Readers Journal#7 Travels with Charley

Dear Mrs. Zrihen

I have just finished reading this amazing book! The book went far beyond my original expectations. The genre of “Travels with Charley In search of America” is a Non-Fiction and a Travelogue literature book. It’s non-fiction because all his writing is about real people, places, and events, and he records his experiences while touring America.

The characters in this book are John Steinbeck, his dog Charley , and his truck Rocinante. All of them have their own special personality. The figurative language that he used was personification. This novel was narrated in first-person point of view. The narrator is a character in the work, narrating the actions as he perceives it. He is comparing and contrasting all the states that he visits and he states all the different places have their different and unique pace. Like for example the amazing mountains, the valleys, the canyons, etc.  The cause and effect relationship in the text appears a lot but I personally think the fact that Steinbeck encountered a racial problem between the Black people and the White people. This book was written in the early 1960’s where America was affected by the segregation up south.

The supporting details that I found while reading were factual and sensory. The factual details I discovered were when he named all the states, parks, cities, and streets. Some examples of sensory details I found were when he described the places that he went to; like Arizona when he explained how abandoned and desolate the deserts were. The pattern of organization like I mentioned before is in chronological order due to the fact that everything was done in a specific time frame of 75 days all around America. How I connected the book to myself was by having the same urge to travel all around the United States and to know and experience knowing different people with different cultures and backgrounds. The connections I found to the world while reading this book is that you can do the same thing that Steinbeck did but in Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, Etc.

The quote that I chose was “Even setting this down on paper has raised the weary, hopeless nausea in me again. It is not written to amuse. It does not amuse me.”, page 260. I think this quote reminded him of how he felt during the time of segregation and how he felt pity for those black people who were humans like him and they were treated like animals, like if they thought being black is a problem.

The rating I give this book is a 10-10 because from beginning to end it was spectacular and full of excitement. I recommend this book to anyone that like to read about adventures and those who like non-fiction.

From your student,

Alan Alvarez                                                                               

Current Event#1

Current Events Journal

Title: Will Steve Jobs’ Final vendetta haunt Google_

Author: AP Technology Writter Michael Liedtke

Source:  The Miami Herald

The topic of the article is:  Steve Jobs Death

The main idea of the article is: Will Google be affected by the passing of Steve Jobs(implied)

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to: To give the reader information about Steve Jobs and how much of an importance he was to Google

The author’s perspective in this article is objective/subjective (biased) because:

The pattern of organization of the article is: Chronological order (by date)

The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is: To explain how and why this events happend

The text features included in the article are: Title, Picture, A Caption , Font

This article is about:

The significance (importance) of this article is: The rivalry between the android phone an the Iphone and what can happen to both companies  

What I learned from this article is Google was “stealing” ideas from Steve Jobs and that got him upset.

What I liked about this article It didn’t really interest me much because I don’t really care for the android and iphone

What I did not like about it It wasn't in my interest

Who should read this article and why People that are fans of apple because this involves Steve Jobs and he was the founding father for Apple

This article reminds me of (text-to-self) when my friend was talking to someone about andriod and he said apple is better

Readers Journal#6 Travels with Charley

Dear Mrs. Zrihen

For the past four days I have had a hard time putting this amazing piece of literature down. At the beginning of the book I thought of what to expect from a critically acclaimed author, John Steinbeck who is famous for books like East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath, and The Pearl to name some of his works. The strategy that I used while reading was prediction .  This helped me to tell beforehand what was going to happen to them during their adventures. In part three Steinbeck’s wife, Elaine, flew from the east to Chicago for a momentarily visit. That was good for Steinbeck because he was feeling lonely so she filled up that empty hotel room with joy and tranquility. Then he continued his journey to Illinois and then heading to Wisconsin. At this point, the way Steinbeck used his narrative to describe all the places amused me. I felt like I was actually with them in the book seeing the sights that he saw in marvel and amazement. If I were to give the book another title it would have to be “ The real Three Musketeers”  I would name it that because they represent Steinbeck, His French Poodle Charley, and his truck Rocinante, being together through all their adventures.

The message that I think Steinbeck is trying to explain to the readers is that you have to see things with your own eyes in order to get your opinion, like when people always criticize him for not going to a national landmark. It is like when you go to New York and someone asks you if you have visited the Statue of Liberty and you respond with “no” and say that you must be crazy!

While reading this book I found quite a few new words, I diverse between using the dictionary and applying the technique of context clues to comprehend their meaning. Like for example, when he wrote “I must confess to a laxness in the matter of National Parks. I haven’t visited many of them.” I used context clues to understand the word “laxness” when he said that he hasn’t visited many of them. So I understood that he doesn’t care about the national parks much. Another word I found was “escarpments rising into the clouds.” when I continue reading he said “a kind of natural Great Wall of China.” So I understood that “escarpments” has to do with something steep and big.

The figurative language that Steinbeck used a lot in this novel is personification in which he gave human qualities to his dog Charley. One example that I can mention is when they went to visit Yellowstone National Park. When he entered the park, the forest ranger warned Steinbeck about how the bears don’t get along with the dogs, so the ranger recommended to put a leash on Charley. But Steinbeck replies telling him that his dog is unique and that he respects all the animals. Also he said “I suggest that the greatest danger to your bears will be pique at being ignored by Charley.” So he was giving Charley all the emotions and feelings that a human being can feel when being exposed to the unknown, like for Charley first time seeing a bear up front.

From your student,

Alan Alvarez 

Readers Journal#5 Travels with Charley

Dear Mrs.Zrihen

I am in Part 2 of the book “Travels with Charley in search of America” by John Steinbeck. The book is 277 pages long and it’s for 12^th graders reader level so it may take me a while to comprehend what Steinbeck is addressing to his readers. The genre of this book is traveling literature, which is when the author documents the experiences of a place for the pleasure of traveling. That goes on the category of Non-Fiction and autobiography. He is also using narrative writing because he is documenting the story himself and he is relating an event or series of events.

I believe the pattern of organization is in chronological order due to the fact that it explains how his journey started, how he prepared for it, where he went first, second, and so on, how he got there, etc. The plot in Part two is mostly about how he has seen the future develop in other cities like Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, etc., and how people used mobile homes more often than he has ever seen. He explains that people use it because if somebody does not like a place, they can just drive off from one place to another place. The Author’s purpose is to inform and to entertain.  Steinbeck is using real and factual details about what he went through in his journey throughout America and he explains all the different situations that he encountered. For example, when he was trying to go to Niagara Falls and the Border Patrol asked Steinbeck if Charley was vaccinated. He said he was vaccinated a long time ago and the officer gave him a hard time because if he didn’t have the paper to prove it he had to return to the United States. That situation gave him the impression that if you don’t have it in paper, they won’t trust you. Also describes how people’s attitude changes from one city to the next.

They were many quotes that interested me but the following quote stood out from the rest : “ When I face the desolate impossibility of writing five hundred pages a sick sense of failure falls on me and I know I can never do it. This happens every time. Then gradually I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all I can permit myself to contemplate and I eliminate the possibility of ever finishing.” I like this quote because it made me think about my everyday activities in school especially those that are so challenging and at the same time take a lot of time to accomplish. This quote gave me the inspiration to never give up no matter what the cause is, slowly but surely I will get the task done.  

From your student,

Alan Alvarez

Readers Journal#4 Travels with Charlie

Dear Mrs. Zrihen

I am currently in the beginning of the book titled “Travels with Charlie In search of America ” by John Steinbeck . The genre of this book is  nonfiction. The quote that I like the most was “When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man and the road away from here seems broad and straight and sweet.” I like this quote because it show that John Steinbeck ,who was nearing the end of his writing career was not going to stop him from venturing America before he dies .

The strategies I used before reading the book were reading the synopsis that got me hooked in already so after that I looked up reviews from different people and in the back of the book there are 2 reviews from the Boston Herald and the Chicago Tribune. Then I checked for any literary elements that I can spot out after reading the first 30 pages. The protagonist are the narrator ,who is the actual author and his dog Charley, a French poodle who he takes along with on the trip to travel all of America. The setting of the book is all around America but begins in his home in Sag Harbor Long Island, New York . The theme of this book is a Realistic Fiction. The weather condition is all over the place because he goes All over America. The mood is determined and happy and also successful. I have not yet found the social conditions but I am pretty sure he talks to somebody there.

The plot is that A man and his dog go to travel across all of America because he wants to do this before he dies. He travels in a trailer car named Rocinante after Don Quixote’s horse. Don Quixote was a written by Miguel de Cervantes. Some consider it the best book ever written. John Steinbeck agreed with that statement and that is why he called it that.

From your student,

Alan Alvarez

Readers Journal #3 Sea of Monsters

Dear Mrs.Zrihen
I recently finished finished Sea Of Monsters by Rick Riordan. My favorite passage in the book was ''The way he said my name sent a chill down my back.Nobody called me ''Perseus'' except those who knew my true identity.Friends....and enemies''. I like this passage because it shows that Percy is a demi-god which you will learn in the middle of the book. Also Perseus is the son of Poseidon in Greek myths.The genre is fantasy/mystery. Some of the strategies I used were reading the synopsis so I can understand what turn the book will take a good one or a bad one. After that I asked my self questions to predict how Percy Jackson character is going to develop. The literary elements in this book changed because the protagonists changed. It changed because Rick Riordan included Tyson, Percy's friend and later reavaled to be Half-Brother. Also the conflict is trying to find ''The Golden Fleece''. In order to do that you have to go to the sea of monsters.The setting of the book was in New York City,New York. Percy is a dynamic character because The author gave a good inside on Percy's life and his lifestyle and where he goes. The weather conditions varied according to the location.In New York it was good condition and in The sea of monsters it was eerie and had a big amount of fog. Percy Jackson lives in Camp Half Blood which was a gathering spot. Percy and his 3 friends Tyson which was a cyclops, Grover which was a goat and Annabeth which was the daughter of Athena. Also The author put out had to tell signs foreshadowing an event to happen in the third book.
  Sincerely, Alan Alvarez 801