The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Book Review Final Draft

1.What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?

8.Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.

In the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, an autistic boy named Christopher narrates his perspective of life as he tries to solve a mystery of a murdered dog. As the story plays out, Christopher’s autism is viewed by the readers

“The next day I saw 4 yellow cars in a row on the way to school, which made it a Black Day, so I didn’t eat anything at lunch and I sat in the corner of the room all day… another Black Day too, so I didn’t speak to anyone and for the whole afternoon I sat in the corner of the Library groaning with my head pressed into the join between the two walls and this made me feel calm and safe. But on the third day I kept my eyes closed all the way until we got off the bus because after I have had 2 Black Days in a row I’m allowed to do that.”(53)

This is an example of Haddon allowing the reader to understand how an autistic person thinks and acts to their surroundings. The quote shows Christopher reacting to something someone that isn’t autistic wouldn’t naturally react to.  A person without autism wouldn't normally notice the color of the cars, and even if they did, they would not isolate themselves in a corner and groan at school or work. They might find it weird or even funny, but that would be all they care for that row of same-colored cars. All of this is why I think Haddon’s purpose of this book is so that the reader understands why some autistic people act a way. He wants to show that autistic people don’t really want to do what they do on purpose, and they know their limits and how to control themselves. After two consecutive days of sitting in the corner alone, Christopher gets the willpower to avoid another day of repeating his Black Day ritual.

“And he said, “what’s 251 times 864?” And I thought about this and I said, “216,864… And I said, “Is that right?” And Rhodri said, “I haven’t got a bloody clue…”(66)

This quote also shows how Haddon wants the reader to understand autistic people more. Christopher immediately solves the math problem, but after saying out the answer, he explains to the reader how he got that answer in a step by step method. This shows how autistic people have abilities that “regular” people usually do not have, and that autistic people can be just as smart as “regular” people, if not more since Rhodri, the person asking Christopher the question, didn’t even know the answer himself.

Another impact of his autism towards his life is the relationship he has with his father. His father stays very patient with him even though he is merely impossible to work with.
“Father said, “Promise me you will stop doing these things. Promise that you will give up this ridiculous game right now, OK?” I said, “I promise.”(50)
This shows how Christopher's father tries to give his son the what is best for him through thick and thin. Even though Christopher blankly promised that he would not be nosy and investigate, he still does it. He simply convinces himself inside his mind that his father wasn't clear enough for him to follow the rules.

“I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to get into trouble. Then I thought that this was a Super Good Day and something special hadn't happened yet, so it was possible that talking to Mrs. Alexander was the special thing that was going to happen. And I thought that she might tell me something about Wellington or about Mr. Shears without me asking her, so that wouldn't be breaking my promise.”(55)

This part of the story shows just how disobedient Christopher is. He would follow his own mind even though he knew what was right and what was wrong. He simply twisted his father's words into something that was just supposed to be broken and avoided in any way. Though I am a little mad at Christopher for being so ignorant, I am impressed that he found a way to slide through such a promise. It seemed so straightforward and clear, but Christopher's mind found an easy way to avoid the guidelines. Christopher later gets caught and seems to not even care for what his father has to say. What is worse is that the second Christopher finds out that his father killed the dog, he forgets all of the things that his father did because he loved him. All of the times his father stood by his side were immediately erased from Christopher's mind. All he thought about was that his father was evil and untrustworthy, and that he needed to run away from him. This really shows how 
the author wanted the reader to see how an autistic person acts to what is happening around him.


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. The autistic point of view of the book really makes the reader think twice when judging someone that is mentally ill. It is also interesting because it introduces a whole new way of thinking of things, from how to do a math problem or just tackling a regular problem. Overall, I really think this is a good book due to it being interesting, funny, and intense all throughout the book.

Peer Review Comments

My peer review comments

Here are the comments I left for my tablemates' rough drafts...

For Karen:

I think that you did a good job so far with the characters, but I think you should really add another question to respond to since you only have about 600 words! Maybe you can write about the author's purpose of the book, like the point she is trying to get across?

For Eric:

I think you might need to add some quotes to add some words since you only have about 800 words. You should also take some summary out of this. It should have way more analysis. Plus, you can maybe add another question that you respond to.

For Devin:

First of all, get a more fitting title, haha. I thought that you saying this book wouldn't appeal to adults should have more evidence. I am sure a lot of adults would read the book not because of the cover. You might need some quotes that show this book is childish or something?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Book Review Rough Draft

In the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon, an autistic boy named Christopher narrates his perspective of life as he tries to solve a mystery of a murdered dog. As the story plays out, Christopher’s autism is viewed by the readers
“The next day I saw 4 yellow cars in a row on the way to school, which made it a Black Day, so I didn’t eat anything at lunch and I sat in the corner of the room all day… another Black Day too, so I didn’t speak to anyone and for the whole afternoon I sat in the corner of the Library groaning with my head pressed into the join between the two walls and this made me feel calm and safe. But on the third day I kept my eyes closed all the way until we got off the bus because after I have had 2 Black Days in a row I’m allowed to do that.”(53)
This is an example of Haddon allowing the reader to understand how an autistic person thinks and acts to their surroundings. The quote shows Christopher reacting to something someone that isn’t autistic wouldn’t naturally react to.  A person without autism wouldn't normally notice the color of the cars, and even if they did, they would not isolate themselves in a corner and groan at school or work. They might find it weird or even funny, but that would be all they care for that row of same-colored cars. All of this is why I think Haddon’s purpose of this book is so that the reader understands why some autistic people act a way. He wants to show that autistic people don’t really want to do what they do on purpose, and they know their limits and how to control themselves. After two consecutive days of sitting in the corner alone, Christopher gets the willpower to avoid another day of repeating his Black Day ritual.
“And he said, “what’s 251 times 864?” And I thought about this and I said, “216,864… And I said, “Is that right?” And Rhodri said, “I haven’t got a bloody clue…”(66)
This quote also shows how Haddon wants the reader to understand autistic people more. Christopher immediately solves the math problem, but after saying out the answer, he explains to the reader how he got that answer in a step by step method. This shows how autistic people have abilities that “regular” people usually do not have, and that autistic people can be just as smart as “regular” people, if not more since Rhodri, the person asking Christopher the question, didn’t even know the answer himself.
Another impact of his autism towards his life is the relationship he has with his father. His father stays very patient with him even though he is merely impossible to work with.
“Father said, “Promise me you will stop doing these things. Promise that you will give up this ridiculous game right now, OK?” I said, “I promise.”(50)
This shows how Christopher's father tries to give his son the what is best for him through thick and thin. Even though Christopher blankly promised that he would not be nosy and investigate, he still does it. He simply convinces himself inside his mind that his father wasn't clear enough for him to follow the rules.
“I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to get into trouble. Then I thought that this was a Super Good Day and something special hadn't happened yet, so it was possible that talking to Mrs. Alexander was the special thing that was going to happen. And I thought that she might tell me something about Wellington or about Mr. Shears without me asking her, so that wouldn't be breaking my promise.”(55)
This part of the story shows just how disobedient Christopher is. He would follow his own mind even though he knew what was right and what was wrong. He simply twisted his father's words into something that was just supposed to be broken and avoided in any way. Though I am a little mad at Christopher for being so ignorant, I am impressed that he found a way to slide through such a promise. It seemed so straightforward and clear, but Christopher's mind found an easy way to avoid the guidelines.
Christopher later gets caught and seems to not even care for what his father has to say. What is worse is that the second Christopher finds out that his father killed the dog, he forgets all of the things that his father did because he loved him. All of the times his father stood by his side were immediately erased from Christopher's mind. All he thought about was that his father was evil and untrustworthy, and that he needed to run away from him. This really shows how the author wanted the reader to see how an autistic person acts to what is happening around him.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mini Book Review 2

In the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon, an autistic boy named Christopher narrates his perspective of life with his father. His father stays very patient with him even though he is merely impossible ti work with.

“Father said, “Promise me you will stop doing these things. Promise that you will give up this ridiculous game right now, OK?” I said, “I promise.”(50)

This shows how Christopher's father tries to give his son the what is best for him through thick and thin. Even though Christopher blankly promised that he would not be nosy and investigate, he still does it. He simply convinces himself inside his mind that his father wasn't clear enough for him to follow the rules.

“I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to get into trouble. Then I thought that this was a Super Good Day and something special hadn't happened yet, so it was possible that talking to Mrs. Alexander was the special thing that was going to happen. And I thought that she might tell me something about Wellington or about Mr. Shears without me asking her, so that wouldn't be breaking my promise.”(55)

This part of the story shows just how disobedient Christopher is. He would follow his own mind even though he knew what was right and what was wrong. He simply twisted his father's words into something that was just supposed to be broken and avoided in any way. Though I am a little mad at Christopher for being so ignorant, I am impressed that he found a way to slide through such a promise. It seemed so straightforward and clear, but Christopher's mind found an easy way to avoid the guidelines.

Christopher later gets caught and seems to not even care for what his father has to say. What is worse is that the second Christopher finds out that his father killed the dog, he forgets all of the things that his father did because he loved him. All of the times his father stood by his side were immediately erased from Christopher's mind. All he thought about was that his father was evil and untrustworthy, and that he needed to run away from him. This really shows how the author wanted the reader to see how an autistic person acts to what is happening around him. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mini Book Review

In the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon, an autistic boy named Christopher narrates his perspective of life as he tries to solve a mystery of a murdered dog. As the story plays out, Christopher’s autism is viewed by the readers

“The next day I saw 4 yellow cars in a row on the way to school, which made it a Black Day, so I didn’t eat anything at lunch and I sat in the corner of the room all day… another Black Day too, so I didn’t speak to anyone and for the whole afternoon I sat in the corner of the Library groaning with my head pressed into the join between the two walls and this made me feel calm and safe. But on the third day I kept my eyes closed all the way until we got off the bus because after I have had 2 Black Days in a row I’m allowed to do that.”(53)

This is an example of Haddon allowing the reader to understand how an autistic person thinks and acts to their surroundings. The quote shows Christopher reacting to something someone that isn’t autistic wouldn’t naturally react to.  A person without autism wouldn't normally notice the color of the cars, and even if they did, they would not isolate themselves in a corner and groan at school or work. They might find it weird or even funny, but that would be all they care for that row of same-colored cars. All of this is why I think Haddon’s purpose of this book is so that the reader understands why some autistic people act a way. He wants to show that autistic people don’t really want to do what they do on purpose, and they know their limits and how to control themselves. After two consecutive days of sitting in the corner alone, Christopher gets the willpower to avoid another day of repeating his Black Day ritual.

“And he said, “what’s 251 times 864?” And I thought about this and I said, “216,864… And I said, “Is that right?” And Rhodri said, “I haven’t got a bloody clue…”(66)

This quote also shows how Haddon wants the reader to understand autistic people more. Christopher immediately solves the math problem, but after saying out the answer, he explains to the reader how he got that answer in a step by step method. This shows how autistic people have abilities that “regular” people usually do not have, and that autistic people can be just as smart as “regular” people, if not more since Rhodri, the person asking Christopher the question, didn’t even know the answer himself.

Response to Vignettes

After reading many vignettes, I have decided to respond to the ones Devin, Mercedes, and Sam did because they all have a vignette that relates to how teachers affect their school lives. I found that Devin was a little bit mad, Mercedes was happy, and Sam was upset. 

A teacher sees this conversation and comes over.“Both of you are getting another detention,” he says.

In Devin's situation, the teacher is punishing Devin for something that was not Devin's fault. It was Devin's friend who kept talking, and it should have only been him that should have gotten in trouble. Devin is wronged by the teacher, and has to pay the price for the teacher's mistake.

On top of that, the teacher was in-comforting.  He would literally have temper tantrums and throw instruments against the wall.  I, as a trumpet player had to empty the water build up in my instrument that after a few songs would appear.  To do this I had to open a little valve and blow through the instrument.  When the teacher grew angry, I still had to use this same process.  When he heard someone emptying the water, he would scream at them, so I had to blow out of my trumpet as quietly as possible.  I slowly would allow the clear water to leave the instrument, the water of the trumpet mixing with the sweat dripping from my for head.  I wanted nothing more then for the period to end.  When it did, I just went home scared not relieved.

Sam seems to be pressured by the band teacher. This is shameful towards the band teacher for an obvious reason, teachers are at school to guide students to success, not scare them from trying to reach it. The band teacher has no reason to get angry at a student for releasing their puddle of spit when he does it himself too. In fact, every brass player has to do this, so becoming angry at a student for doing what they are supposed to do is unreasonable and unbelievable. Sam should not have to be scared of school. The whole point of a public school in an environment like Alameda is so that students could feel safe everyday they step onto campus. Sam's mental abuse by the band teacher must have changed his perspective of school. Sam probably did not like going to school as much.

 I was in the advanced core class. The supposed "GATE" class, though no one really cared. Thankfully, I had a good teacher. Making things somewhat better.

Unlike Devin and Sam, Mercedes' mentioned teacher was supportive. This lead to Mercedes liking school more even with her being the school's alien. This shows how a great teacher leaves a student feeling better about themselves and what they are doing.

In the end, my point is that teachers should be more considerate towards their students since helping students succeed and feel safe is the main reason of being a teacher.

Beta Reading

1.    I think that the abundance of dialogue contributes to this story because it allows the reader to follow on better. It helps the reader feel like they are part of the story. since it makes it easier for them to visualize what is happening. However, I thought that the dialogue where Adrian talked about Filipino folklore became a little bit lifeless. The dialogue went back and forth, and got a little bland. I think that section needs a little bit more emotion, especially from Dorothy.
2.    I thought that the in-depth details about Filipino folklore was pretty interesting. I felt like I learned something new, but I do not think it is really significant in the story. I thought it was kind of excessive, and weird for a teenager to talk about. I find that pretty unfitting seeing how a regular teenager at a lively party would not normally talk about folklore. They would be talking about something less dull like their feelings.
3.    As I said before, I thought that Dorothy needed a little bit more emotion in the story when Adrian talked about Filipino folklore. She sounded bored, which makes sense considering she is a teenager, but she also seemed interested in the details, which contradicts her being uninterested. I think it would be more appropriate if she acted more attentive, or just completely disinterested.
4.    The cultural elements didn’t feel forced at first when Adrian talked about his family in the Philippines, but when he got to talking about the moon, it felt a little bit unnatural especially since it was tied in due to the corny idea of gazing at the moon by the lake.
6.    I don’t think Adrian is too compelling. He isn’t overloading Dorothy with his background information. Just enough so that she is included in the conversation. Plus, he did not seem very demanding. He was a gentleman when he respected what Dorothy said and when he helped her in and out of the car to her door.
In the end, I think that this story is pretty interesting and modern. I think that the problems, like the Filipino folklore conversation, I saw would be resolved if I knew more about the overall story.
 

The Color Purple

I think that Celie’s letters to god show that she is very desperate for someone to express her feelings to. She talks to god as if god was a friend of hers that listens to her stories while feeling sorry for her.

“I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me” (Walker, Page 1).

This quote shows that she is writing to god out of confusion. She doesn’t know what is happening to her, so she is writing these entries to god so that he could help her. This also shows how lonely she is.

“When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it” (Walker, Page 1).

This shows how Celie is a strong individual. She has to live through her abusive father raping her and controlling her all the time. Her father even kills and sells her babies while she lies about them to her dieing mother.

“All I thought about was Nettie. How she could come to me if I marry him and he be so love struck with her I could figure out a way for us to run away” (Walker, Page 9).

This quote shows how caring Celie is. She cares about Nettie so much that she would even run away with her just so Nettie would be safe. This quote also shows how messed up Celie’s father is. He is practically giving away his daughter even though she does not love the person she is marrying. Plus, this quote shows how weak Celie is. She is letting herself being given and abused like a toy. She doesn’t do anything about the horrible things that are happening to her.

“I pray for strength, bite the insides of my jaws” (Walker, Page 26).

This line that Celie writes to god exemplifies how she is writing to god because she needs someone to hear her and help her. She is trusting god with her life because he is the only one she thinks can save her from her miserable and cowardly life.

Response to Wendy

I found this extremely hateful post on Wendy's blog

“It seems so unrealistic to me when I see a older brother helping the little sister/brother out because that's like a complete lie to me. How often do any siblings get along? Almost never. To those who are an only child, be happy for that because having a sibling is not all that much fun (actually, it more like hell half the time). It may seem to be boring, but life is a lot better when you don't have someone constantly trying to get you in trouble, or cutting off your internet when you're doing your homework.”

I have two older brothers, and they have both influenced my life like family should. After leaving my oldest brother in Australia, I haven’t really lived around him except for the two times I went there to visit. He has been one of my greatest role models as I was growing up. He never got mad to the point where he would put out his anger on others, even when my dad put him down with demeaning accusations. He didn’t even yell harshly at me and my brother when we did bad deeds. He would just calmly tell us how to clean up our spilled or broken mess. He was extremely hard-working, constantly going to school after he moved from China to Australia. I always looked up to his perseverance, care, initiative, and definitely patience. I also looked up to his height, since he is so tall, but that doesn’t really matter.

My middle brother has been around me my whole life, watching and teaching me about what is ahead of me. He is the reason I have such patience and care around people. He acted like my third parent, which I used to hate, but I now see why he did all of what seemed like selfish acts. He even pulled the internet trick on me that Wendy mentioned because I was on my computer to much. I now see that he only did such things, like making me wash the dishes or help my parents continuously. He was like my personal life trainer. He taught me to be respectful to my elders, responsible of the work that I could help with around the house, and even how to live without his help with problems, like fixing my bike tires and brakes along with technological computer stuff. My brother is the actual reason I know so much about computers and how to use them. He is also the reason for more than half the items I have. He is the person who shops for my needs and wants that my parents can not get me. He is also the person who kept my life fun, accompanying and introducing me to new things.

In the end, you can see how much my brothers have influenced me in life. They may be annoying sometimes, but it may actually be for a reason if you look through it not only your own eyes. My life would definitely be a life of boredom and a life of always messing up in life without my two brothers’ love and help..

Response to Karisa

I read this sad post on Karisa’s blog and I think that the parting of Karisa and her friend’s relationship is a both their faults since they didn’t find time to hang out with each other.

“It didn't seem to make sense, but I didn't really feel comfortable asking her in front of those people. Anyways, the rest of the time was really awkward because they were talking about things they'd done together and i felt like a major fourth wheel.Now, I haven't talked to this friend in a really long time. I miss her, but she doesn't really seem to care. It's kind of sad because she was one of my closest friends in middle school and now we never talk. Just like the quote said "[People] end up having nothing to say to each other, even if they were best friends the year before."”

I think that how Karisa’s friend made new friends wasn’t a bad thing since she and Karisa didn’t really communicate and bond as much as before. It doesn’t really matter if they used to be really good friends if they never really talked to each other anymore. Memories are nice to reminisce about, but having fresh stuff to do and talk about is undeniably more fun.

I remember when I wanted to talk to my old friends in Australia, but I thought about what I would say to them. I would just probably talk for a few minutes about how they were doing, and just say goodbye. That is why I have learned to forget about people I would never need to see again. I don’t even bother chatting with my old friends since it would only waste time that I could be spending on friends that I do see on a regular basis. Their useless memories would just dwell in my mind, wasting my energy to think about them. I won’t hate on a person who does keep in touch with their old friends, but I, personally, would not spend my time living in the past over the present.

Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

There has always been a debate about whether or not an elite college improves a student’s education. After reading Martha (Marty) O'Connell’s post about how it is what you do at the college over the actual college, I have been convinced that she is the most persuasive.

“The key to success in college and beyond has more to do with what students do with their time during college than where they choose to attend.” and “In a summary of the findings, the bureau says that "evidently, students' motivation, ambition and desire to learn have a much stronger effect on their subsequent success than average academic ability of their classmates.””

Like she said, I agree that it is what a student does in a school that matters more. For example, it would not matter what college a really hard working and diligent student goes to since they will still learn so much. On the other hand, if a really lazy student goes to an elite school, that student would perhaps skip classes or not do their homework, leading them to fail. Though, I do believe that a student will get more pressure in an elite school over a unwanted school. More pressure will lead to more hard work, but this will also lead to increased stressed.


Kevin Carey was the most unpersuasive out of the seven. He started off his post with what seemed as a sarcastic tone, hinting how biased he is.

“If you're among the small handful of students who have stellar SAT scores and parents with several hundred thousand dollars to spend, you should seriously consider going to an elite college or university. They're nice places to hang out for four years and you'll probably learn a few things. Even if you don't, you'll still get a piece of paper signifying that you were smart enough to get in and rich enough to pay for it. People care about stuff like that. “

I find how he said that only rich people get into good colleges a false accusation. I know there are plenty of poor, but intelligent students that attend to elite colleges. His immaturity made his whole post unattractive and unpersuasive.

Response to Kathy

I found these awesome quotes from Kathy's blog:

“Phobias can cause anxiety disorders,they can change behavior to a point of being disruptive.
Can cause post traumatic stress disorder. A compulsion is feeling like you absolutely have to do something, and an obsession is a constant unwanted thought. “

When I see something other than the regular cats, dogs, birds, and goldfish, I totally freak out. Whenever I see a spider or scary bug within a radius of ten feet with me, my whole body jumps out of control and I get chills across my body. I may even scream out of fear if I see one too close to me. My eyes widen, and I quickly ask for help or find the easiest way to kill it. I may look for a spray bottle to poison it, or maybe just a towel, or ten, to squish it depending on its size. After destroying it, I am so scared of it that I will have to flush it down the toilet. I fear that it contains a lot of babies, and they come out inside the trash can. I fear this because I saw it happen in my house in Australia. My mom used a broom to squish a spider in the bathroom, but more than a hundred tiny spider babies ran all over the place. Luckily, there was a drain on my bathroom floor, and my mom was fast enough to dump enough water on the floors to suck them all in. Just thinking about creatures like spiders makes my skin tingle and a little bit itchy. My body also shivers as I think about them.

"Exposure pushes a person with a fear to face that fear head on. People who go into exposure therapy in the early stages of an undeveloped phobia can stop it."

I agree that being exposed a lot to an animal helps build confidence and trust towards it. For example, I played with ants ever since I was tiny since they seemed harmless and were everywhere. On the other hand, I only saw spiders staring at me in the corners of rooms or on the walls creeping towards me. I also fear spiders because of how my friends and family would react to it. My brother would always ask our parents to kill the pest for us, probably creating a image in my head that all spiders, even daddy long legs, are dangerous and should only be handled by adults.

Ender's Game 3

In the book Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, a young boy, Ender, is always lied and cheated to do things the way the commanders that look over him want them to be done. The most devious commander out of the bunch is Colonel Graff. Colonel Graff is always playing mind games with Ender, convincing or even forcing Ender to accomplish impossible assignments, proving that he is worthy to lead the humans to battle.

“I didn't want to kill them all. I didn't want to kill anybody! I'm not a killer! You didn't want me, you bastards, you wanted Peter, but you made me do it, you tricked me into it!” He was crying. He was out of control. “Of course we tricked you into it. That's the whole point, “ said Graff. “It had to be a trick or you couldn't have done it. It's the bind we were in. We had to have a commander with so much empathy that he would think like the buggers, understand them and anticipate them. But somebody with that much compassion could never be the killer we needed. Could never go into battle willing to win at all costs.”

This quote is the part where Ender learns that instead of beating a his teacher in a computer simulation, he destroyed the entire Bugger planet. He found out that he had wiped out the whole Bugger race, and that the whole time that he was deploying ships that had actual pilots in them into battle. He felt supremely guilty that he had sacrificed many lives just so he could win a battle. Even thought Ender thinks he is a killer and acts like Peter, he is the opposite. Peter would enjoy killing, but Ender, on the other hand, hates killing. Ender doesn't realize this, and hates himself for being such a bad person. The way that Ender is taking on the news about him killing the Bugger race is the exact opposite of what he thinks of himself. He also doesn't see that by destroying the Bugger race, he had what seemed to be eliminating the change of to Buggers to attack planet Earth.

This quote also shows how deceptive Graff is. Graff lies and cheats Ender just so he could be a strong enough commander to defeat the Buggers. Little did he know that the Buggers didn't even plan on attacking the humans after the Second Invasion. The Buggers were actually peaceful creatures, and every invasion was made by the humans. Graff and all of other commanders lied to Earth about the Buggers being violent and terrorizing, but the invasion by the Buggers was actually just them colonizing. Graff had to keep isolating and challenging Ender so he could be more independent. Even Ender admitted it worked in the book, but these near-impossible tasks destroyed and depressed Ender's life permanently.

Response to Eric Wilson

I found this meaningful quote from Eric's blog. His post talks about video games, and how it connects to life. When I read it, I instantly found things that he said that I can relate to.

“Many people think that people that play shooter games or "war" games is to kill other people and people think it creates violent impulses. I would have to disagree because even though you are "killing" other players, it is no where near realistic. If someone is dies in real life, they are gone, and they are not coming back. In video games, the person you "killed" can immediately come back to life in a matter of seconds. People are "killed" for points, not to fulfill a cereal-killer's fantasy.”

I also agree that first person shooter do not affect a person's desire to kill and hurt others. I used to spend a lot of time playing first person shooter games, but anyone who knows me will say that I am definitely not violent. I have even heard that I need to be more violent when defending myself. I find that first person shooter games have actually made me less of a violent person since it teaches players that teamwork always helps, and that arguing will only lead to more problems. Teamwork is needed in these games when there is a mission involved, or if an area of enemies need to be trapped and surrounded for easier kills. First person shooters have also taught me to endure another's insults and anger. I have faced numerous player that have typed extremely nasty insults or comments to not only me, but to every other player that he dislikes. When this happens, I act calm, if that is possible over the internet, and confront, or even insult if that person is too hardheaded, them about how much of an ***hole they are being. I, too, believe that murdering others in real life is different to doing a mission for a purpose is in first person shooters. Playing the game is supposed to allow everyone to participate in the excitement and fun of battling each other, unlike how murdering someone is selfish and can not be reversed.

“When I play video games, I like to be able to outsmart the other players, like in many other games such as chess.”

I also find that playing first person shooters train my brain to think about the possibilities and the probabilities of defeating the enemy as soon as possible. I have to think about the odds of winning and losing, and how I can increase them. This includes me strategizing and unleashing my schemes to figure out a way to achieve my goal. I find that this teaches me how to use most of my life skills like perseverance, effort, flexibility, initiative, organization, problem-solving, responsibility, patience, curiosity, and cooperation.

Ender's Game 2

In the book Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, a young boy, Ender, is destined to save the world from an intergalactic war with an intelligent alien species called the Buggers. Ender is always pushed and forced past the limits. Even though he succeeds everything that is thrown in front of him, more challenges of the near impossible are given to him.

“Young as he is, we've never had a boy better prepared for command. Usually they go at eleven, but at nine and a half he's top flight.”(Page 154)

Ender's commanders are always making Ender do the impossible. They planned to make him go to command school one and a half years before he is supposedly allowed to go. They switch up the rules just so they can get their hands on a good commander in battle. I find this extremely selfish and unfair to Ender even though what they are doing is for the fate of the whole planet Earth.

“You have known for eight days that there is a conspiracy among some of the more vicous of these 'children' to cause the beating of Ender Wiggin... Ender Wiggin, an inestimable important international resource, will be placed in serious danger of having his brains pasted on the walls of your orbiting schoolhouse. And you, fully warned of this danger, propose to do exactly-” “Nothing” (Page 201)

This quote shows the how inhumane Colonel Graff, the person who said to send no help to Ender, is when trying to make Ender tough enough for the job of destroying the Buggers. He trusts Ender to succeed in saving himself so much, that he makes no effort in helping him. He believes that it is beneficial for Ender to face unfairness in the extreme. Colonel Graff's confidence in Ender can be viewed as thoughtful and meaningful, but it personally makes me think that he is just simply mad and not sane enough to teach children.

“I already had a battle today, I had two battles today- the bastards know what I've been through, and they're doing this to me. William Bee, Griffin Army, Talo Momoe, Tiger Army, 1900. He sat on the edge of the bed. The note trembled in his hand. I can't do this, he said silently. And then not silently. “I can't do this.”

This quote shows how extremely heartless Colonel Graff is. He is making Ender fight a battle even though Ender had fought two gruesome battles already, and had to kill Bonzo, an egotistical commander that hated Ender's success, out of self-defense. The regular battles for a regular army is one battle per week. Ender has been fighting two battles per day ever since he started leading his own army. This next battle is Ender's third battle in a single day, but what makes it worse is that he has to fight two entire armies at the same time! This is about the most monstrous thing that Ender has to face. It is so impossible that Ender breaks. He doubts himself in sadness of fear that he will finally satisfy the other armies' wishes, that Ender finally loses a battle. In the end, Ender does fight the battle, and surprisingly wins. This shows how tenacious Ender is, and how much of a fighter he really is.

Response to Vincent

I read this great quote from Vincent's blog. It talks about how his life and dreams have changed by a death of someone that was important to him.

"That was a road that I have created for myself when I was young, but as I grew older, another rode soon begin to form. My dream of becoming a DJ slowly disappeared and something much more important appeared in front of me."

 I can relate to this. I used to want to get paid as someone that works and studies bugs and other crawling critters. I loved them since I grew up with an outdoor garden that had many little creatures. My parents weren't afraid of regular, everyday bugs, influencing me to love them as well. When my mother worked in the garden, I tagged along, digging into the moist, dark brown soil for things I could play with. I used to love playing with worms, snails, ladybugs, and other insects like bees which I continued to love despite having red, swollen hands caused by them. This stopped after I learned more and more about these animals. I found out that spiders, bees, caterpillars, and some other bugs are not things that should be messed with for fun. This changed my perspective of fun little bugs that I could control into dangerous, poisonous, disgusting pests that need to stay as far away from me as possible.

"Our dreams can be shape in many ways, and there many things that can influence on the type of road that a person want to venture into. What I learned from that day was that a particular experience is able to change a person's life forever. That particular experience had already came for me, and it had forever marked me onto the rode of becoming a lawyer."

I agree with Vincent that one experience in one's life could affect them their whole lives. I don't have any one that I cared about die yet, but I did have a few pets. When one of my cats got killed by a car, I was so sad that I trembled when I thought about it too much. This also happened when my one and only dog died the same way. I didn't know until I returned to Australia to visit. I questioned about it for a long time only to be disappointed. I cried, but I felt that it made me feel stronger. After getting over my beloved pets, I felt a little bit lighter from a load of sadness and tears, and stronger since I knew that I have the power to control and contain my emotions.

Response to Luis

Lack of Attention and Respect Towards Substitute Teacher

I found the following quotes from Luis’s blog, and I am using them because I can really agree with what he is saying:

“I hate it when people try and take advantage of substitutes like if they do not even know the rules of the school... I admit it I also used to take advantage but sometimes there is a limit. Some people take it too far. Some people try and impress their friends to think that they are hard (as in tough).”

I also agree that this past week of substitutes at Alameda Science and Technology Institute(ASTI) have been abused by the students. For example, one of the substitutes that came to help out for numerous occasions has an overly nice attitude. They wait until a student finishes mindlessly distracting them, instead of having the student listen to the teacher first. This person is constantly being ignored when talking, and has been convinced that certain devices during class were allowed when they were obviously just a distraction. I am not saying that I dislike kind-hearted substitutes, but like Luis says, there is a limit. For instance, when the classwork is supposed be done individually, students should not blankly neglect the rules and start socializing just because the current person standing in the front of the class isn’t the normal teacher. I have also seen a few students take advantage of the substitute teacher’s kindness by arguing stubbornly to the substitute when they are obviously out of line to speak in such a way.

“Another thing that I find weird is when a person is concentrated at doing their work so much that they are alone or are not talking. This is weird to me because school is also about having some fun and not work all the time.”

I think that all students are supposed to be independent and quiet when doing individual work. That is why it is called individual work, and not group or partner work. Having students doing their work intensively should be a regular thing, and not something that is irregular and uncommon. I do agree that all work and no fun is not very interesting, but school is not made for children to have fun. Children go to school to learn and grow their intelligent minds, and a bit of fun is just added to lighten up this undesirable journey of education.

Response to Andy Lau

I got these great quote from Andy Lau's blog:

I am not going to lie, I am addicted to Facebook. I do not know why, but I always find myself going on that website without a goal or a legitimate reason.

I will also admit that I have some obsession with this terrible time-sucking website. I will go on it just because it is the only thing on my computer, since I don't have games, that will keep me a little sane from my boring homework. I usually tell myself that I will just check that notification, and get straight down to homework, but this doesn't work out as planned most of the time. I end up failing myself, and looking at some conversations that don't relate to me in anyway. I don't waste as much time on Facebook, since it does get dull, as on Youtube. I would go on Youtube for the same reason as me going on Facebook, and look at a video. After laughing hard at one, I look at the related videos on the side, and remember such I laugh I had, so I click that too. This leads to hours and hours of time wasted just because I saw a video that gave me a grin. This also happens when I see a video that is extremely interesting, like animal videos. I watch hundreds and hundreds of videos lasting from three minutes to an hour long, but this does educate me about the creatures around me. These so called educational videos have absorbed so much of my time that I don't get to do the actual work that helps my current education.

I know that Facebook is probably one of the biggest reasons why my homework and projects is not top quality. I also understand that Facebook has kept me from getting perfect scores on tests. Every time I work on homework, projects, or study for tests, I find myself browsing Facebook for no apparent reason; totally distracted. Only if this distraction was not in my life, I would do a lot better in school.

 Facebook and Youtube have completely rearranged my priorities of work. They somehow convince me that that extra minute of browsing or watching won't hurt my abundance of homework time, but that extra minute collects. It collects by sixties and sixties, making hours of time cut out from my homework. I end up starting at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. when I actually sat down to work at 5 p.m. This leads me to sleep at around 12:30 p.m. when I could have slept at 10 p.m. or even earlier if I had done my work as planned. When I wake up the next morning at 7 a.m., I don't feel like waking up and yawn continuously during class.

Facebook and Youtube are such grade destroyers that give me so less that it takes, but even though it totally hurts me, I can not let them go.

Response to Tiffany

I have quotes from Tiffany's blog that I can terribly relate to, shamefully:

First of all, why do we swear? We swear to get our anger out. Usually I would swear because of things that can be ridiculous to me. I remember one time I was watching Mythbusters about something of why we swear. It said that we swear to release stress. So that answers my second questions, we swear to release stress. Some other people say, that they swear because it gives them pride. What pride is that? If I had a habit of not swearing, I would be happy.

 My bad habit of swearing has offended everybody around me, including my relatives, teachers, friends, and their parents. The swear words I use just have a way of running out of my mouth. They sometimes sneak out even without me knowing and noticing for a few seconds. I think that people like me swear because it seems like such a simple but effective type of way of speaking your mind. Most people know it, and it is so easy to say, that it becomes used everyday. Ordinarily, I swear when I am really irritated or hyper into the extreme. When in those stages, my mind tells me that I can say whatever I want, and to anyone I want. Shamefully, I used to use swear words as a way to show that I am mature, but now that I know that this is just plain childish. The habit I had has stayed with me, even after trying to abolish and commission it to leave. When out of school, my medial curse words amount to 4-10 per minute. This may seem a lot, but I could regularly fit at least two swear words in a sentence. I admit they don't make sense to normal people, but they sure make sense to me.

Instead of saying F*** you, why not just say forget you? 

 Normally, when I am with people that are easily offended or I don't know, I use words suitable to all ears, but when I get irritated at someone or something, some curse words slip out. I usually have a way of not swearing in front of most parents, children, and girls, but I have such a close relationship to these simple words that it might accidentally slip out of my mouth. I don't speak foully in front of parents for they might get offended and judge me for a rebel. I would never intentionally swear to children since I know how these are words that should never be learned , and bear that my habits are the reason a child is cussing to people, thinking it is cool. For some weird reason though, I don't use cuss words when I talk to most girls. I have noticed that I contain some kind of switch that turns my swearing off when I talk to people I first meet. I think that in my brain, I know people generally don't like others cussing, so it temporarily erases swear words out of my mind, letting me talk in a nicer tone.

Response To Billy

These great quotes came from Billy's message to Justin Bieber's haters on his blog:

I really need to talk about something VERY important. Everyone knows who Justin Bieber, but why does everyone hate him. Mr. Bieber is a regular normal teenager (just like all of us) who has an amazing voice and is very popular.

 I don't dislike Justin Bieber, and you have a good point, but I think the main reason people are hating on him because people think he is overrated. People think that too much attention is centered into this one boy, and the attention should be evened out more for other people, maybe even greater than Justin Bieber, to come forth to fame. They believe and know that there are singers way more talented than Justin Bieber, and that other singers or people with special talents need room to rise to fame too. I, personally, think this is why some other famous singers, like Soulja Boy and Lil Wayne, are being disliked.

1. He sings like a girl, because he has not cracked his voiced yet
His voice is AMAZING right now. I actually hope he doesn't hit puberty, because he will not be popular anymore. How do you think how most of his songs became popular? If he sang in a lower voice, I bet he will not be as popular as he is now.

 I think that most of the people who are complaining about Justin Bieber's high-pitched voice are actually disliking it because they are not used to that type of music. Different people have different preferences of music. Some people like rock, some like rap, and some like pop, what Justin Bieber's style is. You couldn't expect someone who liked extreme guitar solos and loud drum beats like a young pop star that is getting more popular than their favorite band. So in defense of their bands, they create hate messages degrading other people, like Justin Bieber, of their fame, thinking it would help dilute the popularity of their victim. Since teenagers nowadays like following their fellow peers, some of them copy this trend of hating on Justin Bieber, creating giant grenades of hate exploding everywhere.

Though disliking someone or something publicly is a terrible thing to do, people should have their own choice of showing what  they like and dislike for everybody to see. This is why there is both a like and dislike for things like Youtube, so people could show their inner feelings for what they watch or read.