Sophia's+Journal

Sophia Hylton Per.3 11/7/13

This poem is about how money is not the best thing in the world. It cannot give eternal happiness, nor can it give you a fun life, or a happy family, but it can buy you things that can mask your pains temporarily. Some people think money is the greatest thing in the world, but it's not. It is an evil, horrible, deceptive thing. It turns good people, into selfish, money-hungered people. It makes you greedy, absorbed in your need for money, you want for more. It's like a drug, if you get enough of it, you can't stop your need for more, the need overwhelms you. You become a completely different person.

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/29/13

135. Have you ever wished you were either older or younger? What would you consider to be the benefits? The problems?

I have wished, many times, that I was older. Because, being a kid, I am given many responsibilities, but not near the same amount of respect. Also, I can't wait to be in charge of my life, not just like every kid says,"I WANNA GROW UP," I really want to grow up. I can't wait to learn more about myself. I can't wait to drive, go out at night and explore the city lights, and meet new people!! It will be fun, being that i am not like a little kid, and never really have been, that I'm ready to get treated older, I'm ready to //be// older.

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/28/13

On Monday, at Hidden Valley Park in Arizona, we played baseball against the Los Angeles Chickens. We played better then the last time. We won and went to the coach's house for pizza.

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/25/13

Roger's brother, Sam, gave a speech that he had written himself. Mr.Jones wasn't liking it, so she said, "Wait until Thursday, which is two days after Halloween."

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/24/13

My brother Bill and I went to a movie called //The Fast and the Furious//. Then, we went to Joe’s house and ate some of his mom’s meatloaf. He and I played basketball at Balboa Park in San Diego, California.

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/8/13

2. "Stolen Day" is written in first-person point of view. (Narrator uses the word I,") Re-write a section of "Stolen Day" so that it is told from third person point of view. In this case, you'd change the "I" to "he." (I assume the protagonist is a boy, don't you? Did it say in the story?) Copy from "I ache all over" through "I must have done some thinking..."

“I ache all over,” I said. I did, too. I kept on crying and it worked all right. “You’d better go on home,” she said. So I went. I limped painfully away. I kept on limping until I got out of the schoolhouse street. Then I felt better. I still had inflammatory rheumatism pretty bad but I could get along better. I must have done some thinking on the way home.

“I ache all over,” he said. He did, too. He kept on crying and it worked all right. “You’d better go on home,” she said. So he went. He limped painfully away. He kept on limping until he got home out of the schoolhouse street. Then he felt better. He still had inflammatory rheumatism pretty bad but he could get along better.

He must have done some thinking on the way home.

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/7/13

__Claim:__

This article claims that the more people read fictional books, the more empathy they have for others around them.

__Reasons:__

1) “Emanuele Castano, a social psychologist, along with PhD candidate David Kidd conducted five studies in which they divided a varying number of participants (ranging from 86 to 356) and gave them different reading assignments: excerpts from genre (or popular) fiction, literary fiction, nonfiction or nothing.”

2) “After they finished the excerpts the participants took a test that measured their ability to infer and understand other people’s thoughts and emotions. The researchers found, to their surprise, a significant difference between the literary- and genre-fiction readers. When study participants read non-fiction or nothing, their results were unimpressive. When they read excerpts of genre fiction, such as Danielle Steel’s The Sins of the Mother, their test results were dually insignificant.”

3) “Popular fiction tends to portray situations that are otherworldly and follow a formula to take readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and exciting experiences. Although the settings and situations are grand, the characters are internally consistent and predictable, which tends to affirm the reader’s expectations of others. It stands to reason that popular fiction does not expand the capacity to empathize.”

Sophia Hylton Per.3 10/3/13

58.What’s, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for? Explain your answer.

I would fight for, and even die, for multiple people. But, there are 3 people above all others that would come first above all else; they are my brother, Chase, my sister, Amanda, and my “sister,” Sky. Sky isn’t really my sister, but she is just like it to me. She is the only person, the ONLY person, I tell EVERYTHING to. Me being a Capricorn, I have horrible, horrible trust issues. And her being a Scorpio, I didn’t expect to really be great friends with her when I met her. So, I just hung back and watched to see how she treated my friends, what kind of person she really was. After a while I learned she was such a nice person. We both became really close, I told her things I’ve never told anyone (not even Amanda!), and she told me things she never told anyone else. We have only known each other for about 7 months and yet; it feels as if I’ve known her my whole life!!! She is the only Scorpio I have never fought with. And I always fight with Scorpios, even if I barely know the person!! I would lay my life down, if it meant she would have to go through anything horrible again. She has been through more than most people alive have, she doesn’t deserve to be hurt again. I would take a bullet for her, if anyone ever came up to her trying to hurt her, physically or verbally, I will, and have, do all in my power to get the person to leave her alone and not come back trying again. I’ve yelled someone out, because they were starting rumors that she was doing horrible things and wouldn’t admit even though everyone knew he said those things about her. I would lay down and die, without a fight, if it was for her, if she would live or be fine. And I never just admit defeat to ANYTHING!! At least, not without a fight!!! Nothing would ever happen to her without there being horrible, horrible consequences. I would, and it’s not just like “Oh she’s my friend so I’ll do anything for her,” it’s genuine, I really would, do anything for her.

Sophia's Hylton Per.3 10/1/13 Yesterday, Uncle Bob and I went to a movie called //An American Werewolf in London.// Afterwards, we went to the Chuck E. Cheese in Los Angeles. Then, we played Mario Kart on the Nintendo Wii.

Per.3 9/30/13

My favorite movies are the //Wizard of Oz//, //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, and //The Princess and the Pea.// I also saw, //Charlie and the Chocolate Factory//, when I visited New York City.

Sophia Hylton Per.3 9/26/13

I like the “Magic or Madness” series. I liked how the book was realistic but fictional at the same time. My favorite book(s) are the “Cirque Du Freak” series; I like how the book is so realistic, heart-warming, and, just a great series!!! I also like the series “The Larten Crepsley Series” (the prologue of the “Cirque Du Freak” series). I like the game series “Halo” as well! I like “Call of Duty” too!! 74 words

Sophia Hylton Per.3 9/25/13 __Movies:__ // Battle of the Year // // Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs // // The Wizard of Oz // // A Bug’s Life // // Winnie the Pooh //

__Songs:__ “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” “Gangham Style” “Chicken Dance” “Party in my Tummy”

Sophia Hylton Per.3 9/24/13

__ 65. Describe a great fort you built for a great game you played as a child. __

When I was a child, I built a fort out of a bunch of cardboard boxes. I had the time of my life, of course I was only 5 or 6, but I never wanted to leave that fort. I took, with my grandmothers help, a bunch of boxes, stacked them, cut them, folded them, and drew on them to create it. I thought it was my castle! I played with my dolls for a little while, and then I pretended I was a princess!! I stayed in there all day with my blankets and jacket; I also ate lunch in there! I didn’t want to leave my fortress, but of course, it had to start raining!! I didn’t know it was raining until the top of the boxes stared caving in a little bit, and I felt droplets of water falling on my head. I even tried putting a blanket over the main box I was sitting in to try and stop the water from coming in! But, the water still soaked through. I went inside and and sat with my grandma and decided it was better in there. 190 words

Sophia Hylton Per.3 9/23/13

A few years ago, I had trouble sleeping. I would wake up in the middle of the night and stare off into the darkness of my room. Whenever this happened I had always decided to get out of bed, and stare out my window at the night sky and its beautiful stars that lay within it. I loved it when I couldn’t sleep because I rarely ever got time to myself when it felt like I was the only person in the house, the street, and the world. I got peace and quiet, no TV, no talking, no cars, nobody bothering me. It was only my thoughts, the world, and I. I was always so relaxed and happy when this happened. But, even though I loved it when I woke up in the middle of the night, I didn’t make it a habit. I liked sleeping and knew I needed it or I would be too tired to do anything the next day. It was beautiful, the darkness of the sky, the glow of the stars, the cool air in my lungs, it was amazing. I had always taken an interest in the sky and astronomy and thought that space was beautiful, but deadly. It went on forever, to who-knows-where, and we couldn’t breathe up there, I would just sit there at night, dreaming of being able to survive in space and witness the beauty of all it contains up close. I would dream of being able to travel deep in space and live long enough to travel so far. I loved the quietness of the nights when I sat awake by my window; I loved everything about being alone, in the darkness, and with only my thoughts as my companion.

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Sophia Hylton Per.3 9/19/13 __ 4. Describe a real made-up dream or nightmare. __

A lonely 13-year-old girl, named Sapphire, once lived with her abusive mother Katrina. They lived in an old, run down wooden house at the end of a dead end street where all the houses were deserted, old, and ruined. One day Sapphire had gone out with a few friends, to some party, but lost track of time and stayed out way latter than she was expected to. She realized how late it was and told her friends she had to go home. They wanted to stay a while longer but Sapphire needed to get home, she had a test tomorrow. She decided to walk home instead of wait until probably 4 or 5 in the morning to get drove home.

List 2-3 approiate websites to read from: autoweek.com

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