A Journal of the Plague Year, Daniel Defoe

Word spreads long after many dead, would be a adequate head liner for the daily newspaper. Over ten thousand lives taken per week by the plague. Peaking during August and September of 1665, the plague seemed as if this " mysterious" disease were about to overcome London. The wealthy an privileged moved to villages and towns to try and escape the horrific death.




By 1722, Daniel Defoe had published a journal, A Journal of the Plague Year. Defoe built this journal from his very own child memories, the accounts of family members and others, city records, and research. He would find more helpful information from pamphlets and books written previous years before. With the resources collected, a fictional journal travels though a time of death in number, society broken down, and London at its worst. The people of this time had no clue how or what to do to prevent this disease from spreading."Visitation never perceived that they were infected till they found their unspeakable, surprise, the tokens come out upon them; after which they seldom lived six hours"- The Infection Spreads. Society did not have the knowledge of rats and fleas being the culprit of the infection. So this mystery disease created a border line morbid eyewitness account. However, I find the journal interesting and plausible.









Quarantines were set for anyone who had been in contact with the disease. However, the law was seldom followed. For even the near death would find an escape. "I heard of one infected creature who, running out of bed in his shirt in the anguish and agony of his swelling, ....., snatching the coat from him, he threw her down, ran over her, ran downstairs and into the street...plunged into the Thames"- A Violent Cure. Memories from "survivors" helped create the sense of a realistic journal. Defoe combined history, experience, and memorabilia to have an "authentic" journal. In review, A Journal of the Plague Year, written by Daniel Defoe, was a nicely composed piece of work.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson

The beginning of my journey within the book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, began with a quote, "This book is the final word, a brilliant vision, a terrible magnificently funny telling of what happened to this country in the 1960's"-Lucian K. Truscott IV, Village Voice. This quote earged my finishing the book. Also previously, I have saw the movie coinciding with the book. "A savage journey to the heart of the American dream", the soul storyline of both the movie and the book. This journey to fulfil the knowing of the American dream, beings and ends with a drug frenzy. However, twisted, wasted, hopped, basically stoned out of your head, life makes perfect sense. Duke, a young journalist, fresh from the drug culture of the 60s, arrives in Las Vegas, to cover the annual 1971 bikers race out in the desert with his good friend, Dr. Gonzo who is Duke's so called lawyer. Both arrive in a fancy white sports car, dubbed the Great White Shark, zonked out on drugs and intend to remain that way. Later receiving a new assignment to cover the annual Law Enforcement Meeting On Drugs. While "covering the meeting", both men generally scare the tourists, and annoy the natives. Along the way trippy situations occur, usually with our protagonists sniffing, smoking, or chewing something. They pick up a hitchhiker, ruin a hotel room, and harass a car full of poor, old Southern folk. "All under the safety of a fake name, of course." Not once during the book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, was I lost, or uninterested. This book was a wonderful collection for the author, Hunter S. Thompson and marvelous piece of writing incorporating the way of life of an other's point of view.

A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift

"A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick." This is only part of the title of the atrocious proposal of using poor country children as food. The wealthy would be able to barter for the children on size and age. This "method" would help with the poverty level, which were predominantly Catholic. Initially, this proposal was written to monk the government at the time. Proposing the idea of making money off children being sold for food. But of course there would have to be regulations. For example, children of the poor could be sold into a meat market at the age of one. With the children being sold, overpopulation and unemployment would lessen; supposedly sparing families the expense of child-bearing while providing them with a little extra income, improving the culinary experience of the wealthy, and contributing to the overall economic well-being of the nation. What an idea. Swift's form of writing was a form of satire because the idea was completely unimaginable and would never hopefully be considered. it is also described as a satire since he is "blowing out of proportion" or mocking.

Satire

A satire, is a form of mocking or imitating someone or something in an out of proportion way.

Some examples of satire are as followed, Saturday Night Live, MAD TV, Who's Line Is It Anyway, South Park, Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Simpsons, and King of the Hill.

The "Glorious Revolution" of 1688

The overthrow of James II in 1688 was the second time during the 17th century that a Stuart king had lost his crown. However, unlike Charles I, his father, James II did not lose his head as well. It was a bloodless revolution, but nonetheless an extremely important one. The kings and queens who have succeeded to the throne since 1688 have all had to obey a set of rules imposed by the representatives of the people, that is, by Parliament. In other words, 1688 marks the end of absolutism and the beginning of Constitutional Government in England.



James the II fled in exile to France when he knew his country had abandoned him. In 1688, a son was born to James the II, but not long after they were forced to leave England. His daughter Mary and her husband the Dutch Protestant prince, William of Orange, began to rule and pursue the Protestant demonation. James II tried to connect both Catholic and Protestant, yet the people of that times were so set in their mind frame he was denied. However, this showed how much power the people had over the people ruling. Society was incharge for once.

Go Ask Alice Review

"A raindrop just splashed on my forehead and it was like a tear from heaven. Am I really alone in the whole wide gray world? Is it possible that even God is crying for me? Oh no, no, no ... I'm losing my mind. Please God, help me." This entry is from Go Ask Alice, a true story of an anonymous girl and her days as a runaway drug addict in the 1960s. This 15-year-old girl comes from a middle class family. Her siblings, Tim and Alexandria, are very supportive and her father is a professor at a prominent university.
On a visit to her old town, she is invited to a party given by people she always wanted to be friends with. At the party she takes acid without her knowledge. It's hard to believe she was unaware of her first "trip." Yet, this was the start of the awful experiences of an innocent young girl taken in by the cruel, awful world of drugs.
During this time, she runs away, sells drugs and survives a group of druggies who are out to get her. On the road to recovery, she meets Joel at the college where her father works; he is someone who really cares about her.
All teenagers can relate to her life, and, after reading it, most won't ever touch drugs; it's a strong and painful story.This non-fiction book is a series of diary entries, well-written, emotional and quite destructive. Several entries discuss her sad attempt to get away from drugs. Will she make it? Or become one of thousands of drug deaths each year. You will have to find out on your own.
If you would like to read a realistic book that really covers how a teenage life can be this is the book to read. Numerous times though out the book, I could relate to the main character Alice. Yet, though everything she tries to keep a positive out look on life and what life has to offer.

Tears from Earth

How can we live in this world of shame? (A)

Slowly killing the place we call home(B)

Sadly, we are to blame.(A)

the falling planet earth losing its tone.(B)



Why does no one see the shame?(A)

The Earth is not for our taking (C)

For saving the Earth is no game. (A)

Slowly Mother Earth's heart is breaking. (C)



Glaciers melt, oceans spread (D)

My home is losing power (E)

No more tears are to be shed. (D)

If we do not change our ways how is earth suppose to flower? (E)



Help start the new birth (F)

Give a hand and save planet Earth. (F)



Within my sonnet, I found my own style. Instead of using Shakespeare flow or Spencer style, I pretty much combined both to come up with Ryann's style. My rhyme is as followed, ABAB, ACAC, DEDE, FF. While writing this sonnet, I found this rhyme helped me explain the help needed from the people to save the earth. It flows and keeps with the traditional sonnet, but has my own mark. Writing this sonnet was fun and enjoyable for me to express how much the Earth is ignored.