Family Tuesday Blog

The topic "Family" has had the most impact on me. As I read the chapter and the part about Mitch's brother I related it to myself. Mitch says, "Yet he remained the family favorite. When he visited home, in his wild and funny presence, I often felt stiff and conservative"(95). This reminds me of my younger brother and me. He is always the energetic and likeable one of my family. I too feel very timid around him like how Mitch felt around his brother. A separate way I can relate this to myself is that like Mitch and his brother, my brother and I are opposites. Mitch states,"...I was obedient, he broke the rules..."(95) This is the same for my sibling. This made me think that maybe the ordering of siblings had a thing to do with their behavior and personality. Mostly, these quotes made me relate to my brother and our relationship with each other. 

Another reason why this chapter has had the most impact on me is because it showed me the need for family. It illustrated what it would be like if someone was familyless. When talking about what it would be like if you didn't have a family, Morrie says, "I'm not sure I could do it. Sure, people would come visit, friends, associates, but it's not the same as having someone who will not leave"(92). I wonder what Morrie means when he says that he wouldn't make it. Does this mean that his personality would decay, or that his body would die? However, it does give me some insight on what my own life would be like if I didn't have a family. It makes me grateful for the family that I do have. It also demonstrates the difference between family and friends. Family will never leave you, but friends might. This chapter made me look at my life differently. 

This topic was very important because it spreads the message about the importance for family. Siblings can be your best friend. When Mitch recalls a time his brother and him went sledding he said, "I grin at my brother and we are united with childish pride"(99). This shows that brothers can gave lots of fun together. It also depicts that this was an important part in Mitch's life, so it had to have some meaning to him. He probably remembered this moment because he felt so connected and happy with his brother that it was part of their bonding experience. This kind of relationship can only be possessed through being siblings. 

Bucket List Blog

What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far?

My initial reactions is that Morrie is a very down to Earth man. Morrie doesn't care about the material things in life and instead grasps the natural beauty of living. The way that Morrie shows that he is a peace with dying, displays how different he is from other people. Most people would be terrified that they know they would die in a short amount of time. However, Morrie embraces it and tries to make the most out of what little time he does have. He knows that during his life he lived it to the fullest he could. Now that he knows he is going to die soon, he barely has any regrets. 

Another reaction that I had was that Mitch is always trying to be something that he is not. Before and after college Mitch tries to portray someone who isn't him. Before college, he tried to look older by working out, wearing baggy clothes, and pretending to smoke. This was all in the effort to fit in. Now after college, he works crazy hours, gets paid a lot, and has a very stable life. This was not his dream when he was younger. He wanted to help the world and make it a better place. Mitch realizes how unsatisfied he is with his life after he visits Morrie again for the first time. Mitch wants to be that person who tries to help people, but instead he is just a regular nine to five guy.

My Bucket List-

• Go skydiving
• Become as educated as I need to
• Live in another country for a while
• Help underdeveloped countries
• Go to a Blue Man Group concert
• Live in a city apartment
• Go to Niagra Falls
• Have a dog
• Invent something
• Go to a Broadway musical in New York City 
• Be alive until 2100

These things that I listed include things that interest me in accomplishing. For example going skydiving has always been something that I wanted to do. I have always wanted to see the world from that angle. The invent something bullet point means that I just want to make something that no one else has. It doesn't have to become famous or make me lots of money I just want to create something of my own. It might not be possible but I would like to make it to the next millennium. It would be so cool to think that I am living in a new time period from when I was a kid. I would only have to be 97 years old to accomplish it.

Small as an Elephant Blog

Summary

The book Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson is about a boy who was abandoned by his mother at a campsite in Maine. The boy, Jack, is eleven years old, lives in Boston, and is obsessed with elephants. His mother and him go on a camping trip at Acadia National Park for Labor Day weekend. When he wakes up in the morning his mother is not there. This isn't the first time this has happened, he just wishes should wouldn't be gone long. He must survive on his own searching for his mother all over Maine. The story shows Jack's adventure and survival story of a young boy living on his own with only the clothes on his back and a small plastic elephant.

Do you like what you’re reading? Why or why not?

I did like what I read. I enjoyed the book because it was full of adventure and it was relate-able. This poor boy had to live on his own for a week while trying to dodge the police. He had to hide in some very unusual places. One of these places was a garbage bin because the police were looking for him. Jack also was trying to get to a certain destination so he needed some sort of transportation. The book says on page 124, "Before anyone else pulled into the lot, Jack jumped into the back of the truck, scurried under the tarp, and lay there facedown." This shows how he would jump into a complete strangers car in order to get where he wanted to go. He was desperate to not walk the entire way. I liked how he did this because it shows how he wasn't fearful of what might happen to him. This book is relate-able because it is about a boy who is around my age. I can imagine walking in his footsteps and thinking what he thought. 

Is what you are reading believable? Why or why not?

The book is believable. It is believable because there are many mothers who abandon their children. For whatever reasons that they do, it happens a lot. The mother in the story also had an illness so you could imagine that there was something that compelled her to want to leave. It is also believable because a kid can live alone for only a week. In the beginning, Jack collected old cans to get money. The book says, "That meant that he could get five cents for every drink container he took to the store". (57) This knowledge is something that many people know so a kid would probably use it for his advantage. This book is believable in another way because Jack is obsessed with elephants. Many people have something that they absolutely love and think about all the time. His passion for these animals drove him to continue on with his adventure.