Mother to Son by Langston Hughes(Entry#8)

When I first read this poem I thought ‘Oh yeah she’s telling her son that life isn’t always easy’ but that’s just what the mother is saying on the surface. When I read the poem the second time specific lines started to catch my attention like ‘Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.’ I first thought she meant it wasn’t the perfectly carved life, then I read it again and I noticed that crystal is hard and solid so her life wasn’t always in a solid place it wasn’t perfect but she can’t complain. Another favorite line of mine from this poem is ‘I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, ‘ this is a favorite because she’s saying it didn’t just go downhill from the top like I assumed in the beginning, she climbed and got safe places(landings) where life was good.

My Appreciation Draft #1

                                  
                          
                       In the book Stuart Little I appreciated the fact that the story always makes you feel like a child again, it made me remember crouching in the corner of my room reading until I fell asleep. I appreciate that moment because I didn't even remember those moments until I reached the last page of the book. It even inspired me to sit in that spot again and write this appreciation. As I revisited the book I also revisited my thoughts and ideas from the first time I read the book. As well revisiting thoughts and ideas I came up with many new and interesting ideas and also a new perspective for the book. Those new thoughts and ideas included: ‘How could Stuart have known that Margalo even wanted him to find her?’ and ‘Why didn’t Stuart fulfill his mission of finding Margalo in the book?’ as well as many others new notes. Then after gathering more information from E.B White’s personal essays and quotes I felt I started to understand where White was coming from and how his books come together, only then I could find the true meanings of his ideas.  
                      One big thing I noticed as I read the this book for the second time is that Stuart was told to look for Margalo in the north because that is where she would migrate but Stuart ended up going in the opposite direction ending up in the southwest. When I realized this I sat and thought about it all through ELA, during Project REAL and even in my free time just thinking about why that happened, I even had discussions with my group and others who had read the book. In the end, I have not come up with the answer just yet but the conclusion I came to was Stuart originally did set out to find Margalo but he was doing it because it was the first thing he could think to do but, as he was out in the world he realized that was what he really needed.
                      I really appreciate Stuart because it brought back so many childhood memories and new perspectives.

The Life and Times of E.B White: Author of Stuart Little and Other Childrens Books

                                                         
Lots can be learned from the great writer E.B White. The author was born on a farm in Mount Vernon, NY on July, 11, 1889 and died from a long battle of Alzheimer's diesease on October, 1, 1985. When I first read about E.B White I saw that he was born on a farm and thought, 'Did he get the idea of Charlotte's Web and other ideas from his farm animals at home?' Sure enough after countless biographies and tributes I found my answer, yes he had found some of his ideas in his hometown Mount Vernon. During White's lifetime he wrote a series of famous quotes one that I really loved and connected with was :
                'It's easier for a man to be loyal to his club than to his planet; the bylaws are shorter and he is personally aquainted with the other members.'
                                                  -E.B White
I connected with this quote because it's not just about sticking with your group but also being to afraid to stand up, instead you just sneak past. For ex: If the nation was under attack would you step up and fight? I know I would because I'm too afraid, that's why this quote hit so close to home.
Another of my favorite quotes is:
                 'Old age is a special problem for me because I've never been able to shed the mental image of myself- a lad of 19.'
                                                   -E.B White
This is one of my favorites because I feel that your age doesn't matter you act your age or you can act like a five-year old or in this case a nineteen-year old, and that's what I love about E.B White, he always stays light and humorous like he's still young which is how I think he appeals to younger children. And my last favorite quote is:
                  I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
                                                   -E.B White
To me this quote means that authors write books to give the world something look at, rather marvel which can make the world a little better.
*all quotes found on http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/e_b_white.html  *

Charlotte's Web Entry#5

    In Charlotte's Web by E.B White I think Wilbur acts pretty selfish. I think the way he was treated turned Wilbur  into a selfish and self-centered pig. Fern's taing care of Wilbur led up to Wilbur's self-centeredness  bacause Wilbur never really had to do anything for himself, all he had to do was wake up in the morning and Fern would  feed him. Then he just had to stick close to Fern and everything would be taken care off. This all changed when he was moved to the Zuckerman's farm. Wilbur no Fern, no bottle and no friends which must have been hard.
      Then Charlotte came into Wilbur's life. Eventhough Wilbur didn't like Charlotte's diet of blood and Charlotte didn't like Wilbur bursting into hysterics all the time they still became friends. As Charlotte and Wilbur's friendship began to grow Wilbur's selfishness started to die down, until he soon learned that he was going to be killed. Charlotte snapped into a plan to get Wilbur's saved. Since Wilbur life was in jepoardy he thought it was okay to become super selfish again, still Charlotte worked her magic and kept Wilbur alive. Finally wilbur returned the favor by taking of Charlotte's kid and grandkids