Thecheriepond’s Weblog

Cherie Adan

Matt Thomas

Language 9

January 7, 2008

Okay, so I am so excited to start out the new year.  I hope to make this the best year ever, although it will be hard to top last.  I mean who can top a cruise to Alaska? Or my favorite, a whole week with the best aunt ever in Denver.  I would do it all over again! Last year I had the chance of spending time with my family, and for that I feel blessed.  Last year my resolution was to spend time with the family, and I succeeded.  Even when my Grandma Mary Ann died,  it was a blessing because I got to see  all of my mom’s side of the family, all together. For the first time since my Grandpa Jake died, I got to see my cousins Izzy and Emery, and I had the chance to form new relationships with them.  I feel like we are as close as we were when we were all five!  But now that the glorious year, for me anyways, is over I wonder what else I need to focus on to make myself a better person.  At the drop of a hat, a thousand ideas pop into my head, but today I am only going to focus on one of my many resolutions.
To have more patience. I tend to get upset when people take longer than I expect them to.  So, for the new year I decided I would work on patience and try not to get upset when someone takes longer than I would expect them to. One person to benefit from this is my little brother, Christopher.  I am always yelling at him for some stupid reason.  I need to cut the kid some slack, my friends always tell me, so I will.  I am going to be a better sister somehow, and this is a good start. I also realize that I am going to benefit from this as well, because whenever I get in trouble, its usually for getting on my brother for an unnecessary reason.
So now I have to think of how I am supposed to fix this personal flaw.  I know I have to be understanding that Christopher is a little slow, and he is three years younger than me, and he also happens to have ADHD.  I need to understand how cruel I really am to my poor little brother. No wonder my parents get mad at me whenever I pick on him, but in my defense he can be quit the handful sometimes.  Gosh, I’m bad at this.  Okay, okay, maybe my new years resolution can be to understand my brother better.  To understand what the kid is going through. I hate seeing him sad, I hate it how rude I am to him. I got it!  My new years resolution of 2008 is to be a better sister!
Now I know how I am going to top last year.  I am going to try and be my little brothers best friend when he needs someone.  I am going to be more understanding to him and his flaws. I want to be there for him and make this the best year for him. After all, I don’t want to loose my little brother, what would I do without my only sibling?  I don’t want him to resent me when he is older, I want him to know I will be their for him when no one else can.  If he gets arrested, I want  to be the one to bail him out, I want to be their to watch him grow up into the brilliant person he really is.  I just want to make things right with him and I don’t want him growing up thinking I hate him.  Because I don’t.

Cherie Adan
Matt Thomas
Lang. Arts 9
December 17, 2007

Disclaimer:
This paper does not properly reflect Cherie Adan’s view of The Catcher in the Rye.
In fact, she really does like this book and plans on reading it after she is done reading The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Princess Bride.  Until then she is playing the role of a VERY uptight teenager in the following paper.

Should this “American Classic” be read by students? I don’t think so, and I am positive that others agree. For those of you that have not read this offensive piece of literature, this story is narrated by Holden Caufield, a troubled young boy who has just been kicked out of Pencey, the third school he has attended in the last little while.  What is worse, Holden doesn’t even inform his parents of what has happened.  He doesn’t want to go home for a couple of days so he sticks around in New York until Pencey’s holiday break starts. He spends his time hitting on older women, giving money to prostitutes, and smoking and drinking even though he is underage.  Do you think Caulfield is a good role model?  I didn’t think so.
I am in the middle of reading The Catcher in the Rye and can’t help but notice how inappropriate and negative the main character is in this novel. The ordeals Holden must face like his little  prostitutes incident and his continuous swearing make this book is much to complex for a young reader and far too inappropriate to be on school shelves. Although it is an American classic, I wouldn’t want my child reading such filth. Holden Caulfield is a horrible example to today’s children.
This book is much to powerful for young readers.  The strong language and negativity of Holden could be too much for a student who already has enough stress to handle.  This novel could increase the students negativity, itself.  I know because after having this read to me, I can’t get Holden out of my head.  His attitude towards everyone makes me angry and his language annoys the socks off of me.  Man, I already had enough drama before I even met Holden Caulfield.
J. D. Salinger’s tale of Holden’s adventures in New York are a way inappropriate for todays young students.  He uses unnecessarily foul language to describe the way he feels about a lot of things, and it seems like he is only looking for a way to loose his virginity half of the time.  The only thing good about that is he does respect women and their choices.  I know that when it comes down to it, Holden really is a good guy and everything, but the ideas expressed  in this book, once again are much too inappropriate.
This novel is much too complex for a young reader and shouldn’t be in our schools. Although it is an American classic, I do not respect this book very much. Holden Caulfield is a horrible example to today’s children.  And as a closing to this fabulous paper I have prepared for your grading enjoyment, my last thought that I would like to leave you with is although Catcher in the Rye will be banned because of the thoughts of Holden.

Cherie Adan
Matt Thomas
Language Arts 9,  5th Period
December 3, 2007

When I think about Andy Goldsworthy, I think of perseverance.  Some people may think of colorful, amazing,  artwork made from nature, but I think about  perseverance.  Andy Goldsworthy is a brilliant man,  but like most people he has mistakes.  When he is building one of his “seeds”,  whether it is made out of gray rock, red rock, sticks, or ice he could misplace one little piece and the whole thing could crash down to the ground.  What does he do? He picks it up and starts over again.  That is why I was so inspired by this film.  Even though we all fall down at times in our life, we must get back up and begin again.
When Mr.Goldsworthy gets an idea,  it might come to him on a walk, while he is surrounded by nature.  It could come to him while he is daydreaming at the breakfast table or on an airplane trip to his next destination.  That is how I get some of my ideas, too.   Your head is empty and then, WAM!  An idea pops into your head,  just like that. It’s a simple way to help my mind to grow.   I Just wonder around.
Everything Andy does looks magical, almost as if it wasn’t real.  But then, when you watch him construct his artwork, you realize how talented this man is.  If he needs something, like cement to hold the rocks in place,  or glue to hold something together, he finds a naturally made substitute, that might even work better, especially for him.    For instance,  he just stacks the rocks together hoping they won’t fall down,  and if he makes a leaf chain to float in the water,  he uses thorns.
While I was on the bus the other day coming home from school,  I started thinking about Andy Goldsworthy’s art.I love it how he goes to capture the motion of water through icicle sculptures. He does it to feel connected with nature. His artwork is always a repeating pattern,  colorful leaves in a circle leading to a dark black space,  those egg shaped things he calls seeds,  his colorful leaf chains.   I think he repeats things so he can get better.  It reminds me of how I write papers like this over and over again.  I do it to get better.

Cherie Adan
Matt Thomas
Language Arts 9, 5th Period
December 10, 2007

I hate surprises. My dad didn’t want to tell us what was about to happen until two days before we left. I found out two months before. We were going on a trip to Alaska. It would be my first time flying. We flew to Seattle, wich is the best place in the world. Weird people, giant trolls under bridges, and all. We got on a cruise ship that took us to Juneau, Alaska. It is so beautiful there! It wasn’t very cold, either. We went whale watching and saw tons of killer whales.
The next stop was Scagway. We just went and saw some 1800’s screw balls and ate fish. It made me depressed to see everyone so happy about everything. I mean come on, why do people get so excited about that kind of stuff? It was actually the best fish I’ve ever tasted. And no, it wasn’t the screw balls that made it better. They were all really old and not to mention, UGLY! Then we went to Ketchikan. I went on the biggest series of zip lines We went 135 ft. off the ground. Big deal.
We also went through glacier bay. When we were on the cruise ship some gosh darn lady kept on talking about it over the intercom. So I decided to go out on the deck onto the sun bed things and I fell asleep. That was the best nap ever! I slept for like 8 hours.
The last stop was Victoria, Canada. We went to this really great museum and saw the Titanic display. (Yeah, yeah I know what you’re thinking) I hate the movie with a burning passion, I mean I really do. But I really love the Titanic stuff. After that display we went to this one part of the museum. It was this little town. It had a silent movie theater and lots of other really amazing stuff. A little Chinatown was placed in the back. I tried to take pictures but my gosh darn camera flash wouldn’t work.
The next day we got back to Seattle, on Fathers’ Day, actually. The clouds were gray, you know, typical Seattle weather. Some lady my dad hired took us to the airport. She was really rude, I tried to ask her a question about Starbucks and all she could say is “It’s a coffee joint, Kid.” I am done talking about this, I don’t know why I even told you about this. I hate it. It makes me feel like I’m bragging. I hate people who brag.

I can’t figure this out!!!!