Ficton book prt. 7

For this post I'm going to write a letter to Jennifer Donnelly the author.

Dear Ms. Donnelly,

I have found your book to be quite entertaining and true to life. It deals with a lot of coming of age problems that we as teenagers must face during the course of our lives. It shows us how to become stronger people and listen to what's inside of us and not just what people around us think. I appreciate the fact that Mattie is such a strong character in a sense that she has an independent spirit and does not care what people think of her. She's very strong willed and also cares for her family to the point of fighting for them. I think one of my favorite parts in the book is when Miss Wilcox, Mattie's school teacher, reveals herself to be Emily Baxter, a famous poet of that time period who wrote poetry that was so controversial that she has to go under a different name. This is as I see it a pivital point in the novel because we finally see why Miss Wilcox wants to help Mattie achieve her dream of going to college.

I think it's very interesting how the murder of Grace Brown was incorporated into the novel. It makes stories that much more interesting when a real historical event is placed in the novel as a back story to something fictional that is happening. In the back of the book it shows all of the research that was taken into putting in Grace Browns story.

A Northern Light is a great book in that it has real history and fiction put into a book that all ages would enjoy.

Fiction Book prt. 6

At this point in the story, Mattie is still contemplating weather or not to read these mysterious letters that Grace Brown, one of the murder victims, asked her to burn. Mattie feels this pressure because she thinks that Grace wouldn't be pleased with her reading them, but she also feels that these letters might help figure out who killed Grace.

Meanwhile, Mattie has taken her exams that will determine weather or not she will get accepted into college. She has worked very hard and has studied a great amount for these exams and is hoping she will get into college to full fill her dreams of writing.

There is alot of back and forth between past and present in this novel and we're still in the stage where we're finding out about characters and development of them to see how they play out in the novel.

Fiction Book prt. 5

In the back of the book I have once again found an interesting question to ponder.

"Mattie says that at the Glenmore she learned "when to tell the truth and when not to." Under what circumstances might it be better not to tell the truth?"

This question is interesting to me especially because it reminds me in a way of good and bad ethics which is what we're doing in class right now. To answer the question I think it would be better to tell the truth when it's a minor thing. Like for instance you broke your mothers vase. She asks who did this and you should just simply reply and tell her the truth. It will save you probably a minor punishment and your mother will be happier that you didn't lie. A circumstance where it's probably better to lie than tell the truth would probably be, kind of like the example we used in class last week. Let's say Jon has 2 friends that have a website that makes fun of teachers and has inappropriate messages on it. The principle finds out and brings Jon in for questioning. Jon can either tell the truth and loose his friends or lie and pretend he doesn't know anything about it, and still have his friends trust. This can go either way but, I think Jon would probably lie to keep his friends trust and knowing others in society if this happened to them they would probably do the same thing.

Annotated Bibliography 3

Fitzpatrick, Meg. "Pros and Cons of School uniforms." Love to know. 29 October 2007. 9 Dec. 2008.

Meg Fitzpatrick has an undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University in English, a Master’s degree in Education from the College of New Jersey, and ten years teaching experience in the public school system. She is a certified K-8 teacher in the state of New Jersey. The intended audience for this sight may be teachers and parents wanting to know what the pros and cons of school uniforms are. This article is very similar to all of the other articles I have researched and give a lot of the same information showing that there is a trend in what I'm seeing as to the pros and cons of uniforms. This article will help me give facts about uniforms and what others think about them.

"School Uniforms." PBS.org. 1999. 9 Dec. 2008.

Even though this article was written in 1999, it gives opinions from high school students in New York City and what it was like wearing uniforms. It also shows statistics from what happened in schools with uniforms. This article can help me put statistics in my paper and quotes from different high school students who experienced what it is like wearing uniforms everyday to school.

Annoted Bibliography 2

"Should Kids Wear Uniforms to School?(For You; The Mom Exchange; Parenting/Mom Debate)(Brief article)." Parenting 21.5 (June 2007): 26. Professional Collection. Gale. Edina High School Library. 8 Dec. 2008 .

The author uses data and information that they discovered when interviewing parents from around the country. The intended audience for this article I would say is for school advisors wanting to know if they should implament school uniforms based on the opinions of these moms and for mothers around the country, to give them information on uniforms and some interesting topics that could rise. This article reminds me of both of the articles I have cited so far because these moms are stating some of the same reasons for and opposed to school uniforms. This article illuminates my bibliography topic because it shows the real opinions from mothers around the country and gives accurate data to their opinions.

Primary Source: Katherine Pappas. Dec. 8, 2008.

I am a primary source for school uniforms becuase I had to wear them when I attended a private school for a year. I have a first hand account on what it felt like to be in uniform everyday and what others felt like wearing them as well. The intended audience for this source would be those wanting a first hand account on what it is like wearing school uniforms everyday. This primary source in similar to the one above because it shows opinion. This source will illuminate my topic because it will show a first hand account of someone who went through the experience of wearing school uniforms everyday for an entire school year. I also can use information from my other sources I have reshearched to back up my opinions and accounts.

Annotated Bibliography

Darden, Edwin. "What Not to Wear." Sirs Knowledge Source. 2008. 12/6/08.

The author for What Not to Wear at the American School Board Journal, uses the first amendment, different court cases and research on schools around the country to show when it is appropriate to implicate school uniforms. The article is most likely intended for those on both sides of the case weather school uniforms should be implicated or not. In a way, this article is similar to the pro. vs. cons. on the SIRS website. The article conveys both sides to the argument, the pros vs. the cons, and how the first amendment is used for implicating uniforms. This source definitely helps for the research I am doing on school uniforms because it conveys both sides to the argument, and how the first amendment effects the implication on school uniforms.

Grauke, Issac. "Pros and Cons of School Uniforms." Articles Base. 2008. 12/6/08.

The author of this article uses the research of teachers, parents, students and with the working of schools across the country, to discuss what they all go through with the effects of school uniforms. I believe the intended audience of this article was specifically written for parents and teachers to show the pros and cons of school uniforms and what to expect if uniforms were implemented. Comparing this source to the previous article used above, they both show pros and cons to uniforms and both the professional view on uniforms. This article will help me with more pros and cons to uniforms and how it effects our first amendment rights and responsibilities.

Fiction Book prt. 4

In the back of the book, there is a readers chat page. This page has all sorts of questions to think about when reading. A quote that stood out from one of the questions was
"God took her life and she took yours." This is referring to the death of Mattie's mother and how when she died, Mattie's life ended as well.

Because of the death of her mother, Mattie no longer has the freedoms she used to. She now has to work long hours on her families farm and accomplish more chores than she used to. She can't even go to college because her father would be furious if she left him to work on his own with the younger siblings of Mattie. It's quite sad because Mattie is a very talented writer and has worked very hard to get an acceptance to Barnard, the college of her dreams. And even though she works long hours on the farm and at the Glenmore hotel, she can't even use her money she earns to buy supplies for school or for going to college.

I think Mattie's father is afraid he's going to loose another person he loves and cares for if Mattie goes to college. And he may be worried she won't come back if she leaves. I think this is a very common thought for parents now a days as well. Even though their child might have a dream of going to college far away, they worry their child won't come back home as often and the parents will loose apart of themselves. Maybe Mattie's father will realize what he's putting on his daughter and he'll give her the freedom she's always longed for.