rules of survival

Rules of survival by Nancy Werlin is about a boy named Matt trying to help his little sisters and himself live through life while trying to survive against there drug addicted mother and here dangerous off set moods.  Matt and his sisters can live much longer with their mother because she is getting to out of hand and the littlest sister is acting out against the mother and that is putting Matt and the other sister in trouble.   The book takes place in only a few settings that all have a great impact on the story.  Also throughout the book Matt changes mentally and physically which helps him deal with his mother.  But most importantly it’s the people that inspire him and change him the help Matt the most.  All through the book Matt is always trying to find help and a way to get away from his mother and keep his sisters safe.  And his mother is the biggest obstacle they face to getting to freedom and escape her.  The message it’s trying to convey is when you grow up they’re many tough obstacles but they’re always people around you that can help. 

            In the book there are a few settings but in each one something deep always happens that shapes the story.  The first setting is in the very beginning in side the small corner store.  This is where they meet Murdoch, a man the helps them escape their mother and gives them comfort and safety around her.  Then there is the car ride home when the mother is driving and she has a mood swing about how the kids didn’t say thank you so she drove into opposing traffic and ranting about how no one is grateful.  That is when Matt really realized that they need to get away from her and fast.  Then the most important scene was in the dockyard when matt was rescuing his little sister and the mother tried to stop him.  The mother was on the floor and Matt was ready to kill her but he was interrupted.  This was when Matt knew he had to end it all but he had to think it over but he didn’t have enough time.  He was also thinking over the consequences and positives of the situation.

            There are a few people in the book that helped Matt become who he is.  The first is the mother Nikki she made him think about what was around him and what to do.  The way Nikki did this was by being her normal drug addict-self and having her dangerous mood swings.  Matt had to adapt to these ways and had to think fast to protect him and his sisters.  The next is Aunt Bobbie she helped Matt get away from Nikki and took custody of the kids.  She helped Matt feel safe and made him not afraid of anything anymore because he was away from the danger now.  Next is Murdoch he was the one the Matt looked up to and wanted to be he wanted to be exactly like him to be strong, not afraid, and daring.  He also related to Murdoch because they had the same problems growing up.  He was all around the role model that changed Matt to be like him. 

            Now lastly I would describe Matt in the beginning as a kid that seems lost but dedicated to trying to get away from his mothers grasp.  Also that he is weak but a very quick and smart thinker.  Plus he is like the leader and can take charge of a group and lead the situation into better hands or towards victory.  After meeting Murdoch I think he became more aware of everything and he noticed how bad he has it and that freedom and peace shouldn’t be taken lightly and you should enjoy it but not for long.  Also he notices a lot more things like others life problems and the difficulty of escape and the odds of escaping.  Then near the end of the book he is stronger physically and mentally he has no fear of his mother and he is compltetly free from his mother in general.  He still has all his other traits but doesn’t have to worry much but is still always expecting the unexpected.  

test prep #6

the song is called one by three dog night.  the poem is based around the number one.  the speakers thoughts towards the number.  what the significance of the number is to him.  what it really means in real life to him.  how that number changed his life and his way of thinking.i believe that the simplest of things can have the biggest significance to someone.

in the song it says "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do" its saying its better to have two of something than just one of something.  then it says "Two can be as bad as one" it can have the same trouble like the number one but there are pros and cons.  then it says "It's just no good anymore since she went away" that means 1 as in single and 2 as in a couple so it signifies that for him it sucks that she left him and that they were better together.  thats why the number one makes him sad because he is single.


in real life people always have turning points in there life.  then there is always something that is marked to bring back that memory.  also some memories are connected like a chain of events.  theses memories can be good and happy or sad and depressing.  this memory can make a person take a positive attitude toward life or negative.  it can make them reflect on what happened or just give them a shock.  there are so many out comes for a simple thing that can change a person completely. 

test prep #5

the song waking the demon by bullet for my valentine is a heavy metal song.  the song's speaker is spoken in first person.  the song gives off a very angry and raged mood.  the speaker is very angry and raged about something.  he is talking to some one directly and yelling at them.  he is expressing his thoughts and what he is going to do. its like the speaker is a victim of bullying.   i think that victims of bullying retaliate in drastic ways.

in the song it says "my eyes bleeding from the fear that's inside" a perfect example of the speaker saying his is so strong that it brings him pain.  that he is getting bullied and is in fear that they will hurt him more if he says something.  then "there's just no limits to the boundaries you push" this describing how badly they bully him.  the bullies just dont stop and the pain is so much it will never end even if the bullies stop. "I warned you but still you just Fuck with my mind There's no escape from This rage that I feel nothing is real" here the victim keeps saying to stop but the bullies dont. then the bullies dont know what they got into because the victim is so enraged he will go at anything for you to stop.

in reality people are bullied everyday.  physically, mentally, emotionally, even all of these together.  then sometimes the victim gets so depressed he kills himself or severely injuries himself sometimes the depression is so bad he is just like that his whole life.  other times it is the other way around.  the victim is so angry and enraged he goes berserk and kills the bully or bullies.  sometimes even friends and family of the bully.  he even gets so crazy they have to put him into rehab same for the depressed one too.

test prep #4

heres a link to article:people are awesome: this woman lost her legs in a tornado to save her childrens lives

the article is about a mom that gets home and takes her kids into the basement to get away from a tornado.  while they are in the basement the tornado takes down the house and it is destroyed.  one of the pieces of rubble was going to fall on one of the children so the mom jumped over them and protected them.  most of the debris fell in the basement and crushed the moms legs.  after the tornado the kids were safe and didnt have a scratch on them.  but the mom was covered in bruises and her 2 legs were severely injured.  then one of the children went to go get help and came back.  a deputy came and saved her life and they brought her to the hospital.  them she had to have her legs amputated but she is recovering in a hospital safely.

the main idea of this article is that a mother would sacrifice herself to protect her kin at any cost.  i know this because the mom in the article protected her children form a tornado plus debris from a destroyed house.  she sacrificed her life to save her children by taking all the damage instead of her children dying.  she used her body as a human shield for her children's safety from building parts.  she was also trying to make it positive and kept saying to her kids "we are going to make it" and she kept that promise by taking all the damage for her kids.   even in the end she said all that mattered was that i kept my promise and that we made it out of there alive.

i think what the mom did was right and brave to do that.  just think of the big picture a mom doing that for her kids is the same exact thing that the us army is doing for us.  protecting us from danger and keeping us safe from any harm.  risking there lives for millions, sacrificing there life for some one else's for them to live peacefully and happy.  they are also aren't doing this because they are forced to but they are doing this voluntarily.  they want to keep everyone safe and sound, they want to help keep the peace not just for us but the world.

test prep #3

Heres a link to the article: Hug a Hoodie: What the U.K. Teaches us About Making a Sweatshirt a Symbol

the article was mostly about how hoodies are related to so many things. they can be a fad, a way to blend in, to not be seen, being a gangster or a bad person, someone mysteries.  How hoodies signify that you are going to do something bad.  that wearing hoodies is apart of a sort of street culture and you are look at as a gangster.  also on how clothing is used for profiling.  plus how the hoodie is profiled on people and it is most likely profiled under a dangerous person.  

in the article i think the main idea was that people shouldnt be profiled on what they are wearing.  through out the article the author keeps bring back that hoodies make you look bad, or a gangster.  in the text it says "The hoodie is the uniform of the troublemaker" a perfect example of people profiling people wearing the hoodie.  when tyron jakeson was wearing a hoodie he was completely harmless and didnt want involvement with anyone at the time.  “We—the people in suits—often see hoodies as aggressive, the uniform of a rebel army of young gangsters" another quote from the article, this own was said by the prime minister and him and his people are profiling people that wear hoodies to be gangsters.  how does a sweatshirt with a hood make someone so dangerous? By covering there hair and keeping them warm makes someone harmful.  thats what hoodies do keep people warm but then they are taken for dangerous people makes no sense.

this whole thing is just wrong, people shouldnt be judged and claim dangerous for wearing a simple piece of clothing.  a hoodie is just like wearing a fleece jacket or coat, it keeps you warm and cozy outside.  if people are profiled for covering their head then if people wear hats then are they considered dangerous too or are they just normal people.  Also just because someone is a minority and wears a hoodie makes them lethal is for one thing racist and two profiling.  thats 2 major things rolled into one, thats a major problem in my book .  plus just the thought of it is sicking how people can think so wrongly about others.  

test prep #2

in the book legend by Marie Lu a boy named day is the number one criminal and is finally captured and will be killed.  he was captured by a sibling of a person day supposedly killed so now the girl got her revenge.  but after time she begins to figure out things and now doesn't hate day but actually likes him.  in real life just because you hate someone doesnt mean its forever.  people change and so do emotions so one can hate someone then love them and vice versa.  but over all emotions are some times people so your emotions toward some one is what you judge them by.

in the book june was thinking about day and she thought some thing that wasnt there was triggered by him so heres the real proof "... something that wasn't there before".  what she means by that is an emotion changed in her.  that emotion was love that she just figured out what she has for him.  she went from hating his guts to loving him and worrying deeply about him.  another line was days dad saying "its more proof" its so vague but so meaningful.  proof for anything life, death, happiness, money, and anything.  

also prof is all you need to make something reality.  proof that emotions change and love is in everyone.  

in really life people find proof about things every day.  like the creation of the earth and new planets that are like earth.  proof is everything now a days for people to believe anything.  then for emotions everyone has emotions and has them toward everyone like i like my parents and like my friends i dont like dogs and insects.  and emotions change so i might like dogs in the future or i may not so they are unpredictable anytime.  they can be strong emotions like love and hate or just emotions like friend and person i know.  it varies from person to person.

test prep #1

in the book Legend by marie Lu a young boy who is the number one criminal is just trying to survive in his plague infested world.  while on the other side a young wealthy girl is trying to find the boy and kill him to get revenge.  the boy's name is day and the girl is june.  with a series of untimely events they meet and they work together but they don't who each other really are.  in this story both characters are facing tough conflicts.  Day is trying to get medicine to cure his family of the plague.  while june is trying to kill day because of what he did.

day is handling his problem well because he is trying his best just to get medicine.  street gambling, robbing, and trading.  he is taking risks to get the money fast but still not giving up hope.  while on the other hand june is doing alright she is still really sad about here brother and just the thought of him most of the time makes her cry.  although finding day she is spot on because she is doing her best to blend in with the people around here even if she has to eat from the garbage.  she is going around trying to find clues or hints of day anywhere.

in conclusion if people put there minds to things they can get them done. In real life construction workers have to make buildings and they don't give up they build it till its done they don,t give up because then there are consequences.  even in the book there are consequences so anyone has to get it done but if not then something bad will probably happen.   i can relate to that because every time i have a project my mind is only thinking about getting it done and planing it out.  and not just projects but things in general like time management or just school in general.