Final Blog Reflection

Click here to view my best blog post

This link leads to my analysis post. I felt this was my best post because I met all the requirements and it was picked for featured blogger. I felt I "cited strong and textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drwan from the text." These were the exact words from the rubric. I thought I included a good quote in my post. It really helped the reader see how Shaq feels at this point in the story. I infered in that post that Shaq was one of those people who likes to stay within himself. This meets the requirement on the rubric that states, "...as well as inferences drawn from the text." Overall, I thought I did a better job on this post compared to my other ones.

In the next trimester of reading, I hope to increase the time I read each day. This trimester, I hardly read at all unless I needed to. I feel if I begin to read more, it could help with my understanding of more difficult texts as well as increase my knowledge of more difficult words. For writing, I feel the same way. If I can start to write a little bit each week, I could become a better writer as well as a better overall student in english class. One area of improvement I have for reading is to be able to understand confusing texts better. I need to get into the habit of thinking about what is going on while I read instead of just reading without thinking; which I commonly do. If I do this, I feel I can better understand difficult texts like Shakespeare without having to read it many times. For writing, I think I could definitly work on my voice. If I have a better voice in writing, it would make my stories or whatever I am writing more interesting.

Post about Choir from THE CHRONICLE

In the school newspaper, The Chronicle, there is an interesting article written about the choir class. It is written by Emily Taylor. It mainly talks about the teacher, Mrs. Santos. She is known to be a very good teacher, as well as very passionate. She likes to have a connection with the students. "She calls us her family and that's what is truly special about her." I feel it is very important for teachers to do this. If you have no connection with your sudents, how are you supposed to find the best way for them to learn? The article also mentions how she doesn't like to mess around. "She's welcoming when you walk in, but she definitly wants to get work done." Although I personally don't take chorus, I'm sure they have a blast and it sounds like a really good time.

Analysis

A specific quote I found in Shaq Uncut was, "My thing is, why is this man coming off like he knows me or cares about me? From zero to eighteen I had practically no contact with you"(O'neal 83). At this part in the story, Shaq's biological father tried to talk to Shaq and become friends with him. As you can tell, Shaq wanted to have none of that. He is mad because this guy is only deciding to talk to him once he became famous. Many people would fell the same way. If they're not with you from the beginning, they dont deserve your respect once you become famous. I can infer from this that Shaq is one of those people who likes to stay in his own circles and not get caught up in all the hype or stuff like that. Later in the story though, we may find out this is not true, but you will have to read to find out.

2nd post

On this post, I am going to talk about how the setting has changed so much throughout the story. At the beginning, there was a very rough setting. Shaquille would be sad a lot of the time due to the times his dad would beat him. He would fight through it though. This setting changed so much later in the story. He loves life. If you would watch him play just one game, you would be able to tell how much he loves the game and being there on the court. In a way, these two settings are connected. If he hadn't been forced to work hard as a kid, he would not have had this amazing oppurtunity as an adult.

Book Recommendations

Even though I havn't finished the book, so far, I would definantly recommend Shaq Uncut. It is about the life of NBA star Shaquille O'neal. It gives great details about his whole life from his childhood all the way through his NBA career. If you enjoy basketball or sports in general, you will for sure like this book! Even if you don't play sports, I feel it would still be really good because it is a great story of perserverance which everyone can relate to! Also, I believe that Shaq was a great  person and someone everybody should learn about! So, you should consider reading this book!

Characters

A complex character is Shaq. He starts out when he was young as a shy kid who kinda stayed to himself. He would just work hard and not really talk that much. As he grew up, he became so much more outgoing. When he played in the NBA, he was one of the most talkative players in the league. This advances the plot because if he would have stayed quiet his whole life, he would not have been as popular player with the fans as he was in his career. Another character who changed a lot was Sarge, Shaq's dad. In Shaq's childhood, he was always on him to be the best and make no mistakes. Once Shaq got older, Sarge let off a little bit and let Shaq become his own man. This perpels the plot because if he would have been on shaq every second of every day, Shaq might have decided to quit his basketball career because it was too much.

Tone and Mood

In Shaq Uncut, the tone and mood change a lot. At some points, mainly when Shaq is talking to his dad, there is a serious tone. "'What the hell did you say to me?' he screamed. He grabbed my uniform and hauled me througha side door out of the gym. My coach is standing there and all the players are watching, but no one is going to mess with my father"(O'neal 28). At other points, when Shaq is out in public, he tends to have a very friendly and outgoing tone which conveys a happy and laid back mood. "I had a Ford Bronco II. It wasn't much of a car, but I'd move the seatall the way back on the track so I could fit, and I put my own speakers in there, so that truck was rocking"(O'neal 54). Even though these two tones and moods are very different, they help make the story better in my opinion. One moment whena character swayed the beliefs of others, is when Shaq's grandma said, "It's okay baby. Everything is gonna be fine'"(O'neal 2). She used a very soothing and caring tone to help Shaq's mood become better and more happy.