Paige+G

State Senator My Voki is representing Texas State Senator Joan Huffman. She is Republican member from the 17th District which serves portions of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties; this means she, and the rest of the members in the 17th District, represent all or part of these counties. A State Senator’s term is four years, but the total amount of terms you serve is unlimited. Other than serving these counties, she votes on things such as bills, laws, etc. with the rest of the Senate and try to make what she wants to pass, pass. Also, she makes amendments to bills to improve them for the better. ABC Commentary 1. Lesions- Although Tally sees being pretty as the best thing ever, when she learns more about it, it is not everything she thought it was. Towards the end of the novel, Tally learns that there are lesions involved in becoming pretty which would alter her thoughts so that she had a 'pretty mind' or one that made her keep thinking that being pretty was the best thing ever after the Operation. "Becoming pretty doesn't just change the way you look," she said. "No," David said. "It changes the way you think." After David, Az, and Maddy explain what the lesions are and how they affect a Pretty, Tally starts to realize that being Pretty isn't all that she thought of it to be. Tally starts to realize that the government is making the Prettys believe that being pretty really is everything by giving them lesions. She doesn't want to be happy living as a pretty if it is the lesions making her happy instead of her true feelings. Therefore, while Tally still wants to be pretty, she is rethinking things because she does not want to be pretty if it means that the lesions will change her. 2. Pretty- Throughout this entire novel, almost everything (if not //everything//) is related to being pretty, how to become pretty, or about Prettys. The whole novel is about how Tally is trying to become pretty, what she will do to become pretty, and how she feels about being pretty. On the back of the novel, part of the explanation is: "Tally is about to turn sixteen and she can't wait. Not for her license-for turning pretty.... In just a few weeks Tally will be there." Tally is so excited about becoming pretty that she even sneaks over into New Pretty Town to see her pretty friend, Peris. If being pretty was not an aspect of this novel and it was not a common variable, then there would be no story line. Thus, everything in this novel relates back to being, becoming, or the life of a pretty.

Bibliography Format
Author. Title of Wevsite. Web address or URL. Copyright date. Date you found the information.

Prereading Requirements
2. Scott Westerfeld reasoning for writing the //Uglies// series is because he thinks that if someone is unhappy with their looks, then they can just get cosmetic surgery to fix it. However, he feels that it is slightly uncommon in today's world so he wanted ot write a book about what it would be like to live in a world where cosmetic surgery was normal. He was also inspitred by Ted Chiang's "Liking What You See: A Documentary," a story about a technology that allow people to switch off their view of human beauty so they can keep concentrate on more important things.

Bibliography Westerfeld, Scott. "Uglies Trilogy." //Scott Westerfeld//. 1998-2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. []. Paulie, Kimberly. "The High Cost of Being Pretty." Rev. of //The Uglies//. //Yound Adult Books Central//. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. .Hunter, Susan W. Rev. of //The Uglies//. //Amazon.com//. School Library Journal. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. [].

Section One Requirements
__1. Vocab__ a. Interface(ring)-Page 4: 'Tally took off her **interface** ring and said, "Good night."' Def:The point of interaction or communication between a computer and any other entity, such as a printer or human operator (In this case, with Tally) b. Infiltrator-Page 8:'She was an **infiltrator**, a sneak, an ugly.' Def:something that passes or is caused to pass into or through something by permeating or filtering. c. Revelers-Page:'The **revelers** were wearing masks.' Def: to make merry; indulge in boisterous festivities. d. Slalom (flags)-Page 35:'Now Tally was rushing toward the **slalom** flags, crouching as she drew closer.' Def: of, for, or designating a zigzag course with obstacles, barriers, or the like. e. Cauldrons-Page 56: 'It crashed over rocks and through narrow channels, catapulted up into moonlit sprays, split apart, rejoined, and dropped down into boiling **cauldrons** at the bottom of steep falls.' Def: a large kettle or boiler. f. Maelstrom-Page 56:'Every time Shay screamed, Tally knew she was bout to follow her friend through a wall of spray leaping up from the **maelstrom**.' Def:a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool. g. Serpentine-Page 57:'The river wound into the dark forest, cutting its **serpentine** route into the unknown.' Def: of, characteristic of, or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement. h. Flippant-Page 98: 'Something about the middle pretty made it hard to be **flippant**.' Def: frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness. i. Botched-Page 101: 'He was definitely of middle age, but whoever had done his operation had **botched** it.' Def: To ruin through clumsiness. j. Putrid-Page 102:'Tally had never seen so much space painted in such **putrid** colors, as if the building were designed to make its occupants vaguely nauseated.' Def: Extremely objectionable; vile.

__2.Literary Analysis__

Literary Analysis Passage "But flying didn't feel the same. She was alone, it was getting cold at night, and no matter how fast she flew, Tally was trapped, and she knew it. The fourth night in ugly exile she took her board up into the greenbelt, staying at the edge of town. She whipped it back and forth past the dark columns of tree trunks , shooting through them at top speed , so fast that her hands and face collected dozens of scratches from the branches blurring by. After a few hours' flying had worn away some of her anguish , Tally had a happy  realization : This was the best she'd ever ridden; she was almost as good as Shay now. Never once did the board dump her for getting too close to a tree, and her shoes held on to its grippy surface  l i k e t h e y w e r e g l u e d t h e r e . She worked up a sweat even in the autumn chill, riding until her legs were tired, her ankles aching, her arms sore from being spread out l i k e w i n g s guiding her through the dark forest. If she rode this hard all night, Tally thought, maybe tomorrow she could sleep the hideous daylight away. She flew until exhaustion forced her home. " __An excerpt from page 121 of Scott Westerfeld's //Uglies//.__ = imagery  = detail  = diction  = comparison  Image 1) When the author says //flying// instead of //riding// that shows how the author feels that is a good outlet for Tally to relieve herself when she is upset. Image 2) By saying //trapped//, the author shows how angry Tally about having to stay in Uglyville instead of moving on to New Pretty Town. Image 3) //Columns of trees// helps the reader visualize Tally’s experience as she rides and calms herself. Image 4 ) By saying //collected//, the reader imagines Tally literally picking up scratches, even tough that is impossible to do so. This shows how ardent Tally is about the passage’s subject Image 5) When Westerfeld says //like they were glued there//, the reader imagines that Tally’s shoes are actually glued to the board, intensifying Tally’s emotions while she rides. Image 6) The image that comes from //like wings// is imagining that Tally has wings that are guiding her during her ride, also intensifying her ride. Image 7) Lastly, when Westerfeld says //forced her home//, the reader imagines exhaustion (how ever the reader pictures it in their head) pushing Tally away from the forest and back to her home. This shows how angry Tally really is and how much she does not want to go home. Detail 1) When the author says //top speed// instead of //really fast//, etc., the reader know that Tally is very focused on her ride and her emotions. Detail 2) By saying //happy// (realization), the author shows how Tally actually feels happy instead of angry, which she has been feeling lately. Detail 3 ) //Grippy// tells the reader that the author want the reader to know how intense Tally is about riding. Diction 1) By saying //exile// the author lets the reader know how unhappy Tally is to still be ugly in Uglyville. Diction 2) By saying //anguish// the author tries to show how depressed Tally is. Comparison 1) //Like they were glued there// also adds on to Detail 3, showing how intense Tally is about her ride. Comparison 2) When Westerfeld writes //like wings//, it automatically shows how riding relieves Tally from her stress.
 * 1) The action is Tally riding through the forest and sorting through her feelings. The subject is Tally dealing with her anger, regret, and resentment towards Dr.Cable, Shay, and Special Circumstances.

**Essay** Scott Westerfeld uses language to create a tone of anger, regret, and resentment in this passage from //Uglies//. In this passage, the main character named Tally is riding her hoverboard (like a skateboard without wheels that hovers), and dealing with her anger, regret, and resentment towards what she has previously learned. What she learned this that, because of her friend running away from their utopian/dystopian society, she is not allowed to advance to the ‘pretty’ stage of life. While Tally is eager to become ‘pretty’, she does not want to betray her friend, so she chooses to wait and think about her choices. To express these feelings, the author uses diction. In this passage, the author uses a mildly descriptive diction, keeping it emotional towards Tally’s anger. Examples would be “...in ugly **exile**...” instead of plain ‘Uglyville’, and “...worn away some of her **anguish**...” instead of just saying some of her anger. The reason Westerfeld uses these words is because of everything that Tally has gone through. He would not have used these words if it were only a minor set-back or disappointment; his words show how truly devastated Tally is that she has to make such a hard decision. Another thing that helps get his point across is his use of detail. When Scott describes things in this passage, he describes things that relate to her emotions and things that might not be so important if she was not so mad instead of describing anything randomly. For example, he says “...a **happy** realization...” which might not be so unusual if she had not been unhappy lately. Also, we writes “...**grippy** surface...” which shows that Tally is riding so hard that she notices that the grippy board is keeping her from falling off. The details in this passage emphasize what the author is trying to get across; how Tally really feels. Tally’s emotions are also sharpened by Westerfeld’s use of imagery. To me, Westerfeld’s imagery was his most useful tool, especially in this passage; his ability to modify the tone so the reader can understand it easier makes this passage ten times better. Two of the many examples would be “...Tally was **trapped**...” which shows how Tally feels about having to stay in Uglyville, and “...**exhaustion** forced her home.” which means that Tally really did not want to return to everything at Uglyville, so she waited to the very last moment possible. I believe that the imagery was the best part of this passage because of its power to add to the writing. Also, to get his point across, Westerfeld used comparisons. Scott’s usage of comparison in this passage are very mild, but certainly adds to his feelings. The two comparisons I found in this passage include: “... her shoes held on to its grippy surface **like they were glued there**.” Which lets the reader know how strong the shoes’ hold is to her board because she is so focused on riding, and “.. her arms sore from being spread out **like wings** guiding her...” which tells how Tally was seriously focused on riding. The effect of comparisons in this passage let the reader know exactly what something was like by comparing it to something else. That is how diction, detail, imagery, and comparison were used in this passage to show Scott Westerfeld feels about Tally’s regret, resentment, and anger. The big picture focus behind this passage is how making decisions can be very difficult. Everyday we decide what we will wear, etc., but when it comes to more important things such as giving up what you have wanted for a long time or remaining faithful to a friend, we all struggle equally. __3.Literary Letter__ Letter Literary Letter

Dear Mrs. Morgan,

For my independent novel study, I chose to read //Uglies// by Scott Westerfeld. I have heard incredible reviews about the book by peers and teachers since about the fifth grade, but I never once picked the book up until sixth grade. I have to admit that I hated the book. It was extremely confusing and the author’s style was very bland. However, I have read many books where the story gets off to a rough start and I end up loving it less than half way through. This was one of those books. After researching online, I found out that the author, Scott Westerfeld, got his idea from two main things. The first is because he noticed that more and more people were getting cosmetic surgery because they were unhappy with their looks, whether it be a minor line or wrinkle, or completely revising their face. So, he wanted to write a novel about how life would be if everyone got cosmetic surgery and it was not unusual. The second reason was because he was he was inspired by Ted Chiang's "Liking What You See: A Documentary," which was a documentary movie about technology that allow people to switch off their view of human beauty so they can keep concentrate on more important things. In this book, the main character Tally is very believable. While her actual lifestyle might be hard to relate to (living in a utopian/dystopian society), her mindset is very typical for a teenager who is making important decisions, or just a regular person making decisions. She has wanted to become a pretty for so long and thinks that nothing could change her mind because she has not been exposed to any other options. But, when she meets Shay, everything is thrown into the air. Even though she has not known Shay for very long, she feels extremely close to her and does not want to loose her. A typical teenager might experience something like this with always wanting to fit in or be popular, but may later see that it is not all that it is hyped up to be, or that their is something like drugs or alcohol involved. The teenager would still desire to be popular or fit in, but at the same time, their instincts may be telling them that it is not the right path for them. Based on the first section of this novel, I am not exactly sure what the outcome will be. From the first few chapters, I was almost certain that Tally would become a Pretty, even with Shay’s influence. However, when Shay actually followed through with running away to the Smoke, I had no clue what Tally would do. Would she give up Shay’s secret (someone she had only known for one summer) to join her long-term friend, Peris, and live out her childhood dreams? Or would she keep Shay’s secret because she knew it was the right thing to do? These are two questions I will have pleasure figuring out while I read the rest of //Uglies//.

Sincerely,

Paige Greco

Periods 3,6

Section 3 Requirements
__1.Vocab__ a.Gingerly-Page 309:'She walked **gingerly** up the slanted roof, exaggerating the difficulty of balancing without her hands. Def: With great care or caution; warily. b. Purchase-Page 310:'She could hear the Special's fingers and feet scrambling for **purchase**.' Def: A means of increasing power or influence. c. Careened-Page 317:'She **careened** along above the water, and the hovercars stayed above tree height, patiently waiting for her to run out of cover.' Def: To lean, tip, or sway to one side while in motion. d. Augments-Page 321:'"Their second operation **augments** all their muscles and rewires their nervous system."' Def: To make larger; increase. e. Alloys-Page 336:' ...it's all high-tech **alloys** and monofilaments." Def: A system composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals with a nonmetal, intimately mixed, as by fusion or electrodeposition. f. Monofilaments-Page 336: " ...it's all high-tech alloys and **monofilaments**." Def: A single, generally large filament of synthetic fiber. g. Encroaching-Page 344:'The window overlooked a side street, partly protected from the **encroaching** desert.' Def: To advance beyond proper, established, or usual limits; make gradual inroads. h. Poplars-Page 354:'Tally turned and shot ahead, cutting a zigzag path between the tall **poplars**, letting her reflexes guide her.' Def: Any of the rapidly growing, salicaceous trees trees of the genus, //Populus// usually characterized by the columnar or spirelike manner of growth of its branches. i. Malevolent-Page380:'The doors slid open, and Dr.Cable's **malevolent** voice poured out.' Def: Wishing evil or harm to another or others. j. Placate-Page 401:'...apparently trying to **placate** Shay.' Def: To appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures.

__2.Literary Analysis__

Literary Analysis 'Tally realized that she had slept through the breakfast call, too exhausted to wake up with everyone else. The Specials must have waited until most of the Smokies were gathered in the mess hall before launching their invasion. Of course. They wanted to capture as many Smokies as possible in a single stroke. The Specials weren't attacking the large group at the mess hall. They waited patiently in a ring around the building while their numbers increased, more hovercars landing every minute. If anyone tried to get past the cordon, they reacted swiftly, disarming and incapacitating whoever dared to run. But most of the Smokies were too shocked to resist, paralyzed by the terrible faces of their opponents. Even here, most people had never seen a cruel pretty. Tally pinned herself against a building, trying to disappear next to a stack of firewood. She shielded her eyes from the dust storm, searching for an escape route. There was no way to get into the center of the Smoke, where her hoverboard lay on the broad roof of the trading post, charging in the sun. The forest was the only way out. A stretch of uncleared trees lay at the closest edge of town, only a twenty-second dash away. But a Special stood between her and the border of dense trees and brush, waiting to intercept any stray Smokes. The woman's eyes scanned the approach to the forest, her head moving from side to side in a weirdly regular motion, like someone watching a s l o w - m o t i o n t e n n i s m a t c h without much interest. Tally crept closer, staying pressed against the building. A hovercar passed overhead, blowing a maelstrom of dust and loose wood chips into her eyes. When she could see again, Tally found an aging ugly crouching next to her, against the wall.' __An excerpt from page 289-290 of Scott Westerfeld's__ //__Uglies. __// 1. The action in this passage is Tally figuring out what the Specials are doing and trying to escape. The subject is the chaos and destruction that the Specials are causing over the Smoke. = imagery = detail = diction = comparison I mage 1) When Scott says //stroke//, it creates the image of the Specials grabbing all of the Smokies at once (however the person sees it); this shows that he thinks that the Specials are causing chaos because what they had intended on doing had just caused mass confusion. Image 2) By saying //paralyzed//, the author is saying that the Smokies are truly stunned by the cruel prettys and do not know what to do. Image 3) When Scott says //pinned//, it shows how severely Tally want to stay hidden from the Specials. Image 4) By saying //trying to disappear//, it shows that, like above, Tally is trying her absolute hardest to stay hidden from the Specials. Image 5) When Westerfeld says //intercept//, the reader's brain automatically imagines that the Smokies are being tossed around like a football or basketball would. I think he wanted the reader to think this because it shows that the Smokies are being pushed around by Specials. Detail 1) By saying //patiently//, it shows the reader that the Specials are not very concerned about capturing the Smokies right away because they are sure that they will eventually capture them all. Diction 1) By saying //cordon//, it symbolizes that the Specials are a higher authority taking control of the Smoke. Diction 2) By saying //twenty-second dash// instead of 20 feet away or how ever far away the forest was, it shows that Tally is measuring out her escape so she can get away as quickly as possible. Diction 3) When Westerfeld says //slow-motion// //tennis match//, it shows that the Specials' skills are above the Smokies and that they can take control whenever they want, but they are waiting for the Smokies to give up. Comparison 1) When the author says //opponents// instead of just saying the Smokies, it says that they are challenging eachother like a game instead of just taking them away, trying to cause more destruction on the Smokies. Comparison 2) By saying //like someone watching a slow-motion tennis match//, it compares what the Special is doing to a slow-paced tedious thing, proving that the Specials could cause a lot more chaos by just taking the Smokies all at once.

Essay

Scott Westerfeld uses language to create a tone of chaos and destruction in this passage from Uglies. In this passage, the Specials are invading the Smoke and Tally is trying to escape. As the author describes the scene, you visualize chaos because of choice of diction, detail, imagery, and comparisons. You can easily tell how she feels in this scene and everything that is going on. To express these things, Westerfeld uses decisive diction. In this passage, the author's diction is not as much fancy adjectives as much as it is words that give hints to modify the scene. Two examples would be saying “...about a **twenty-second dash** away...” when describing how far away the the forest is instead of just saying //twenty strides//, or however long it takes her to reach the forest, and saying “...like watching a **slow-motion tennis match**...” because that says that the Specials are capable of completely taking over the Smokies but they aren’t. I believe that Westerfeld’s choice of words is very helpful because it lets the reader know how Tally is thinking, etc. His word choice helps the reader understand his attitude towards the Specials invading. Also, his detail lets helps understand his thinking. Scott’s usage of detail is very small, but it definitely adds to the scene. By saying “They waited **patiently**...”, it shows that the Specials were not making it their number one priority to catch all of the Smokies as fast as possible; they were waiting so that the Smokies could panic, and then they would capture them. I believe that when Scott says this, it truly shows how the Specials treat the Smokies; very, very poorly. Scott’s attitude towards the subject is also shown when he uses imagery. Westerfeld’s usage of imagery is the most prominent, and I think this is why the Uglies books are so well liked; when he say things like “...**paralyzed** by the cruel prettys faces...” meaning that they were stunned by their beauty and “...waiting to **intercept** any stray Smokies...” which helps the reader visualize how the Specials are fighting, it lets the reader’s imagination go crazy but still keeps them within the same story lines as him. To me, his usage of imagery is his high point. He also uses comparison in this passage to describe his attitude. When the author says things such as “...**opponents**...” and “...like someone watching a **slow-motion tennis match**...”, it adds to how he is trying to describe the Specials; harsh, cruel, and waiting to the last possible moment to take action so the Smokies can panic. Personally, it took me a moment to really understand what Westerfeld was trying to say with his comparisons, especially with the slow-motion tennis match. But, when I was able to comprehend it, my understanding became so much more clear. Over all, this passage does not have much 'inspirational,' etc. meaning. It merely describes Tally's struggle to escape and how the Specials are intentionally trying to make the Smokies suffer in their own panic. I think this shows how through life, we are going to be in tough situations where other people are going to try to stand our way and try to make the situations harder for us than they all ready are, and we have to push those people (the Specials) out of the way to make the right decision.

__3.Literary Letter__ Section 3 Literary Letter Dear Mrs. Morgan,

As I acknowledged in my first letter, Tally has chosen to go to the Smoke and turn Shay in so she can become pretty. But, in section two, some of the most important, plot changing, events occurred. Tally reached the Smoke and is wearing the faux pendant that Dr.Cable gave to her; it is actually a tracking device that Tally must activate when she actually reaches the Smoke. However, Tally comes to love the Smoke and the people that live there; she even becomes intimate with David, the son of the founders of the Smoke and decides to destroy the pendant so she can live in the Smoke with David, Shay, and all of her new friends. But when she wakes up, her worst nightmare appears in front of her sleepy eyes: Special Circumstances (what Dr.Cable works for) has arrived. As I read this novel, a connection began to form in my mind. This novel is almost exactly like the movie //Avatar//. Both begin with someone going under cover, falling in love, deciding that the new way of life is what they really want, their new-found lives crushing around them, and they both must sacrifice something that is dearly important to them in order to save everybody else. While their themes and plots might differ, the story lines are joined at the hip. In this novel, the archetypical characters are not introduced in the very beginning of the novel; make that the entire first section! First I will start with Tally. She is the protagonist and sometimes a man vs. man antagonist. She is only the man vs. version of the antagonist because sometimes what her head feels and what her heart feels get in the way of her making important decisions; for one, choosing to follow Shay or not. Next is Shay herself. She is a dynamic character because she changes the course of the story dramatically. At the beginning of the story, there was no doubt in my mind that Tally would become a pretty and move on to New Pretty Town. But, as Shay was introduced to the story, I thought differently. Shay is the only reason that Tally had to go to the Smoke and the only reason that Tally did not get to become a pretty when she was supposed to. Also, there is David. He is another dynamic character, but his role is not as powerful as Shay’s was. All that David really did in this novel to change the story line was influence Tally to give up her mission to turn Shay and the Smoke in. Based on this section, I am not exactly sure what Tally’s fate will be. Will she become a pretty and completely forget everything in her past? Will she go through the operation, remember, and then decide she wants to be a pretty more than she wants to save the Smoke? Or will she do what she has planned: become a pretty, remember, and save the Smoke? My beliefs are leaning towards scenario two, but with a story line-shifting author like Scott Westerfeld, I can never be too sure.

Sincerely,

Paige Greco Periods 3,6

**AOW - "Boom! Hok! A Monkey Language Is Deciphered" By Nicholas Wade** 1. This article tells about the results of Klaus Zuberbuhler testing Campbell monkeys and other monkeys for some kind of unknown monkey language. It also informs the reader about how monkeys use suffixes, etc., just like humans do to create their own form of syntax. 2. This article was probably generated toward the public, or perhaps a zoologist, or someone else that might be interested in monkeys and apes. I know this because it was published in the New York Times with somewhat formal diction. 3. Nicholas Wade's purpose for writing this was definitely to inform and entertain. He starts of the article by joking around with the monkey's language and ends it the same way, but the body is very straight forward about the facts.

AOW - "Cell Phone Etiquette: 15 Rules To Follow" By (Unknown)
1. This article tells about 15 of the most commonly ignored cell phone etiquette rules and how you can acquire radiation sickness by using your phone in different ways. 2. This article was most likely generated towards the general public. I know this because it is very easy to read and it tell about the most //commonly// ignored rules, not the ones commonly ignored by a special group. 3. The author's purpose for composing this article was absolutely to inform. The author tells what the reader should and should not do and how to do it. It also gives special information on the back about how you might be harming yourself and not even know it.

AOW - "Why India loves Facebook" By Tunku Varadarajan
1. This article tells about how applications such as Twitter, Orkut (Google's social networking site), and escpecially Facebook are greatly enjoyed by Indians because it allows them to get into other peoples business and tell other people what they are doing-two things that Indians love.

2. I believe this was written for a general public or possibly for someone in need of statistics dealing with the subject. I know this because the article have an understandible vocabulary (with the exceptions of a few words), it flows well, and the author trys to keep the article easy-going and lighthearted.

3. This article was most likely produced to entertain. This is shown by how the author speaks about the Indians in such a manner that they are children wanting to know every little thing about their peers, and because the article seems as if it was made for an easy reader but with additional information =AOW - "Russia acts against 'false' history" By James Rodgers= 1. This article is about how Russia is facing false statements about their history. It explains how the World War II is the cause of all of the falsification and the harm that has come to Russia.

2. This article is most likely written for a special audience; that audience being political followers. I know this because it includes in depth statement about things that the common person would not be able to pick up on, formal vocabulary, and the type of publication, which was to the internet. You would probably have to follow this author's writing or know where to get pieces on this subject matter to reach the article.

3. The writers primary purpose for this article was most definitely to inform. The author's diction is quite formal and states the facts clearly for reader to interpret.

AOW - "Sugar Overload: Curbing America's Sweet Tooth"
1. This article informs the reader about the intake of sugar consumed by the average person, how these numbers have grown in the past few years, where all of these extra grams of sugar are coming from, and how these effect us. On the flip side of the article, there is a chart showing commonly consumed foods and the amount of added sugars in teaspoons.

2. I would say that this article is aimed towards the general public to show how bad our eating habits have become. I know this because the vocabulary is not too formal, yet not too casual and because it does not talk about a certain groups' intake of food; she talks about the average intake for America as a whole.

3. The writer's purpose for this article was to inform. I know this because she does not use any inspiring, motivational, funny, etc. words. She is trying to get her point across in the simplest way.

AOW - "Boy, 12 faces grown up murder charges" by Stephanie Chen
1. This article tells about the accusation that Jordan Brown (11 at the time) shot and killed his father's eight month pregnant father's fiance, Kenzie Houk. It goes into detail about how police officers, etc., are deciding how to charge the boy (either not at all or with an adult charge), possible reasons for Brown shooting, and more.

2. To me, this article is aimed towards the general public for its formal yet easy-to-read layout, and the fact that it was posted to an internet website. This article could be read by a random person surfing the web, or by someone researching things in this field, etc.

3. This article was composed to inform. I know this because the author tells the facts and does not use any motivation words, etc. She is trying to lay out the facts but to also keep you interested with every sentence.

AOW - "Superman and Me" by Sherman Alexie
1. This article is about how Alexie's childhood was difficult because of his peers making fun of his race and how books metaphorically 'saved his life'. Alexie describes how the books were his 'safe harbor' and how he could lean on them.

2. The audience for this article was probably both the general public and a special audience. The general public would probably be people who keep up with his work and are interested in what Alexie has to say. The special audience would be kids who are having troubles like Alexie did, or kids that are not interested in reading. I know this because his tone is somewhat formal, but still encouraging.

3. Alexie's main purpose for this piece would definitely be to motivate. He describes how he used books to be his friend when he did not have many and how they helped him through rough times, which he is trying to do with the Indian kids he teaches.

Utopia
A utopia seems like a very nice place to reside. There are no wars or fights, or anything that makes you worried, mad, sad, etc. If only such a place could exist. Unfortunately, some people believe that Utopias are a fantasy and are impossible to create and have them succeed. I personally accept the fact that Utopias are possible to develop, but it would take a great deal of cooperation by the society of people that live in the Utopia. The good things that come form a Utopia is the sense of safety, trust, and happiness. Everybody in the Utopia would get along and there would be no problems in the community. The only bad things I could think of that might come from a Utopia is that the population of the Utopia would be cut off from the other part of society that could not accept the idea of a Utopia, and they might become aggravated by this or feel like they are missing out on some things. Some of the people in the Utopia would probably decide that life outside of the community was better and move back. I certainly would enjoy having a Utopia available for living.

toc Paige**Symbolic Story Questions** Do not write the questions. a. What do you notice within the text that leads you to beleive you should pay attention to these ideas and motifs? As I read this story, I noticed that Katie and her sister loved eachother throughout the entire story. Also, the question "Is she going to make it/survive?" was asked quite a bit. Lastly, Lynn told Katie that certain things were "Kira-Kira" or sparkling/glittering.

b. Why do you think the author drew your attention to these ideas? What do you think is the authors "take" or generilizations about these issues? I beleive that the author drew me to these ideas because they stood out throughout the story. I beleive that the authors take on these issues is that they are the basis for the storyline and guide the reader through the story.

c. Explain how you agree, or disagree with the author's generilizations about these issues. How will you show this response though a cut out? I beleive that the author's generilizations about these issues are correct and correspond to the storyline very well. I will show this reponse by showing how i felt about these issues personally as i read the book and show them in the best way I can.

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My explorer, Cabeza De Vaca, explored Texas in the year 1526. The player, or outside of this is red because he explored for Spain. He is on the beach because he was on the Narvaez expedition and that ship got ruined by a hurricane.

Works cited McDougal and Littel. //Celebrating Texas//. Austin Texas: Lone Star, 2003. Print.