This was an interesting article. For the most part, I did agree with a lot of it. The one part that i want to talk about is the banning of the book. I do not think there is reallly any reason for this book to be banned. After reading it, I saw the signifigance of it. I do not think that Holden is exactly a bad role model for kids. I think in a way he shows readers how it is bad to be the way he is. He did not exactly have a great life, so it is not like the book portrays his behavior as the good way to be. Everything in the book had a meaning to it. All of the profanity was not added in just to be there. There was a signifigance to it. For example, the writing on the walls that he tries to cover up. This is showing how he wants to preserve the innocence of children and protect them from seeing that. I know that I see that all the time written all over in public.
I like the part in the reading where it says that Holden seems almost not like a character, but a real person. It is true. The way that he speaks in the book, it seems like he is really speaking to you and for me that had a good effect on me while reading it. I think this is a good book for teenagers to read because most teens probably have at least a little part of Holden in them.

Color Poem

I am yellow like the sun. A bright sunny day can almost always make me happy.
I am white like the snow, so peaceful as it lightly floats to the ground.
I am blue like my best friend's eyes. I know she will always be loyal to me, as will I to her.
I am black like the night sky. It will always be a mystery what is really out there.
I am orange like my brother's popsicle stick. He has all the energy in the world.
I am red like my boyfriend's favorite sweatshirt. He gives me strength even at my weakest points.
But most of all, I am brown.
People normally do not like the color brown; it is considered an ugly color.
But I think it is a wonderful color.
It is a simple color, but it brings so much comfort to my life.
My mom has beautiful brown hair,
and everytime I am with her, I feel comforted.
The trees are brown,
and I am so lucky to live in an area with so much nature.
When my mom makes brownies,
our house seems so welcoming.
My baseball mit is brown,
and that brings my dad and I closer together.
Hot cholcolate on a snow day;
that is one of the best feelings ever.
Brown is a very important color;
it makes up a big part of my life.

Softball

Fathers are busy people. They always have something going on, wether it be going to work, doing work around the house, or even just watching that important baseball game on tv. I know this first hand because my dad is just about always busy doing something. Luckily though, we both share a passion for softball. No matter how busy he may be, he always finds time for softball.
Playing softball is a great chance for me to spend quality time with my dad. Enjoying softball is one thing that we both have in common. He took me to Modells to get my softball mitt. We looked at many different mitts. Some were too hard, or too big, or just too expensive. Finally, after looking at a lot of different mitts, we found the perfect one. It was a wilson mitt. It was very flexible and soft, unlike many of the others that I had tried out. It was made out of leather, so it smelled so good. It fit me perfectly; not too big and not too tight. I had finally found the perfect mitt for me, but what really made that day special was that it was a special time for just my dad and I.
My dad taught me how to make my mitt a little more comfortable for me. We put leather softener on it and then we put a softball inside of the mitt and put it underneath my mattress. I did not know a lot of the rules of the game, so my dad helped me learn them a little bit before I started. My dad would always help me practice throwing, and catching, and batting, even though at the time he had a really bad shoulder.
When the season started, my dad came to just about every one of my games. I could tell that it made him proud that I was playing softball, although I was not all that good when I first started. My dad and I have always been pretty close, but softball is just one thing that brings us closer together. Everytime I put on that mitt and I head out to centerfield, I think about how this mitt inspires me to make my dad proud.

Book Review

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, is a story of struggletosurvive in poverty. Jeannette Walls was the daughter of Rex and Rose Mary. She also had two sisters and a brother. Rex and Rose Mary's way of living ruined her childhood, but I think that it helped her in the long run to become a stronger person. Jeannette pretty much had to fend for herself as a child because her father was a drunk and her mother did not want the responsiblity of caring for a family. When her father was sober, though, he did teach them a lot about a number of different things, but mostly he brought out their imagination. They never really stayed in one place, they were always moving around. The kids all had to deal with bullies at school and people looking down upon them because they did not have nice clothes, and they could not always take showers. Rex and Mary Walls did not care what others thought of them. They enjoyed living the way that they were. They tried to teach their kids to ignore people who looked down on them and not let it bother them, but I could tell that Jeannette and the rest of the kids really did want a better life.
They finally find the will, and the money, to leave their old life, and start a new one for themselves. The Walls kids all looked after one another and always stuck together. They truly cared about each other very much. Although Jeannette's parents did not give her a great life as a child, she talks about them in the story with such affection, and she does make it hard at times for the reader to hate her father or her mother for what they did.
I really love this story. I was hooked from the first page. It kept me guessing at what great adventure they were going to go on next throughout the whole book. At times, it was hard to believe that all of the events in the story truly did happen. I really like how the story was told all in the child's voice. It is much more effective that way because it makes the reader be able to really feel what Jeannette was feeling as a kid. The story also gives the reader a great sence of the setting.
I liked the kids, but I did not like Rex and Mary. Rex was just a drunken jerk most of the time who was, for the most part, the reason for the problems that the family had. When he was sober, he did inspire the kids to use their imagination, and he taught them a lot, but when he was drunk, which was most of the time, he was just destructive. The kids had to care for themselves. They needed to find ways be obtain food and to get clothes and money. They stuck together and got through it though. Having a strong opinion of the characters in the book makes it more interesting to read.
This was just an amazing book, and the whole time I was reading it I never wanted to put it down. It just really makes you feel like you are in the story, and it gives the reader a great understanding of what the Walls children had to go through.

Quote

"Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue; it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright."

This quote is saying that poverty makes a person shameful and if a person is in poverty, they cannot have any pride in themselves or stand strong. This quote is wrong about the family in The Glass Castle. They are extremely poor, but they choose to be this way. Their mother has a teaching degree so she could go get a job teaching, but she chooses not to. Their father is a very knowledgeable man and if he put his mind to something, I am sure that he could achieve it. Although I think they are capable of doing a lot, they choose to live the way they do. The do not follow the 'normal' rules of society. Their dad does not usually get regular jobs, and even if he does, he does not keep them for long. He thinks that one day they are going to strike gold, but it is not working out well, and they are living in bad poverty. Although they are living in terrible conditions, it does not bring down their spirits. They stay positive in just about every situation, no matter how bad things get. They always find a way to get eachoher through tough times. They stand up strong for what they believe in, no matter what other people think of them. For example, when Rex takes the kids to the zoo, and they go over the gate and pet the tiger. People think they are crazy and think that is wrong, but he does not care what they think. Their parents do not care if others think they are bad parents; they are raising their kids the way they think is the right way.
None of the people in this family have been deprived of their spirits. Their father may be a drunken jerk most of the time, but I do not believe that this is because they are poor. I believe that they are poor because of his drinking and the way that he wants to live his life. So this family is an example of how poverty does not bring down all of a persons spirits and virtues. This family has their own virtues, which they stick to, no matter what others think. This family is pretty much in poverty because they choose to be, so I think they are happier living the way they are than they would be living by the 'normal' rules.