chapters 3, 4, and 5

i thought the third chapter was really good. nick had met Gatsby at a party which i thought was going to happen later on in the novel. nick went with that Jordan girl to the party but she ditched her date to be with him which i thought was really rude.i thought it was funny that nick didn't know who Gatsby was until he was talking to him, about him. i think this chapter really sets a good basis for the story and I'm expecting it to get even more interesting. while the author does a good job in detail and opinion, i don't like how he broke off from the story when he was talking to the guy who crashed his car. i think sticking to the story would have been more interesting and would have contributed to the story more than how he did it. i am also anticipating that Gatsby will become a very round, well developed character in the story. i think his presence contributes to how nick feels and describes his experiences so i hope he becomes more of a protagonist than an antagonist. over all i think the story is developing well even though its still the first few chapters and i think its going to develop into an interesting story.

i didnt think much of the fourth chapter because nothing had really gotten my attention. gatsby, as a character, isnt really round. i thought his role in this book wouldve been larger than a cocky party host. but i think chapter four gives him depth. he becomes mysterious because of the white card and the man he introduced nick to and we learn of his love for daisy and that jordan is to set up a reunion. i thought the story between daisy and gatsby was really sad because she loved him but she married tom after gatsby left for war and he wrote that letter to her. i think that jordan is also growing into a more rounded character because she is bacoming involved with everything surrounding nicks life.

chapter five was definatly satisfying. jordan and nick just had a date and now nick is asking for help with daisy. at first i was suprised to see gatsby ask him that because they had only known each other for a short time, but im glad that nick accepted his request. the beginning of the reunion seemed really akward at first but over time it turned out to be a great idea. it had become so much fun that daisy and gatsby had forgotten that nick was even there so nick quietly snuck out and let daisy and gatsby be alone.

strengths and weaknesses

i didn't really read the comments, it was more of a skim but what i got most out of it is i tend to repeat myself and argue things twice.i think to help fix my problem i could have more people evaluate my essay and read through it myself more to find places where i repeat myself so i can correct it, or at least reword it. i would say my strongest point as a writer is that i can make a structured essay. i know what an essay should look like and i try to represent that as much as possible. my weakness would either be that i repeat myself, or that i have a hard time picking my choice of words, which usually ends up in writer's block.

the awakening

i read the awakening during the first week of break so i don't remember what but i thought that it was a great argument towards women's rights in the community and in the household. it seemed very bleak and short, though, specifically in terms of detail and literal length. i like the book's argument for women's right in the community and the household because people say that it is wrong to persecute people because of their appearance, religion, etc. but men have oppressed women all the time. whether that is terms of voting, or even having a job, women have have been pressured by society to stay at home to cook, clean, and mind the children, which just isn't fair. i honestly really liked this book but i do not like how the author chose to just imply that Edna died when she was out into the sea.although i understand the authors symbolism in the water Be a rebirth of sorts, but, i think that this was simply to short of a book to take that sort of jump or assumption that she died.

chapter 31

this chapter made me happy and sad. i am happy because this is the last chapter and we can all finally move on. but, i feel sorry for jurgis' sister, marija. she is still a prostitute and plans on being one for the rest of her life. because she is addicted to morphine, and being in poverty, the brothel is the only place where she can get morrphine. i know it sounds like im am promoting it, but the truth hurts. in this time there was no rehab, esspecially for those in poverty, so marija has no choice but to stay at the brothel. but i dont see why that journalist or whatever from that magazine went with jurgis. he does not support socialism but he goes anyway. i think that this says alot for jurgis because it must have taken alot of persuasion to get a capitalist to come to a meeting. i am not suprised though, that there really is no happy ending. jurgis throughout the entire book had never had long lasting good luck. so it comes to no suprise to me that nothing has changed

chapters 27-29

these chapters were really sad. although i was happy that jurgis had gotten some money, i was really suprised at first, then mornful for marija. she is not only a prostitute now, but addicted to morphine. he found her at a brothel right before a police raid, which he found due to a lady who gave him her address. but jurgis did a good job hiding his identity at the court room where he avoided being fined or even put in prison for assaulting phil connor. then sinclaire introduces socialism into the story when jurgis goes to another political meeting where a lady urges him to listen to the speech instead of sleeping. i bielieve that is is not only a turning point for the charatcter but also one of the biggest moments in this book, if the authors arguement is for socialism and to show the wrongs in capitolism, this is where he starts. i am dissapointed though, in the timing of this argument. we've been reading for 29 chapters of unfourtunate times only to read hints toward socialism until now. but otherwise, with this new idea, i think that the story is coming together nicely now, instead of just sob stories of an immegrant and his family (not trying to be harsh)

the jungle chapters 20-23

the internet at my house wasnt working and neither was it in ms. O's room so i have to do it now. what really stuck out to me was that they just had ona's body laying in the middle of the floor. i know that they had no money for a funeral but you'd think that theyd at least put a blanket over her or put her in another room but thy just kinda left her in the middle of the floor. and jurgis just sat next to her in silence along with everyone in the room. its hard fot me to grasp the fact that they all are still enduring these hardships even though alot of people have died. but what else can they do? they have no money to leave, no help from jurgis, and why would they let all that work go to waste?

the adventures of huckleberry finn

For my individual novel, I chose the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; I chose it because when I was picking books, I was reading the backs to see which sounded interesting. When the back read of Huck and a slave boy building a raft to head down the Mississippi river and the adventure that shall be packed full of danger, I expected it to be an interesting book. But so far the book is just really, really sad. In the first book, the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huck becomes really rich after stopping some robbers. But in this book, Huck’s dad comes back and expects Huck to give him all of his money for booze, wants him to drop out of school so Huck doesn’t become smarter than his father. So Huck, realizing that his father is going to beat him until he does it, decides to give all of his money to judge Thatcher so Huck wouldn’t have to give it to his father. When the widow hears of this she tries to gain custody over Huck and become his guardian, but despite their efforts, a new judge doesn’t allow it because the judge refuses to take a boy from his father, so Huck’s father takes Huck out to a cabin that he lives in and locks him in whenever he is out and about. When I think about it, I don’t think I could continue to live in the conditions that Huck is forced to be living in. I would take any chance possible to run away from the father. I feel sorry for Huck, trapped in his father’s house doomed to stay here until he is old enough to leave, and by then, he wont be educated enough to get a job, so I really hope that Huck can find a way out of this miserable place he is in.