First Semester Reflection

Catcher in the Rye- As a sophomore in high school, I think it is the perfect time to read this book. Holden goes through hard times and has to make decisions that I might have to make as I grow up. I agree with Nick when he said it helps that it was told from the point of view of a boy around our age. It was a lot easier to read and understand the book because of Cather's diction and syntax. It felt like Holden was speaking directly to me and that helped me stay interested in the book. Overall I enjoyed reading this book because of the issues that Holden faces and because I can learn from mistake that Holden makes in the book.

First They Killed my Father- My first impression of this memoir was that it would be sad and long, but to my surprise I was interested throughout. I was always wondering what would happen to Loung so I never wanted to put it down. I agree with Spencer that it helps hearing a story about another country and their struggle for independence. Cambodia's story is different from the United States and after reading this memoir I learned a lot about the events and struggles that the Cambodian people went through. Before reading it I didn't even know that there was a conflict in Cambodia.

Inherit the Wind- I found it very interesting that this book was based off of real events. The author was able to describe the character well because they are real people. After I read this book I knew a lot more about the trial. I had heard about the trial before but I never knew the details about it. I thought it was interesting how Bert Cates seemed to win the trial, but he was still declared guilty. I find stories about trials interesting because the lawyers go back and forth arguing. It i s interesting to me to see how the lawyers can manuever the judge and the jury. Also I like how the title plays a role in the story. "Inherit the wind" has a lot of meaning to it and I like how you can attatch that to many of the characters in this book.

A Midsummer Night's Dream- I liked how the different setting affected what was going on in the story. In the city everything was calm while in the forest everything was crazy. It was funny how all the people loved different people. Oberon and Puck just stood there and laughed at the whole predicament and that added humor to the book. It was also funny how Oberon made his wife love a man with an ass's head. It is ironic for a husband to make their wife love someone else but in this case it was funny. I didn't think this would be a funny book but looking back on it now it was a pretty funny story.

My Antonia- I agree with Missy that this was my least favorite novel. I like action and it was such a slow paced novel. Nothing exciting happens throughout the novel. If Jim had a more exciting life then I probably would've liked it more, but he didn't do much so I found that boring. I was never able to pull out the inner meaning of the story, so I think if i would've understood that then I would've enjoyed the story a little more. Jim's life was just too dull for me and it bored me a little.