Columnist Blog Post

I chose to analyze the column "Something to Remember for Thanksgiving" by Mary Schmich.

1. How does the author want the reader to feel while reading the column?

I think that Schmich wants the readers to feel nostalgic. The author is talking about a happy moment that happened during her childhood. "The day was sticky hot, and somewhere outside came the bell of the ice cream man." Most people will be able to relate to a similar moment that happened to them in their childhood and she is trying to make them yearn to have that one moment and their childhood happen again.

2. What does the author want the reader to realize?

I think the author wants the reader to realize that how much money you have and can afford to spend is all based on your financial situation. What one person might think is poor another person might think is rich. Schmich also wants the reader to realize that the smallest things in life can make the biggest difference and it isn't all about money. A small action to a stranger might make all the difference in that persons day. She is trying to encourage the audience to do these small acts of kindness.

3. What is the purpose of the column?

The purpose of this column is to show the reader that each person will see a different value in different things based on their state of mind and that even the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference in someones life. This column is trying to encourage people to make those small gestures and be the difference in someones life.

4. How does the author use diction and syntax to convey the message?

The author uses simple and informal diction to so she can easily relate to the reader. She doesn't try to use over complicated diction to make the column sound elegant, she tries to make it start sound and feel natural to the reader. The way she tells the story makes it very easy for the reader to relate to.

5. What is the value of the column?

The value of this column is that it makes people look at the struggles that others less fortunate than the reader have to go through. It also makes people that are more fortunate grateful for what they have. It also shows the reader how they can be the change in someones life and how the smallest things can mean everything in the world to someone.

Blog Post #7

Over the past few weeks I have been reading World War Z, an apocalyptic horror book by Max Brooks. I watched the film version back when it came out in 2013(probably should have read the book first...) and thought it was really good, but never really got around to reading the book until now.

The story is told by a series of interviews done by Max Brooks, an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission. The origin of the plague isn't know but a boy from a small Chinese village is identified as Patient Zero. The plague started in China, and even though they tried to contain it, the effort was useless and it continued to spread.

Several nations, mainly ones closer to the devastation, started to initiate nationwide quarantines. The United States it too confident in their ability to handle the threat and tried to stop public panic by marketing a placebo vaccine. Many areas around the world fall into greater chaos, such as Iran and Pakistan who engage in a nuclear war to try and stop the flow of refugees in and out of their countries. A few weeks after, New York City falls gets overrun by the zombies, which didn't really come as a surprise seeing how overconfident the U.S. was. The army was sent in but failed miserably after never being faced with such a relentless opponent.

I only finished about half of the book because of all my test and other schoolwork, but this is one of those book that when you pick it up and start reading it, it's hard to put it down. So far I think that book is great in the sense that you don't know what to expect and that suspense is the reason you want to keep reading.