Short story- The Black Dot

The Black Dot

1) I would call this story The Black Dot because the black dot is what the ceremony is about. Everybody does not want to draw the black dot and people are very afraid of the card. Also this little black dot can take over somebody live. I also called this the Black Dot because this little dot that has a lot of influence and responsibility. Also I would call it the black dot because it would not give away the story. It was surprising for me to see how the story can change from negative to positive and to negative again.
2) I thought that this dot was for the order in the community.  Maybe for a job, hierarchy, names, or that you maybe got a special job for the next year(extra food, got to lead the next ceremony). I certainly did not think that it was negative. Me and my class mates read the short story together and when we finished we certainly knew that the story was not finished.
3) I did not really know that the story was going to end like this so I was just like ''oh well'', there might be another chance tomorrow. If I knew that the story was going to end like this than I would probably want to know it immediately. Now if I look back at yesterday then it was probably better that the story was not given to us because then the suspension was kept. Also because other everybody would away after a negative ending and then you would of had a negative mood. I think that they wanted us to feel how they felt to drag us into the story and to connect with the audience.
4)When I was handed the Mystery paper and Mrs. P told us that we were not allowed to open it until we got home I was pretty nervous. I felt like opening it but I followed the instructions. I though that in this paper there was going to be a black dot or not. If you had a blank paper than you did not have to do anything. If you had a black dot then you had some direction underneath it and you had to follow it. Maybe it was something that you had to read, write or do. I followed the direction because they were the rules and rules are rules.
5) When I saw that some letters had black dots and some had white dots I thought that there were maybe two different assessments that you had to do. Then I saw that half of the people had white dots and the other half had black dots.  I concluded that the dots did not have to do with anything but people getting suspicious about their letter.

 6)When I read the end of the story I was kind of disappointed in the story. I really liked the story because it was pretty positive. Now when only the last page for the story is negative, it turned my whole mood of the story around because dying for sacrifice is not very pleasant.

7)My predictions of the letter and the black box were incorrect. I thought that the letter has something to do with jobs or the new year. Instead the story is about somebody who is giving a person as a sacrifice. I actually think that the end of the story should have been positive so that the reader would walk about with a good mood. Instead the person has writer wrote a negative end. Even though I don’t like the end it is going to make your reader think harder and think about the story for a longer time period.

8)Next time I am going to try to make a prediction closer to the truth I think I should of looked at the story and how the people talked about this ceremony. I should of thought about the stones and how the children still thought it was a game. I should of though about hw this only happens once a year and how there is only one person trying getting the card. Through the whole story they have been foreshadowing something but nobody liked it so I should of looked at the feeling when I was making the prediction

9) I think the author left these voids in the story because wanted to create suspension. Suspension is important in a story because it keeps the reader interested.  Also I think that the author has voids in the story because he wanted to give the reader a big splash at the end so that they would not fall asleep and so that they would keep thinking about the story throughout the whole day. 
10)The void in this story gives it so much power.  No title and just the name keeps the reader thinking about the story and what is going to happen, plus it keeps the reader thinking about the personality of the author and why she wrote this story. The ending is very annoying for the reader but it keeps the void alive. The clues that are given and the foreshadowing makes the reader want to know about the letter that is given to everybody. Also they’ll think about who got the black dot. The mystery paper keeps the suspense going until you get home. You will get suspicious and nervous because you don’t know who and what is going to happen. The delayed ending is effective because then you have your own time on your way home and during your activities to think about the ending because you knew that this was not the end. Also the fact that people were nervous and were just saying ‘’lets get this over with’’ means that something is going to happen and your dying to know.

              I choose this picture because their is a lot of void and as in the story one dot is very powerful.

Holocaust

THE HOLOCAUST -barbara sonek-

Holocaust

by Barbara Sonek

We played, we laughed

we were loved.

We were ripped from the arms of our parents and thrown into the fire.

We were nothing more than children.

We had a future. 

We were going to be lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers. 

We had dreams, then we had no hope. 

We were taken away in the dead of night like cattle in cars, no air to breathe smothering, crying, starving, dying. 

Separated from the world to be no more. 

From the ashes, hear our plea. 

This atrocity to mankind can not happen again. 

Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen away.

This poem is very strong poem full of themes, backgrounds and messages. The poem is written from a child's point of view which is smart so that you can show innocence but also the normal view of what every Jewish person in Germany of most of the countries in Europe knew. This poem shows innocence, terror, death, hope, fear and worry. This kid is worried about its future and is explaining how it was while being dragged away from their homes to the fires. This poem has a whole background behind the story. You can hear the fear in what its saying and the vocabulary is very strong and meaningful. This poem has loads of messages but all of them are written as this kid does not know the whole story behind the holocaust. This kid is saying that all the lives from the children are now spoiled away and the future will be less successful. This kid is also telling the audience that the train to the concentration camps were terrifying and absolutely terrible. The jews were the smart and the needed people in the society so Hitler and the rest of Germany blamed it on them because they are now very successful. The Germans mass murdered most of the jews in Europe and now the ''smart people in the society are not there anymore to teach the new future. This will infect the whole world because now they had to start all over again.

The Religious trip through the diverse area of China Town

The Religious Field Trip Through the Diverse Area of China Town


On thursday the 9th of December 7th grade of ISKL went to the diverse area of China Town. During this trip we had to visit a chinese and Hindu temple. Also we have to visit a mosque placed in the middle of all. to get there we have to take a local train which was packed. For lunch most of the groups stopped at a food court in Central Market. When me and my group were walking through China town and surrounded area we did not feel very safe because there people trying to steel thing from our pockets. The sign of people stealing from your pockets means that this area is not very rich. When you have a reasonable income you care about your hygiene and you want people to be clean. Since these people are not very rich they don't have the money to make this place clean which means that the smell won't also be as pleasant. Even though the areas are very dirty and smelly their worship places are very clean. In the chinese temple it smelt like the incense from the fire. In the Hindu temple it smelt like the candles that they light to represent freedom. Unfortunately I did not go into the mosque but what I did see is that the Muslims don't have any pictures ad the mosque is mostly white.

Cathrien Botermans- yellow humanities

Life in a day

1. Tired, awaking after long night sleep

2. Exhausted, sweating, walking dog, in jungle

3. Cooling, splashing, diving into swimming pool

4. Relaxing, chilling, de-stressing while watching movies

5. Humanities, science, math, spanish, dutch, homework

6. Delicious snacks at a birthday party 

7. Exciting, exhausted, exhaling on the trampoline 

8. Dinner arrives, salads, satays, and potatoes

9. After busy day, chatting on Facebook

10. Taking pictures of friends and homework

Cathrien botermans- yellow class

Common elements

Hamer said ''all men have need of god''. People want something to look up to or to follow. Myths can be very help full for that. Themes of gods, creation of man and sadness are at the center of many creation myths, which s unusual because the places are very far away from each other.

     A common element in many myths is that there were gods. For example, the Chinese myth Phan Ku because he was seen as the great creator. Hamer said ''all men have need of god''. People want something to look up to or to follow. Myths can be very help full for that. Themes of gods, creation of man and sadness are at the center of many creation myths, which s unusual because the places are very far away from each other.

A common element in many myths is that there were gods. For example, the Chinese myth Phan Ku because he was seen as the great creator. Also, the Egyptian myth because Atum was the first one on earth. Therefore, it can be said that even though these myths are from different places, and times, there are some kinds of connections.  

Also, the Egyptian myth because Atum was the first one on earth. Therefore, it can be said that even though these myths are from different places, and times, there are some kinds of connections.  

In many myths was the creation of man. For example, the Chinese myth Phan Ku because his flees turned in to man. Another example is in the Egyptian myth because Atum’s tears turned into the population. This means that different places had a different way of creating man because of their environment around them.

         A similar element in many myths is sadness. For example in the Egyptian myth because Atum did not know where his children were. This is also related to the Chinese myth of Phan Ku because the people were suffering because the big creator died. As we can see, many myths included sadness because in all different places not everything was perfect.

         There are lots of myths around the world but in some way they all have things in common. Creation myths ‘’are the roots that clutch’’ said by T.S. Elliot and the give us meaning to our life’s.

        

        

     

Catharina Botermans- yellow class

My Fabulous Bag

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better''. I am an ordinary person, but what makes me special is the memories from experiences I have inside. I have experienced a lot in my life because I moved countries, I had to make new friends and I've traveled to a lot of places. In the following paragraphs you will get to know me better and I'll share some of the happy and exciting memories from my life.

     The first object is a photo of my friends and little dolls of Malaysia. This photo is important to me because it remind me of my friends in Holland. The picture was taken at a surprise party that they made for me. I found it very surprising and very sweet that they had organized such thing. Also the dolls are very special to me because I send one to them to each one of my friends and I kept one for myself, so now I feel connected to them.

     Next are my first shoes from when I was a baby. These are very important to me because they remind me of my baby times. When I look at the pictures when I was wearing these shoes, I looked so cute. So whenever I look at them they always make me smile.
     Also an important thing that I have is my laptop. This is important because I keep all my photos on my laptop and these photos remind me of the good times and experiences. Another reason is because I can go on Facebook and all those websites so that I can communicate with all my friends around the world. 

     Next is my script from Thoroughly Modern Millie. This is important to me because I love drama and I try to participate in Drama events as much as possible. Last year I participated in the play, ISTA, I hosted and assembly, the middle school got talent show and the middle school music concert. This year I auditioned for the play and I got in again. I love acting and dancing on stage. This script reminds me of all the good times on stage and the preparation. The preparations are probably the best time of the play because you have so much fun and stress at the same time (not that I like stress).

     One thing that reminds me of lots of fun is a Buddha that I bought in Thailand. This is important to me because I was in Thailand with my mom only, for my tenth birthday. What we do in my family is that we get to go to a country that is near by the place where we lived. Since I lived in Malaysia I chose to go to Thailand. Also I got to choose who I wanted to go with and since my brother went to London with my dad I went to Thailand with my mom. This Buddha reminds me of all the fun things that me and my mom have experienced in Thailand. 
     Also another thing that is special to me is flip-flops. These slippers are important for me because they I bought them on the first day in Malaysia after the visit. My dad works in a building around the KL Sentral and we went there for lunch. My dad had to go back to the office but me, my sibling and my mom stayed at the train station and we went to all the shops. In the middle was a shop with all kinds of flip-flops and they were only ten ringgit each. I did not hesitate and just bought them because they were so cheat. This was the first thing that I bought in Malaysia.
     Another thing that is very important to me is a very little statue that I bought in Holland. On the last day I went downtown and we went to this toys shop. I saw this little model and I thought it was really sweet. Then I thought back to the past week and how my mom worked really hard moving and then I thought that it would be really nice of me to buy this present for her. I think this was the last thing I bought in the Netherlands before I moved.
     Another thing that is very important to me is the first yearbook that I got in 5th grade. This is important to me because I reminds me of my friends that I had during 5th grade. Lot's of my friends moved after that year or at the beginning of 6th grade. This reminds me of my friends because their pictures are in the front of the yearbook and their signatures are in the back.
     Another thing that I love is a mug that my best friend, Lotte, gave to me for my birthday. My birthday is during the summer break and she was already in Holland so I did not see her on my birthday. Before she left she told me that she would bring me back a present. She brought me back an '' I LOVE YOU'' mug and this present is now very special to me.
     Lastly my camera is very important to me. This is important to me because I take all my pictures with it and I bring it to every place where I go. I love taking pictures of anything; building, my friends, my family, me and other special occasions.
     These ten objects represent a really big part of my life. They either explain what I like to do, or what people or occasions are important for me. I have had some great experiences in my life commemorated through these objects. I hope that I will have lots of new experiences in my future.


Quote By: Ralph Waldo Emerson

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_life.html

Catharina Botermans- yellow class

My Name Catharina Botermans

    Catharina comes from the Greek word Kat-haros which means pure, clean and chaste and it comes from a rich heritage. The name resembles pure and clean water coming from a melting glazier. Several Catharina's have been sainted and this makes me feel exceptional. The name Catharina is a Western name so basically everybody can pronounce it. The name is used in lots of different countries mostly in Europe. My normal name is Cathrien it means the same as Catharina. From my point of view, Cathrien suits me better because Catharina it too grown up and neat. The name Catharina is a British women-drinking tea.

     The name Catharina also connects me to my family. It does that because five generations before me were called Catharina. It started in the 1870's when the grandmother of the mother of my grandmother was born. There existed about 35 years in between each birth. The person who would get the name Catharina was the first daughter of the generation in the females' line of my mothers family. The name Catharina is a strong, solid and an infinite chain. I am pretty sure that this name will go onto the next generation. I find this incredible that one name can carry on for more than one generation. Since I was the first girl from this generation I got the name Catharina too. My parents really liked the name Catharina so they started using it as my first name, but they did change it a little bit to Cathrien.

     All my second names are also names that were carried down for generations. My second name is Martine, which comes from my dad's side. This name has at least been carried down for three generations before me.  And my third name is Geertruida that also has been carried down for generations. As far as we know this name had been carried down for at least four generations before me.

     I find my name outstanding and if I had the choice I would not want to change my name because it connects me with all the people in my family. Most of the people that had this name are passed away. I very much like the meaning and I think it fits me because I like all the thing to be organized (clean) and I also think that I fresh with all new ideas (pure).