in John plays football.
–noun Grammar.
3.
The indicative mood.

4.
A verb in the indicative.

A quote that I think is significant was on page 101

"It led a colony to revolt, sir"

This was said by Mr. Wickham to Charles Hayden, and it was about pamphlets that were found on the boat, and the pamphlets were considered to be against the king and all he said. I picked this quote because it shows that America revolted because of how unfair the king was to them and the pamphlets mentioned earlier. And to me i think it is foreshadowing of some thing that will happen, like the crew will muntiny, or some thing will happen to capiton Hart.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Debates

Debate
By Hunter Carrico
some debate topics are public smoking in bars and teen talking on there cell phone when they drive.for both topics the debate would occur in the legislature. A purpose for debating against smoking in bars is it will hopefully stop second hand smoke in places. For teens talking and driving it will make roads more safer and hopefully not as many accidents. yes it will help arrive a better decision because if it is a law, and you brake it you will be punished. the debate are structured if they are in the legislature. like i said before if it is a law, you brake it you will pay the price.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Under Enemy Colors

Post B
Under Enemy Colors
Dear Lieutenant Charles Hayden
I write you again because I have more Questions for you like do you think that after all this, you will be a captain? Also, you said "Hayden felt his one chance to return to sea, to prove him, slipping away for certainly if Hart were removed the first secretary would recall him as well." On page 86. When I first read this I thought did some thing happen at sea and that is why you were working at a desk? Also I wondered what you think of captain Hart, because I think that he is not a good captain, he does not care what happens to any one but him self, so in other words he is selfish. Another part in the book you mention Henrietta Carthew; I want to know why you mention her. But to me when I came across her name it seemed to me that you where foreshadowing, and I want to know what will happen to her or what will bring her to you.

Under Enemy Colors

Post A

Under Enemy Colors

some vocabulary words are

1.) vac·il·late/ vac·il·lat·ing

Vacillate
on page 86
1.
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute: His tendency to vacillate makes him a poor leader.
2.
to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger.
3.
to oscillate or fluctuate.



vacillating
on page 88
1.
not resolute; wavering; indecisive; hesitating: an ineffectual, vacillating person.
2.
oscillating; swaying; fluctuating: a vacillating indicator.



2.) vol·a·tile
on page 89


1.
evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor: Acetone is a volatile solvent.
2.
tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive: a volatile political situation.
3.
changeable; mercurial; flighty: a volatile disposition.
4.
(of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly: volatile market conditions.
5.
fleeting; transient: volatile beauty.
6.
Computers. of or pertaining to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
7.
able to fly or flying.



3.) de·cant·er
on page 91
1.
a vessel, usually an ornamental glass bottle, for holding and serving wine, brandy, or the like.
2.
a bottle used for decanting.



4.) aft
on page 87


–adverb
1.
at, close to, or toward the stern or tail: Stow the luggage aft.

–adjective
2.
situated toward or at the stern or tail: The aft sail was luffing.





A Quote that I thought was significant was

"nonetheless it is the captains decision, so let us wait and see what transpires. There appears to be no unity among the men." page 86, Said by Charles Hayden.
I picked this quote because a bad storm was coming and Hayden knew what to do and that was try and wait it out, because the tide was against them and the wind was to, but the captain wanted them to sail in to port. i think this quote shows that no matter what Hayden thinks if the captain wants him to sail then he will sail. So when Hayden got the command to sail he told the men to get ready to sail, even though he knew that they were really close to mutiny.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

color of water

The Color of Water
By James McBride

Part 5
Summery
So for part 5 James McBride he starts to wonder about his mom’s past as an adult and so he flies to Suffolk Virginia, and he walks around the town based on what his mom has told him about it. So when he is walking around he comes across one of his mom’s neighbors, so the neighbor tells him about James’s grandfather, and he also wants his mom to contact Gerry Jaffe the neighbor. And when he is there he finds out that he part Jewish and he got to see where his mom went to temple and where her dad (James’s grandfather) was the rabbi.

For James mother
Ruth (James’s mom) is married to a black man named Dennis. So he comes home one day and is sick but it starts to get worse, so as a family Ruth and Dennis go to the hospital to see what is wrong with him. The doctor tells them that there is nothing wrong so they leave, and this happens quite a few times. Then one day comes by and Dennis has to be hospitalized and the doctors don’t tell Ruth what is going on. Then Dennis dies from cancer.

Part 5
Reaction
For James’s part of the story I thought that is was really nice and it shows a lot about him as a son and as a writer. For a son it shows that he wants to know what his mom went through as a single Jewish mom growing up in a Christian community and then running away to New York and just trying to escape her family, then converting to Christianity and marring two black men and raising a lot of successful black children. And for a writer it shows that he will go to any length to get the story and to get the truth. And I think that those are two great qualities to have.

For Ruth’s part of the story I thought that it was terrible that the doctor would not tell Ruth and her husband Dennis that he had cancer, and part of me says that they were really racist and the other part of me thinks that they just really did not know, but I guess we will never know. I also think that Ruth is really strong because she could have a banded all those kids or just done nothing to help them or her but no she did not she got two jobs and worked really hard and put all those kids in school and put them through college as well. And to me she is strong and she has determination as well.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Post B 11/20/07

Under Enemy Colors

Dear Charles Hayden,
I am writing to you because I want to know what Robert meant by and I want to know what your reaction meant as well “I have met him once or twice, but his reputation precedes him. I am astonished that you have not heard. Among his detractors he is known as ‘faint heart.’” On page 14. So I was just wondering why he is known as that and what your reaction was. Because when I read this I thought to myself that something bad is going to happen and something bad already has occurred and you will find out what it is. Ad also I think that he will really start to trust you and something will happen to him and you will try to stop it and you become captain. So like I said before I want to know what he meant by that quote and what your reaction meant.

post a 11/20/07

Under Enemy Colors
S. Thomas Russell
Three words that I found were

Bosun noun
a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen

Subsequently adjective
1.
occurring or coming later or after (often fol. by to): subsequent events; Subsequent to their arrival in Chicago, they bought a new car.
2.
following in order or succession; succeeding: a subsequent section in a treaty.

Spar
n.
1.
Nautical A wooden or metal pole, such as a boom, yard, or bowsprit, used to support sails and rigging.
2.
A usually metal pole used as part of a crane or derrick.
3.
A main structural member in an airplane wing or a tail assembly that runs from tip to tip or from root to tip.

A quote that I picked was
"Is he aware of your... affairs in France, do you think?"
i picked this quote because i think that it is foreshadow. because Charles Hayden is the main character and his friend Robert said this to him when he was to become the first lieutenant of a ship. so I think It is foreshadow because the English is at war with the french and Charles Hayden went to France one because he is part french, two he went there for the revolution and he was part of a mob. He also works for the kings navy so if they find out he will never work again.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

under enemy colors

Under Enemy Colors
By S. Thomas Russell.
It was published in 2007.
The book is fiction.
there are 486 pages in the book.
it is a sophmore reading level because i got the book in the adult section.
i choose this book because of the cover and the breif explnaition on the back. But the cover really got me because there is an irish flag on it and I am irish and it looked really good.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Sea Inside

The Sea Inside
by Hunter Carrico

Post 1

Well I liked the movie The Sea Inside; I thought that it was really showing what someone in that state goes through. One thing that I did not like was that it was in subtitles. Like you would have to read what they are saying then look at the screen to see what’s going on, and sometimes you would think that you missed something important. But other than that I thought that it was good. If I were in that situation I would do the exact same thing that Ramón wanted to do and did, because he had to go almost his whole life being in that state. I know that his family wanted him to stay alive but I am sure that if it were them they would do the same thing or try to. I think that the if this was not based on a true story it would not be as good because when you watch it you realize that someone actually went through that. But if you saw it and it was not based on a true story it wouldn’t have the same affect on you as it would if it was a true story.

Post 2

The Sea Inside, and, the Diving Bell and the Butterfly, both two really good stories and they are both true. Between them I thought it was one in the same but when you think about it Ramón (The Sea Inside) probably could have avoided his accident as opposes to Jean Dominique Bauby (the Diving Bell and the Butterfly) who was in his condition because of a stroke. And if I had a choice between the two I would choose to be in Ramón’s state because he can talk and move his head when Jean just can not move at all. They both relate to each other in witch they can’t move and how they wish they could, and wish they were the same as they were before there accidence's, but Ramón unlike Jean want to take his life because he knows that he will never be the same so why should he live.

Post 3

The camera angels in the movie The Sea Inside were in my opinion really obvious in the way that when we knew them the watched the movie it showed it in a new way and you could understand it better. At least that is how it was for me. One angel that I noticed was that when there was an object that was important to the story they had a close up of it, and you saw it like the person who saw it would. Like when Manuela showed Julia the box of poems that Ramón wrote, or when Julia sent Ramón the first copy of the book to him and when Javi was flipping through the pages a note fell out they zoomed in on it and to the audience it showed that the note was important. Another angel was the extreme close up of when Ramón would be flying to a place he wanted to go where he thought Julia was. Like when she asked Manuela to tell Ramón she was at the beach and then he dreamed he could fly to the beach and be with her and he was not paralyzed. Or when Julia did that when she was in the hospital when she had a heart attack, and pictured Ramón and her together.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the butterfly
By Jean Dominique Bauby


What I thought of the book “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, I think that it was one of the best books that I have ever read for school but one of my personal bests maybe, like top 11. Like I really liked that it was short and I liked how it was really descriptive. I also thought that is was a little slow moving but how much faster is going to get because he is in the state he is in. I also like how he starts day dreaming on some cool things like the one with Eugenie the wife of Napoleon III, and I like on how he is making such a big deal on such a small thing for us but to him it is the best thing that has happened to him in a long time. But there are some things I did not like in this book and they were how he used big words to describe things or he would use a foreign word that I have never heard of before. And I know that it is his book and he can write it how he wants but it is a good story and if he wanted it be read by everyone he should not use so big of words. And there is this one time where he is telling about this one time when he went to grotto and he has not had his stroke yet and it was in the middle of the book and I got half way through and I realized that. So it was kind of confusing at some parts.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Color of Water

Part one

1) So far in the book James McBride is describing how hard it is growing up in his house with only his white mother and not a dad. he also tells about how when you reach a certain point in his families life (like when his brothers and sisters get a cretin age) they start to become aware of what is going on in the world and they call it the "revolution". And how when they reach that point they just become hippies and they just don't care what they do. an example of it is when his sister Helen runs away for five years and when she comes back she has a kid, and she left when she was fifteen. and he also talks about how his brother is walking around at night with a friend and a cop accuses him for having heroin because some people that were walking in front of them drop it and Jame's brother had ninety dollar on him that he forgot about.



When he starts talking about his moms life growing up he tells us that as a teenager all she wanted was to be liked by the white kids and just have some friends and have a boyfriend. then when she gets one it is a black boy and he gets here pregnant and she can't tell anybody because if she dose her boyfriend will be killed and her dad will kill both of them. so she wants to run a way with him and get married but he doesn't so the only person that knows is her mom(and i no i said that no one knows that she is pregnant but her mom dose no because she left her bracelet in an ally and her mom found it.



2) James McBride is a jazz musician and a journalist, and was just chosen by American composer john Quincy to write his autobiography for Doubleday Books. For the book the color of water it was named the bestseller and has been on that list for over two years. as an author he has won the 1997 Anisfield Wolf Book Award. and as a music man he has such awards as the 1996 American Arts and Letters Richard Rodgers Award, the 1996 ASCAP Richard Rodgers Horizons Award, and the American Music Theater Festival's 1993 Stephen Sondheim Award. he has also won a lot of other awards and to check those out go tohttp://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/mcbride.html. There you will find picture of him as a kid and one resent picture.





Part two



This book is really good i like and i hate reading it is the one thing that i really do not like, but this book is is written so well and it is just one of those books you can't put down or i can't at least. So far in the book his mom is is raising over 10 kids black kids i might ad and she is a white woman so it is tough for her and she is living in a black community. As James starts to grow up he starts to get embarrassed by his white mom. like he dose not tell her sometimes where he going because he dose want her to show up some where and have his black friends see his mom. and James goes to a white school because his mom wants him to get an equal education as the white kids. when his mom was like fifteens she got pregnant by some black boy in her town that she loved and she was scared that the ku klux klanwas going to get him so she did not tell any one but her mom found out but never told. This book doesn't really have a weakness but the only thing that i really could think of would be that it is to long but when you think about it it is really not that bad. But the strengths are numerous, like it tells about his moms child hood and the percent and he describes the time period really well and it just really good.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

The Color of Water

The Color of Water A black man's tribute to his white mother
By James McBride
In the book the james explains what it is like to grow up in a black community with eleven other brothers and sisters with singel a white mother, as a kid he had to dads who were both black and when one died his mom tok a whlie to find another husband but did find oneand when he passed away he stars geting bad grades and stats doing drugs. He describes in the book that when he asked his mother why she was white and he is black, and she always anwsers i am light skined. James is going to camp and this kid comes and his dad is part of the black panthers he thinks and his mom stands next to the member and he thinks that the black panther member will hurt his mom. so he turns around and punshes the kid in the face. Another part of the book is when his mom was growing up with her mom who has polioand her left side of her body is paralized because of it, and dad who are jewish, and were forced to marry each other. Her family comes to america before the holocost, but they leave because the russains have been killing the jews in her village so her family desids to leave. When they come to america they have to move alot because her dad is a rabbi. so when they finally stop moving and settel down in virginia and her dad quits being a rabbi and opoens a grocery store and he runs it pretty strick.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

This I Belive

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5568583

By Tony Hawk

Do What You Love

This speech/essay is about doing what makes you happy, and not letting anyone stop you from doing what you want.

In the speech/essay he talks about how his high school teacher says "He told me that I would never make it in the workplace if I didn't follow directions explicitly. He said I'd never make a living as a skateboarder" but he still went on skating and now look where he is. "I have many job titles -- CEO, Executive Producer, Senior Consultant, Foundation Chairman, Bad Actor -- the one I am most proud of is "Professional Skateboarder." this shows that out of all the things he has done in his life time he holds close to him the title of a professional skateboarder.

My favorite passage is at the end when he says You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous. this is the motto i think everyone should live by.