The Hunger Games

Author’s Note: This piece is about a major decisions the main character made during my book. In this piece I am trying to use an academic voice. I am trying to work a stronger thesis and vocabulary. If  you could give me some feedback that would be great.  

What would you do if it was just down to you and one other tribute from your district, only one person could win and the other would die and you are fake in love with him/her, but still cared about that person? Katniss was put in that exact position. What Katniss does is one of the best decisions ever.

Breaking News! There is a new rule in the Hunger Games. As we all know the Hunger Games only allows one person to win, but in the middle of these games the gamemakers made a new rule that 2 people could win as long as they were from the same district. So Katniss sets out to find Peeta. That would be the first thing I would think when I heard the new rule, even if my other district tribute was badly injured like Peeta.

The new rule of letting 2 people win has changed again. In the end it was down to Katniss and Peeta vs. Cato, Cato is the boy from district 2. After Katniss kills Cato they hear that the rules changed back to the original way and only one person could live. Peeta offered to die so Katniss could win but, Katniss didn’t want that. Katniss had poisoness berries that would kill the second that they would get into your throat. Katniss gives one to Peeta and then they would both commit suicide, which seemed really stupid to me at first because I didn’t know their plan.

What I didn't see is that they were trying to outsmart the Gamemakers. Right before they ate the berries the gamemakers stopped them and let them both win, because otherwise there would be no winner. Then I figured out that the gamemakers had to let them both win so that there would be a winner.

In the end they both won and lived happily ever after. Wrong! The capitol is very mad at Katniss’s stunt and that continues into the next book, Catching Fire. But what I think the author wants you to think about is how  the right decisions is an easy decision. Just like how Katniss made the decision about the berries really fast and easy.

Bengal Tigers

Author’s Note
In this piece I am working on Vocabulary, a stronger thesis, and organizing my paragraphs better. If you think you can make a suggestion please write a comment. I would love some feedback.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be another animal? Would you live longer or shorter? If you could pick an animal to be for one day what would you be? I would be a Bengal Tiger and here’s why.

The Bengal Tiger, one of the top animals on the food chain. Though the Bengal tiger is the most common tiger it is still endangered. This endangered animal lives in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and in Bhutan. There are 1,411 tigers in India, 200 in Bangladesh, 155 in Nepal and 67–81 in Bhutan, so altogether there are around 1,840 left in the world.

With 1,840 left each tiger has its own territory. Tigers are very solitary animals, but do mate. When the tiger mate the father has no part in raising the kid. The goes away and the Mother has to take care of the cub.

Usually the male is around 290 cm long from head to tail and weighs around 518 pounds. The females are usually around 250 cm long from head to tail and weighs around 308 pounds. They live till 10-15 in the wild and they live till 20 in captivity Their roars can be heard from almost 2 miles away!

Would you want to be a Bengal Tiger now? I still would, because you pee to mark your territory. Just kidding. But still it would be a great experience. 

Book Response: The Hunger Games

Author's Note: In this piece of writing I am trying to update you on the most recent chapter I read in My book, The Hunger Games. I am using an informal voice in this piece. Currently I am working on transitions, if you could give me some feedback, that would be great.

In the latest part in the book Katniss decides the only way she can win is if she destroyed the career’s food, because they don’t know what it is like to have to hunt for food, because they just depended on there parents to bring home food unlike the poor people who know how to hunt.

First, Katniss find the career’s base camp when her ally, Rue, sets off a fire so the career’s can go and kill whoever started the fire. Before Katniss can go attack the camp Foxface, one of the tributes left, walks in and has basically the same idea, but the camp is mined with bombs. Still she makes it away safely. When Katniss tries it sets of a chain reaction and destroys the camp.

The new rule is that if you are in the same district you can both win. So Katniss sets out to find Peeta who is badly wounded. With Peeta as her ally can she win? You will find out when I read more.

Book Response for "The Hunger Games

Author’s note: When you read this, it might not make sense to you, because it is later in the book. If you scroll down and read my first response about the beginning of the book, so if you read that you can get a feel of what the book is about. Also in this response I am trying to work on transitions.

In my latest chapter Katniss (main character) has just entered the games. Just so you know what the hungers games are, every year everyone goes to the capitol building in their district, there are 12 districts, and you put your name in a box and the more you put your name in the box the more food you get (which is vital, because everyone who lives in district 12 is poor), but if your name gets called, one boy and one girl, has to go to the hunger games. 

Right when she enters the games she sees the table with all the weapons in front of her, the lake to the left of her, and piney woods to the right of her. She always hunts back home, not with guns but with a bow and arrow, so she got lucky, because the game makers can throw you into any kind of environment, from a frozen wasteland to piney woods.

In the book she just found water from a nearby lake. When she finds herself in the middle of a game makers Forrest fire (the game makers can do anything to make the game more interesting, because it is televised). Once she is out of the fire, she is being stalked by other tributes. She climbs up in a tree and camps there for the night, even though she knows that they know she is up there, but they wait until morning. When she finds a tracker jacker nest right above her (tracker jackers are special types of wasps that the military used, they have venom in their sting so they can kill on contact). So she cuts the branch they are hanging from and drops it on the other tributes.

She meets Rue, a tribute from district 11, and even though it is a free for all some tributes still team up, but then turn on each later in the games. While the games started there were 24 tributes and there are only 10 now. I will keep while I get farther in the book.

Solar Energy

January 26, 2011

Dear Mr. President
Hi, My name is Matt Derzay, I am 12 years old, and I am in 7th grade. I live in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. I just want to talk about maybe a more efficient energy. It’s a way that could help our country. Also it could make life a little more worry-free.

Things that lots people worry about are the bills and usually the biggest bill is the light bill, since now so many things use electricity these days. I think a good way to go is for everyone to get solar shingles. Yes, it will cost a lot, but then people won’t have worry about a light bill. Also people that live in places with more severe weather, like hail, a large impenetrable piece of glass would cover the shingles, so they don’t get smashed, but clear so the light can still get through.

When you think of it, it seems like it would cause a lot of people that work at electric company to lose their jobs, but who says they can’t switch over to be a solar powered electric company. They could sell the solar shingles and the glass that protects is and if anyone wants it they could have back-up service if they want, just in case.

Also something everyone can carry around is extra batteries. I am not talking about just the regular types of batteries, but we could make some that were all the same so every handheld device would take these kinds of batteries and you just charge them, instead of keep having to buy new batteries over and over again.

That could help with all the wiring and batteries. It could make the country a cleaner, more eco-friendly place. It may lose some jobs, but it could create a lot more. It could eliminate the light bill and make life a little more worry-free.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                     Matt Derzay

Sydney, Australia

Author’s Note: This is a content essay, and I am trying to work on my transitions, vocabulary, and conventions. If you see anything good or if you see mistakes and you would if you like to make any suggestions. I would love some feedback.

Sydney, Australia is a hugely populous, most populous city in Australia, with a population of 4.2 million people. The people in Sydney are called Sydneysiders. Sydney is far south-east on the border of Australia. Sydney is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. In Sydney they speak English just like us. Sydney is a very beautiful place and with many cites to see.

One of Sydney’s most beautiful places is the Sydney Harbour Bridge (you may think it is spelled wrong, but this certain harbor is spelled that way). It was opened in 1932, and according to the Guinness world record book, it is the widest long-span bridge in the world. It is made out steel and is sometimes called “The Coat Hanger,”   because of its arch-based design. The Sydney Habour Bridge carries trains, motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles. It goes straight over the harbor.

Also reaching right into the harbor is the Sydney Opera House. You may have not known this was an opera house, but it is the most famous building in Australia. It is white and it looks like clamshells layered on top each other (It is difficult to describe).  It has only been open since 1973. Its first piece was The Australian Opera's production of “War and Peace” by Prokofiev. The Opera House was very expensive to build. The original construction cost $7 million, but the final cost was $102 million.

Sydney is a very beautiful place. It is a very populous city, but still very clean. Also is nice is that if you go there you don’t have to learn another language to speak to the people. So many cites to see and it only takes 20 hours to get thereJ.  Sydney is a place where I definitely want to go sometime in my life.   

The Hunger Games

The latest book I am reading, The Hunger Games. This book takes place in the future. When you think of it you think you expect it to be all high tech. NOPE!! After all the natural disasters and wars they basically had to start over. This book is a page-turner and it is hard to put down. Fast-paced and action packed. In the book everyone is poor and all the money is in the capital. They don't want them to take over the capitol, because they could. I will write again when I am done.