Reading Response

          Blog Post #5

Book: Killing Mr. Griffin 
Author: Lois Duncan 

    In the book, Killing Mr. Griffin, it centers around 5 high school kids, Mark, David, Jeff, Betsy & Susan. One day, Mark hatches a plan to kill their English teacher Mr. Griffin, because he is tired of his teaching ways. So, he gathers the 4 people who wouldn't ever be suspected and they kidnap Mr. Griffin and leave him at an abanded area near a highway to scare him. They forget to get him and they find him dead 7 hours later. While I was reading something was telling me that they (Mark) didn't leave him there and forget to pick him up by accident. And I have proof about this opinion.
    At the beginning of the book when Mark was planning the kidnapping, the way he was talking when he said "Well, why don't we then" after Jeff mumbled "Mr. Griffin is the sort of guy you'd like to kill" at first made me think he was joking but as the conversation goes on I learn that he wasn't playing. As the reader, I noticed how the author always slips information one by one, and the author earlier mentioned that Mr. Griffin failed Mark last semester due to cheating and humiliated him in front of class. And later, while everybody went their separate ways after leaving him at the same location without any food or water and had ropes tied around his hand.Also, I felt Mark left him on purpose because who forgets to revisit a person who you tortured and left sitting in the same spot with no outside contact for hours and hours. It's just revenge from all that rage and hatred for Mr. Griffin.
    Another reason why I think Mark left him on purpose is because of the revenge he wanted to get on Mr. Griffin. He knew he was going to purposely kill him so he hatched the "after plan" which was the plan to give alibis for everyone and get rid of all the evidence. Also I noticed, that everyone relies on him when it comes to plans but, I would have never thought of a brilliant plan right off the bat in a sticky situation, unless I knew what would happen then I would hatch a plan to avoid the determined aftermath before any of this happened *cough* *cough*.
    At the end of the book, it was plain and obvious that Mark knew this would happen to Mr. Griffin and if he had help from his accomplices to the dirty work he would get his sweet, revenge. It also depicts peer pressure, it shows how everyone went with Mark's plan even though they knew it was a horrible idea. And, to add, this also shows that Mark had developed the traits of a sociopath and didn't care if Mr. Griffin died or not but he just wanted revenge.

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh: Reading Response

           Blog Post #4

                              The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

   In "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", The General was very wise and gave an empowering speech(es) to Joby. And many messages were directed to the boy about being a drummer boy in a war. The idea would be the lesson/morals explained by the General. 
   "You are the heart of the army (probably something everybody chose)......"(pg. 53) is one of the most influential lines in the book. Even though Joby plays a small role, without him the army would be empty. The rhythm of the drum he beats pumps the heart of the soldiers and they would perform better. I guess you could say there is no I in teamwork. Joby will deny it because he is discouraged and if the general never came, Joby would have just ran away from his problems again.
    *Warning: It's a very long quote*
"Many nights from tonight, many years from now, when you're as old or far much older than, when they ask you what you did in this awful time, you will tell them - one part humble and one part proud - I was the drummer boy at the battle of Owl Creek or the Tennessee River, or maybe they'll just name it after the church there. I was the drummer boy at Shiloh. Good grief, that has a beat and sound to it fitting for Mr. Longfellow. 'I was the drummer boy at Shiloh.' Who will ever hear those words and not know you, boy, or what you thought this night, or what you'll think tomorrow or the next day when we must get up on our legs and move." The General is saying after this battle people will be saying "Are you the drummer boy from Shiloh?" and Joby will say "Why yes! It was me!" But he is saying at as a motivational speech so Joby will feel proud. He will be the brave boy who was at the battle of Shiloh while other boys were at home. 
    The General was sending a good message to Joby and I wrote two of the quotes that were really inspiring to me.