Eyewitness report - Forrest Gump

I study the view from where I see it, as a little bird sitting in Forrest and Jenny's old oak tree. Forrest is standing in front of Jenny’s grave which is beautifully placed right under the tree. I don’t want to glamorize death but it’s almost twilight, the sky is about to set the world on fire and the whole sight gives me shivers. Forrest assures Jenny that she would have been so proud of their son. Forrest Jr have written his mom a letter which Forrest gently leans against her headstone. After putting the letter down, Forrest says he doesn’t know if it was ”momma or lieutenant Dan who was right”, if everyone has their own destiny or if everyone is just floating around accidental-like on a breeze but he guesses it's a mix of the both. He then sobs as he says he misses Jenny and I can’t help crying inside, watching Forrest saying something this emotional that also sounds like some kind of a goodbye. After telling Jenny that he won't be far away if she needs anything, he turns around and slowly walks away from there, leaving the rest of the world in peaceful silence. I spread my wings and fly down to the grave to pick a flower. I lift with the flower in my beak and think how I’m giving Jenny a last chance to be the bird she always prayed to become.

Summary

The summary I had written for the week I was the summarizer is mysteriously gone so I had to write a new one and decided to write a summary about the whole book instead. I also wrote like a short analysis of my thoughts of the book.

Dale thinks he’s living an ordinary life in a completely normal family. One day though, his family’s, including his own, whole world turns upside down. Dale’s older brother, Gav (Gavin) is convicted as the rapist and murderer of five women, hence Dale and the rest of his family must move and change their names to not always be branded as relatives of a rapist and murderer. Dale changes his name to Glen and his family starts over in another city where they know no one. Everything seems to be fine, but Dale can’t get over the thought that he might become a just as horrible person as Gav turned out to be. At the same time, he still thinks of happy memories he’s shared with Gav. A lot of weird things happens throughout the book...

The book was really annoying to read since there were no speech dashes at all, so you had to read things people were saying before you could actually understand who said so. If someone could make a new edition of this book, with speech dashes, I could absolutely read it again. If no one adds speech dashes, I won’t read it again. There’s nothing wrong with the book - in fact, I bet it could be really interesting. But as for now, all it does is making me ill-tempered because of the lack of speech dashes. Sorry for all the commentatory about the speech dashes. I’d rate the book 2/5.

Creative connector

I couldn’t really connect to the book since the situations that occur in the book are pretty rare, all of them. But of course, things like this, about families having a familymember or many familymembers who commit one or several crimes, happens frequently all over the world. Sometimes you read about it in the newspapers or you hear about it on the TV. I don’t have a concrete example and I haven’t really experienced anything like this myself, but I guess it would be absolutely terrible and terrifying if someone in my family would commit like a heavier crime.

Wordfinder

Sussed - misstänkte-

Chucking - kastande-

Loitering - sölar-

Tosses - kastar-

Garment - plagg-

Reconcile - förena

Nauseated - illamående-

Jeers - hån-

Tormentors - plågoandar-

Sleeting - (sleet means snöblandat regn), so I guess sleeting means that it’s raining snöblandat regn-

Gloomily - dystert.

Looming - hotande-

Polluted - förorenad-

Spite - to spite - trotsa-

Sprung - fjädrad

Stem - (here it means) stämma-

Splintors - flisor-

Wuthering - svindlande

I sussed him for chucking and tossing the old garments at me, but he looming blamed the tormentors. I felt nauseated and polluted and spited him by throwing jeers at him with a glooming stem even though I was really mad. I loitering left him there with imaginary splintors all over the floor that I hoped he’d be hurt by, and went out to the wuthering sleeting outside and reconciled my hidden good feelings with myself.

The Island

The movie is about a big facility in the middle of nowhere where clones from real humans, mostly rich people or celebrities, are being raised believing that there is an island which they can get to if they win the lottery. The Island is the paradise that everyone wants to live on, and it’s the only place on earth that hasn’t been contaminated, except from the facility where all the clones live. The creator of the facility is called Doctor Merrick, and his biggest dream seems to be that he wants to be like God. He has brainwashed almost everyone of the clones in the facility, except for a guy called Lincoln 6 Echo. For an example, he asks Doctor Merrick who folds everyone’s bedspreads and clothes but Doctor Merrick won’t answer him. Lincoln 6 Echo discovers more and more about the facility and when his best friend Jordan 2 Delta is suddenly chosen for the lottery, he has to do something about it before it’s too late. He tells her everything he knows and what he thinks and then they decide to escape...

I definitely think that Doctor Merrick decided to start the facility to earn money and to be the human God. One clone costs $5 million and that’s pretty much money, but people (the sponsors) will pay it to live longer. I think the movie ”The Island” tries to tell people that it’s dangerous to be cloned because clones are way too unpredictable, at least in this movie and probably in real life if they would exist. Lincoln 6 Echo got just some of his memories back and those few memories lead to that he eventually could escape with Jordan 2 Delta and in the end also save all the other clones at the facility. I’m actually not surprised by this message in a Hollywood film. Many Hollywood films have good messages even if, in my opinion, the majority of Hollywood films have got ”wrong” messages. Girls are often weak and needs protection by their boyfriends, or things happen that areee. 

When Jordan 2 Delta says ”The Island is real. It’s us.”, I think she meant that a paradise island or heaven is not happiness compared to love, friends and joy in real life. Why would anyone want a paradise when you can have fun on earth? No one knows if heaven or paradise actually exists, but happiness is real and love is awesome. You have to live when you’re still healthy and happy. Jordan wants to tell us that no paradise island is needed when you’re happy. Jordan loves Lincoln and he makes her happy, so even if the island would exist she would no longer want to get to it, because The Island seemed to give everyone a perfect life but she found the perfect life in Lincoln - love, a friend and joy.

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time

Creative connector week 7

The Curious incident of the dog in the night-time

This is about a boy that’s fifteen years old. His name is Christopher Boone and he’s got Aspergers syndrome. He doesn’t like the colors yellow and brown or when people touches him. One day he saw a dog that had been killed with a garden fork...

Aspergers syndrome isn’t a rare diagnose and it occurs in real life. When you’ve got Aspergers syndrome it’s pretty common that you don’t like when people touch you. I have never met a person with that diagnose and I have never experienced that a dog has been killed. On the other hand I’ve experienced neighbours that haven’t liked me or trusted me. That’s pretty annoying. I have also met policemen in real life because they visited my old school, Hubertusgården. Otherwise I don’t really have anything to connect to in this story.

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe

Discussion leader week 6
The lion, the witch and the wardrobe


Green hat
If you were able to change this text or if you were the author;  would you let anyone of the other kids to follow her into the wardrobe and into the new world?

White hat
Who is the oldest of the four siblings and who is the youngest?

Blue hat
What do you think would have happened if Lucy hadn't met the faun?

Yellow hat
Do you think it's positive that they found the wardrobe and that Lucy stepped into it? Do you like this whole story?

Red hat
If you had been Lucy when she suddenly stood in the new world and the faun walked towards her, would you get scared?

Gift

Summary week 5

Gift

This story is about a girl which I don’t know the name of and a boy called Gift Mlungu. In the beginning of the story she’s standing at a turn-off with him and they’re waiting for the bus to his village. She thinks that he has invited her to his home as if they were dating or something like that. When they arrive to his house she can’t spend very much time with him because it’s really crowded everywhere. She wants to be alone with him because that’s what she thinks he brought her there for, but his family is always around. And when they’re about to sleep she can’t even sleep in the same room as he does. She sleeps in the same room as his sisters. One day he shows her around in the village and they go to an Indian shop. He says that he wants to introduce her to someone and he presents her as "their english guest" to the person sitting in the room. She wonders why he doesn't call her his girlfriend. When her eyes get used to the dark she can see that there's an older woman and a younger woman sitting in there. The main person in this story thinks that the younger woman is very beautiful and then Gift says who she is. "This is Sunni, my future bride", he says and she doesn't understand at first. Slowly she realizes what she heard and meanwhile she’s there, she begins to get used to the fact that it will never be her and Gift. 

Hunger

Creative connector week 4

Hunger

This happened to a young boy called Richard Wright in Memphis, Tennessee. His age doesn’t really appear in the text. One day his dad didn’t come home and his mom asked him where his father was. Richard didn’t know and his mom told him that he had to look after the apartment so that she could get a job and buy them food. When she had gotten a job she sent Richard to buy food. On his way to the grocery he met a gang of boys and they beat him up, once, twice and three times. On his fourth time he also had a stick, a note and some money. He beat them up just as they had done with him.

Because it’s a true story, of course you can make a connection to real life. It’s about someone that’s getting assaulted and it happens more commonly then people think nowadays. He lost his father (I suppose) and today it happens sometimes too, that children loses one of their parents or both.

Baby's Ears

Character tracer week 4

Baby's Ears

Her name is Val. Val enjoys Florida, where she lives. She is 11-12 years old and she’s in sixth grade. Val has several girlfriends in her school. She likes French toast when it’s hot and sweet. Val also likes the beach and she has her own shell-collection. When she goes to the beach she loves to see when birds are flying. Val has especially four special shells. They are called Baby’s Ears, Striped Whelks, Purple Sea Snails and Queen Conch Shells. Her favorite one is the one that’s called Baby’s Ears. Val has a grandma who moved to Val and Val’s mom because otherwise she would have to go to a nursing home. I think Val is a positive and caring person, because she really wants her grandma to enjoy the beach. 

Finish the story - we know where you live

Emma woke up the following morning and felt unusually happy. Maybe the tears had killed all the evilness from the girls in her class. Well, if it was the girls in her class. Apparently she had fallen asleep when she cried the night before and no one had taken time to wake her up.

She hadn’t come far from the bed when her phone beeped, which meant she had gotten a new text. This day she knew nothing could break her down. 

”I see you, Emma. I can see you.”

Emma just stared at the phone a couple of minutes and then she started to smile. She sent a textmessage back that said: ”Okay, come here then.”

The next minute she called Rachel. She heard Rachel’s voice. 

”You know I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”

”Well, now you have to. Tell the others that I don’t care what they write to me.”

It was quite a while, but then Rachel continued:

”About that... someone is sending me texts now.”

What? Who would send Rachel these texts? 

”Are they mean?” she ask. Not because she really cares, but she’s curious.

”Kind of. But I’m still not sure I want to talk to you, Emma. Not after what you did.”

Emma started to get mad at her.

”Listen now! I have never stolen your boyfriend. If you want to blame someone, blame Simon. None of this is my fault as much as it is yours!” snapped Emma.

”Ugh. Sure.”

A long silence occured.

”Meet me in the park as soon as possible. But remember, I have not forgiven you! Yet.”

Emma giggled but hoped that Rachel didn’t heard her. 

”Yeah, see you.”

And then she hang up.

When they met in the park, none of them said very much. They showed the texts to each other and decided that even if their friendship weren’t the best at the moment, they should stay together and be not one, but two against the others. They would have each other!

The date

When Mark arrives to the Space Bar, Jessica is already standing there and waiting for him.

”Hi Mark!” she shouts.

Mark blushes.

”Hi Jessica! Er... how long have you been here?”

”For about ten minutes, but it’s OK. And hey, you can call me Jess.”

She smiles at him and he gets really nervous. He points at the Space Bar and says:

”So... would you like something to eat or to drink?”

”Yeah, sure.”

He wants to say something more but it’s impossible. When she takes his hand to hold it, it’s like his mouth just can’t open and he keeps it shut.

Mark sees all the sweets in and all the cupcakes in the desk and thinks that Jess is at least as cute as all of them. 
"I would like something with chocolate. Do you like chocolate, Jess?"
"Absolutely, I love chocolate! Every woman does so. At least that's what they say."
"Two chocolate cookies, please. No, two of those. Yes. Thank you!"
He takes the tray and leads them to a table. Jess sits down first.
"What do you like to do?" she asks him.
"Well, when I was a little kid, I used to dance ballet. But I quit when the boys in my class teased me for that. And, uhm, I like lightnings to..."
He sighs.
"But I shouldn't have quit. I really miss it. Somehow, it gave me a feeling of freedom."
Jess looks at him, dreamingly.
"Oh, Mark! That's so sad..."
Then someone calls Jess.
"Hi, this is Jess. Oh, hi mom... no, I'm at the Space Bar. With a guy called Mark. He is not my boyfriend! We're just friends. I know. I love you too."
She hangs up the phone.
"I got to go. I've got dance."
"Oh... well, I promised Gary that I'd play videogames with him. You could join us if you want to! When you're done."
She smiles.
"Yeah, sure."
Jess takes her bag and walks out from the Space Bar.
When Mark comes to Gary's place, he knocks the door and Gary opens. Jess arrives two hours later. Gary opens the door and looks a bit surprised at first. Then he smiles.
"Mark didn't say that you would come, but now we're finally three players! I bought a new videogame yesterday..."
And so they played Gary's videogames all night long.

Somehow, Jess and Mark fell in love, and it would last forever.
Two weeks later: Jess and Mark got together.
Three years later: They got engaged.
Seven years later: They got married.
Ten years later: They had a baby.
Thirteen years later: They had another baby.
And seventy years later, Jess' and Mark's children would sit at their parents funerals, knowing that Jess and Mark had died together, still in love. The lightning had taken them both. But was it really an accident...? Didn't Mark say that he liked lightnings?

Summary of The Empty School

It’s about a girl who tells us what happened one day at her school. She hanged out with her gang when one of her friends wanted to go back to school because he had forgotten his jacket. He came back without his jacket. 
The girl who is telling us the story and her friend asked why. He said that the school was empty, so they went there to check if he was telling the truth. They were suprised when he was.
They looked around and checked every single corner of the school but they couldn’t find anyone. They thought it was scary.

LUCKTEST - English

I think it’s bad that some schools have a _____________

Everybody should ______________ too wear what they want

Some peoples have ______s in their ears

When you’re bleeding somewhere or need to cover something you use a ___________

A plaster can _______ infections

You’re a _______ in a school

Some peoples feel more ____________ when they wear for an example make up

Do you think it’s beautiful when someone ______ their hair?

Peoples who has dyed their hair has not often ________ hair

It’s _____________ time for some schools to change the dress codes

Stay in your school-___________!

You can not _________ that everyone will think like you.

Many peoples wear one kind of jeans called ________

Noone should ________ you or what you’re doing!

It’s not wrong to be _______

cause - orsaka

be allowed - få lov att

confident - säker

campus - område

stud - stift

denim - jeans

dress code - stilregler

plaster - plåster

plain - h. enfärgat

limit - begränsa

pupil - elev

freaky - udda

dye - färga

expect - förvänta

certainly - sannerligen