Anne of Green Gables

Anne Shirley, a bright girl of 11, comes to Green Gables by pure accident. Being strong in self-esteem and talktive, she has problems adapting in Prince Edward Island. She had her most strong conflicts with Gilbert Blythe, a handsome young boy who was very ambitious as Anne. This rivalry relationship commenced when Gilbert called her carrots to appeal her. Anne was humiliated and made a deep promise not to ever-ever talk about Gilbert Blythe again in her life. Surprisingly, when the boat sank down where Anne was lying whilst playing the 'Lily Maid', Anne had to hold on to a stub when Gilbert came down to save her. After the landing, Anne still refused to forgive him. Gilbert couldn't hold it any moment now-he said he would never forgive her too.
  This rivalry continued even when Anne entered the Queen's. She had been suffering under the entering exam to the Queen's, thinking of Gilbert Blythe laughing with truimph in his eyes with the result list in his hands.
  The most impressive part was Anne lying to Marilla about the lost brooch-that she had accidently let it fall into the Lake of Shining Waters- to go to the Sunday picnic. Instead, Marilla broke the promise that she would send her to the picnic when Anne confessed and sent her to the east gables. Soon later, Marilla finds the brooch in her shawl, dangling dangerously. She learns that Anne had been telling the truth that she had left the brooch back on the bureau and learned she had been careless not considering whether Anne was telling the truth.
  I thought this book showed strong love that joyed people' hearts, even the cold heart of Marilla, created by a little orphan girl called Anne. It also showed the old-American life&culture by taking place in Prince Edward Island.

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

This story is about a Negro boy and his dog, Sounder. Being a Negro, his father hunts animals while his mother sells 2 pound nuts everday. One morning the boy wakes up and smells an odor that hasn't existed in his house for years. Bacon! But that night a sherrif takes care of his dad for stealing bacon from the food storage last night. Sounder barks and barks for his own master but the sherrif shots him in the ear as a reply. Consequently, Sounder disappears into the dark. Boy's mother promises him that he would be somewhere quiet, preparing for his own death. The boy neglects the promise. Everyday, he searches for Sounder which always results in failure. One day, his mother sends him to the state jail where his father was. The boy brings a cake-the security shouts at him and crushes his father's cake- I was so humiliated about the security's attitude towards the Negro boy. The book shows the blacks were severly discriminated in early 1970s.
  The Negro boy is taught by a local Englishman and his father soon returns from jail. I was very sorry for them, and their destiny for being a sharecropper, not being able to either read or write. It's very fortunate to live in a country without discrimination. I almost cried when I heard that his father died while hunting with his royal dog, Sounder.
  The Negro boy, despite the problems happening in his home,  was very fortunate for being able to learn and become a rich gentleman. He had also learned how to fight the barriers that tried to stop his eagerness and hope.

Tuck Everlasting by Natallie Babbit

Have you ever wished you could be 'immortal'? Tuck Everlasting, a book written by Natallie Babbit shows us how living immortaly could cause our own destruction. Winnie Foster has everything a young woman could desire. She comes from a well-bred, wealthy, and respected family. She dresses in the finest clothes and is afforded every opportunity to refine herself. But Winnie finds that the heat of summer is not nearly as stifling as her gilded cage. She longs for freedom, for adventure. She escapes one morning to explore the woods surrounding her family's home, and encounters the Tucks, a close-knit family with a mysterious past that begs the question: If you could live forever, would you? And just when Winnie believes she has answered that question for herself, a mysterious man looking to profit from the source of the Tuck's immortality that will have her question her life, her desires, and what is the right thing to do. And in the end, learns, that death is not what is to be feared, but an unlived life
  After reading this story I, contrary to my opinions before reading, felt a change in my own heart. If there is no death, there would no life, no creation, and no development of technology between humans. Life will be boring because of the repeated days and people will fall in depression.
  I felt very sorry for the Tucks who had to stay and struggle not to get arrested or get suspicion. It will be also hard to follow the new technologies and the cycle of life happening in Earth.
 The man in the yellow suit had tried to take of his own advantage by selling the 'immortal water' and destroying the human cycle of life and death. I think this book is worth to talk about a lot and share opinions with.
  It's very lucky to have life, and death though there would be some sorrow inside our hearts.

Book Review: Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan

Jake Semple is a kid who made a record by being kicked out of every school in Rhode Island. He burned down his old school, as some says. After his parents were arrested, Jake had to move to his Grandpa's but his grandpa, who didn't care any one thing about him, decides to send him to Wit's End, where the Applewhites live. The Applewhites are very unlike any other families. It's a house for creative people. While living with them, Jake seeks for his talent and starts to change from a troublemaker to an Applewhite member.
  After reading this story, I learned about how our environment around us could effect us so easily and that we have to control ourselves to go towards the straight road. Zedediha Applewhite, the leader of the Applewhites founded the creative acedemy and made the younger Applewhites to follow their own dreams. Jake wasn't familiar with the creative acedemy because he wasn't given the ammunition to follow his own dream and he didn't even knew his dream.
  When Randolph Applewhite, a director who is chosen to direct the 'Sound of Music' going to be held in Traybridge Theater hears Jake singing, learns about his potentials. So Jake, while learning varieties of curriculums with E.D Applewhite, starts to practice in Trabridge theater rehearsels but the show is soon canceled because of Mrs. Montrose, the theater owner. Consequently, they fall down but soon stands up because of E.D's proportion about having their own show in the barn. They all prepare, which shows extreme cooperation and results in a great ending of the show. Before the show starts, Jake cuts all of his red, spiky hair and pulls out all the earings in his face. I was so impressed by this part of how Jake changed his perspective towards himself and his life.
  Life is certainly an adventerous quest that gives us opportunity to learn and intake knowledge. I wish Jake had grown up into a famous singer!

History Report: Ancient Roman civilazation-The start of the Ancient Roman civilization to the Second Punic War

 The Start of Roman civilazation

  Rome. The most influential civilization in whole human history.  Roman civilazation starts in a small, boot shaped peninsula later called Italy. A clan named 'Etrurian', from Mesopotamia brought its culture into the small peninsula and started its short history with a 'king'. They traded with Greece and there are still remains of which could be guessed as Greek porcleains and scripts of written letters similar to ancient Greek alphabets. After the Eturians settled in, another clan, called the 'Latins' moved in to what's called today as Rome. The Eturians teached them their own culture so they started to thought-of course-that they were more superior than any other civilazations and chosed to be harsh on the Latins.

    Rome was pressured by the nothern Eturians so the Romans had to give out their city to an Eturian king. The last Eturian king was 'Tarquin the terrible', who once ordered the Roman  harbor to stop without any reasons, causing financial difficulties to the Romans. Retaliatory sprits broke out when Tarquin's son murdered Lucrece, a wanted spouse for many of Roman mankind. They got  into a revolutionary war and this, may I tell you -a good news- is the start of Roman history. 

   The Romans decided to chose a king from one of the wisest Royal branches in Rome. It was clear that everyone wanted to be a king of course. This fight was to a stop when someone proposed about Royalties taking turns, a republic.

    Now, how did this 'Roman republic' put themselves? Firstly they were divided into 3 status: the royalties, commoners, and slaves. Rome republic rulers called themselves consuls, and ordered Roman citizens what to do. The senatus, organized in groups of 300 wise royalties, also consulted important decisions in Rome. But now being the ruler, the royalties were putting themselves harsh on commoners. The commoners wanted to protect their rights and founded 'comitia', an organized group to protect citizens' rights.

  The Romans extended their territory and soon united the whole peninsula. It was a deficient amount of soilders to send patricians into wars so the plebeians had to go out to wars according to their own duty. 

The plebeians were humiliated resulting in a rebellion. To stop the rebellion, the patricians opted to erect the '12 Theses' which soon growed to be a formal Roman rule

Punic Wars

In the Meditarrenian sea, there were three powerful countries: Macedonia, Cartago, and Rome. In 270 B.C. Rome unites the whole peninsula of Italy and emerge as one of the powerful countries. They weren't able to not fight to reign the Meditarrenian sea. Medditarrenian sea was all to Europe at that time. It was the only place where European  countries could trade cultures.

 To reign the Meditarrenian, navies will be indispensable. Unfortuanately, Rome had no navy because of all the fighting that occured in lands, not seas wherease Cartago was a country strengthened by trading. Between Cartago and Rome, there was a small neutral country called Sicily. Its capitol Mesina, lived King Hiero who was smart enough to know that Sicily was going to be ruled by either countries because Sicily, was the pivot of trading in Europe. He brought well-built Mametro men to be trained as soilders and gave out costly wages to those who were royal to protect Sicily. 

  It was a devastating fact that it was them-not anybody but them-who brought a rebellion and took over Mesina. Hiero the humiliated so he brought out the rest of his royal soilders to attack the castle of Mesina. Mametro men who lacked in amount,  seeked for help in both Cartago and Rome. Cartago and Rome were both eager to help but when they both arrived in Mesina, they were in arm of conflicts. So I will have to unfortunately claim the start of the Punic war which took many innocent lives in both countries.

    The First Punic War

Cartago thought that Rome wasn't enough to be a rival against. But when they arrived at Sicily, Rome had already taken Mesina. Cartago and Hiero were naturally made to be rallies and the proclamation of the first Punic war. Romans took care of King Hiero's soilders easily. Though Rome was strong in  militaries, it was very weak in navies so to take care of this problem, they made a ship naming it Corvus. Contrary to Rome, Cartago was weak in militaries, so they hired strong military soilders from other countries.

  At that time, Rome's commanding force officer was Marcus Atilius Regulus. He decided to attack Carthage instead of fighting in Mesina. Roman navies arrived in Carthage and commenced to destroy all enmity. Unfortunately for the Romans, the king of Carthage had send a messanger to buy soilders with fame. While the Roman soilders kept shouting for surrender, a Greek Spartan general  Xanthippus, had arrived and shattered all of the Roman soilders into pieces. The First Punic war's victory was to the Carthages.

   

The Second Punic War

 It had all started when the Romans finally attacked again and took victory away from the Carthages. Carthages had to give out three thousand two hundered talents as compensations. To earn more money, Carthages decided to attack Espana. Romans felt a sudden anxiety in the air when the Carthages came close as Saguntum, a rallied city with Rome. Hannibal, a royal soilder of Cartago, hesitated for a moment but decided to attack Saguntum. This was 219 B.C., when Hannibal declared for the Second Punic War.

  The Romans weren't able to protect Saguntum so they decided to attack Carago's mainland. Hannible, had been looking for this very moment. 218 B.C., Hannibal made an order to advance. This is, one of the famous world record in history. If you see the European world map, you could see that Hannbal have to cross two mountain ranges: Pyreness, and the Alps to reach Rome. Since both ranges are rugged, the Romans thought that they would come to Rome by either flat land or sea routes. Surprisingly, Hannibal and his soilders crossed two ranges without going through sea routes or flat land. When Hannibal finally entered the Italian peninsula, Hannibal's military kept defeating the Romans until Rome appointed Fabius Maximus to be the military officer. Maximus stalled time whilst gathering the strongest soilders in Rome. Hannibal and Maximus' soilders fought in Canae but Maximus' military lost resulting in  Rome's danger without any protection of the city. Everynight there were meetings between the senatus. Finally without hestiation, the Roman senatuses opted for another attack on Cartago. Hannibal, hearing that the Romans had attacked Cartago, had no decision but to return back to Cartago. When he went back, Scipio Afriganus was waiting for him. Hannibal was caught into Scipio's strategy and defeated utterly-almost into an extermination.

Hannibal crossing the Alps

For Classics listening...

http://librivox.org/

History Report: Ancient Roman civilazation-The Third Punic war to the start of triarchies.

  The Third Punic War
The 20-Year war finshed as the surrender of Cartago. Cartago and Rome makes a treaty, its qualifications are....
1. Cartago shouldn't even loaf around Espana or go out from Carthage's North African land
2. Cartago must give out 1million talent for compensation in 15 years.
3. Cartago must be our rally and never to attack Rome. Also, Cartago could only claim wars when Rome admits it.
After this treaty, Rome emerge as the owner of the Mediterrenian sea. While they prepares for a war between Greece, Cartago slowly takes back their original position........when Rome feels anxiety in the air and rallies with Numidia right beside Cartago. Unfortunately for the Carthages, Rome called Numidia and commanded them to attack Cartago and- if you see the treaty, you could see in number 3 that Rome had taken away all of Cartago's military control power.
   Humiliated Cartago put away the treaty and attacked Numidia but when Rome tried to attack themselves, they, scared had to ask for forgiveness to protect themselves.
   Rome didn't forgive them of course-the treaty was made to destroy Cartago. Carthages got aware of this, causing the last Punic war in history. I'm sad to say that this was the last of Cartago. After the war, Scipio prepared a place to live for the rest of the Carthages at far end of Africa. Rome had this Punic war for approximately 100 years, and to remind you-Rome was only a rally of many other small countries in the Mediterranian until Rome won and took away the freedom of rallied countries'
Rome, after taking away the freedom of countries that were once rallied with them, collected many costly things from their colony. Many golds flowed through Rome, causing them to be the center of all attention and Europe. Roman aristrocrat's assets increased, wherease poor farmers and sharecroppers kept losing money. This took a serious problem in the Roman republic-status were getting seperated step by step.
   On 134 B.C., a Roman politician named Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus apears on stage. He, humiliated by watching too many vain for luxury and the famishing people under the Roman aristrocrats, he carries out the 'Gracchus Reformation'. The Roman aristrocrats stood up, disputing the new reformation. This caused the murder of Tiberius. To repay his brother's resentments, Tiberius' younger brother, Gaius Gracchus started two enterprises........
 1. A bridge and a food storage to be made
 2. Buy food from farmers in a prohibitive price and sell it to commoners in a low price.
This certainly brought anxiety to the aristrocrats. They also killed Gaius like his brother. These two brothers' new reformation had been turned to bubbles.

 After the death of the Gracchus brothers, commoners & farmers continued to resist the aristrocrats. This caused them to be in arm of conflicts, fortunately ended when an absolutist, thus an emperer hold its power in Roman history-Julius Cesar.

   Who is he-Julius Cesar-a man of vanity in power who born in 100 B.C., murdered by Brutus in 44B.C.
Whilst he was working as a military officer in Espana, there were also two other men who had hunger for power. Marcus Lichinious Crausus & Pompeii. They had absolute fame in Rome until the jealous aristrocrats kicked them off from their status. When Cesar returns to Rome, he gets aware that aristrocrats are going to murder him so before anyone takes care of him, he directly goes to Crausus & Pompeii. May I claim that this is the first triarchy of Rome.