Hey guys,
this is really my last post now! Our teacher asked us to write down our 3 favourite entries. It's been quite difficult for me to choose them, but here they are:
1. 19th of June, 2016 : NYC campaign against teenage-pregnancy
2. 06th of May, 2016 : Chapter n°2
3. 29th of May, 2016 : Chapter n°6,7&8 - the trip to Hastings
I hope you liked reading this whole blog! I really enjoyed creating it!
Maike
Mittwoch, 29. Juni 2016
Review (fav quotes, annoying things,...)
Hey guys,
actually this is my really LAST POST. I'm through with reading the book, I already worked on the last task and now it's the end of my reading log.
I thought about ending this blog with my favourite quotes of SLAM and two optional tasks. One task we were given on the 8th of June and it's about presenting you situations/things I really enjoyed in SLAM or something that annoyed me. The second one is the latest optional task - it's about finding five adjectives which describe the novel.
I'm gonna start with my favourite quotes:
p.15, ll.4-6 - because I can identify with this :)
Something that annoyed me:
Like I already told you in some posts before, I don't like the whole wizzing-thing. Overall I don't really like Tony Hawk's part in the story. On the one hand it's really weird that Sam talks to a poster of his idol, but on the other hand I can also relate to him a bit. Probably everybody has something or someone to talk to and to talk about worries and everything. And I don't mean a living person. I accept that Sam does this. What I can't understand and what I feel annoyed of is, that Tony Hawk has such a big impact on Sam's life. Often Sam says that if Tony Hawk is frustrated, he wizzes Sam into the future. How can a poster be frustrated? How can a surreal person have such an impact on a living person?? Am I the only one who feels like this? Or are there other people out there who feel annoyed or confused by this aswell?
Because I don't want people to think that I don't like the book or that I only think negative about it, here is something I really enjoyed:
Teenage pregnancies are a difficult topic. If I think about it there comes this situation up to my mind where there's a teenage mum with its little child. The father's not living with them and barely cares for his child. What I like about SLAM is that Sam developes during the story. At first he runs away to Hastings, because he's scared of the whole situation. At the end he's shocked about reading that he might loses touch with his son. You can really see that he cares about his little boy and that he definitly wants to stay in touch with him! I'm glad that Sam developed like this - I really enjoyed reading this!
Five adjectives to describe the novel and the last weeks working with it:
Interesting, entertaining, amusing, strange, informative
That's it! :)
THANK YOU everyone for reading my posts! I really enjoyed putting everything down here and I'm convinced that I'll miss it someway!
Have a nice day!
Maike
actually this is my really LAST POST. I'm through with reading the book, I already worked on the last task and now it's the end of my reading log.
I thought about ending this blog with my favourite quotes of SLAM and two optional tasks. One task we were given on the 8th of June and it's about presenting you situations/things I really enjoyed in SLAM or something that annoyed me. The second one is the latest optional task - it's about finding five adjectives which describe the novel.
I'm gonna start with my favourite quotes:
p.15, ll.4-6 - because I can identify with this :)
"Who doesn't talk to someone in their heads? Who doesn't talk to God, or a pet, or someone they love who has died, or maybe just to themselves?"p.25, ll.10f - because it's a really nice way to show how much you love someone:
"And when she laughed, I could feel some part of me flip over."p.183, ll.12-15 - just because it's SO TRUE:
"It's just that there comes a point where the facts don't matter any more, and even though you know everything, you know nothing, because you don't know what anything felt like."
Something that annoyed me:
Like I already told you in some posts before, I don't like the whole wizzing-thing. Overall I don't really like Tony Hawk's part in the story. On the one hand it's really weird that Sam talks to a poster of his idol, but on the other hand I can also relate to him a bit. Probably everybody has something or someone to talk to and to talk about worries and everything. And I don't mean a living person. I accept that Sam does this. What I can't understand and what I feel annoyed of is, that Tony Hawk has such a big impact on Sam's life. Often Sam says that if Tony Hawk is frustrated, he wizzes Sam into the future. How can a poster be frustrated? How can a surreal person have such an impact on a living person?? Am I the only one who feels like this? Or are there other people out there who feel annoyed or confused by this aswell?
Because I don't want people to think that I don't like the book or that I only think negative about it, here is something I really enjoyed:
Teenage pregnancies are a difficult topic. If I think about it there comes this situation up to my mind where there's a teenage mum with its little child. The father's not living with them and barely cares for his child. What I like about SLAM is that Sam developes during the story. At first he runs away to Hastings, because he's scared of the whole situation. At the end he's shocked about reading that he might loses touch with his son. You can really see that he cares about his little boy and that he definitly wants to stay in touch with him! I'm glad that Sam developed like this - I really enjoyed reading this!
Five adjectives to describe the novel and the last weeks working with it:
Interesting, entertaining, amusing, strange, informative
That's it! :)
THANK YOU everyone for reading my posts! I really enjoyed putting everything down here and I'm convinced that I'll miss it someway!
Have a nice day!
Maike
Samstag, 25. Juni 2016
Essay about working with SLAM
Hey guys,
today you'll get to read an essay which we had to write about several question e.g. which skills we did improve while reading "Slam" or which skills still need improvement.
The novel "Slam" written by Nick Hornby has been the first book I read in English. At the beginning I've been very sceptical of reading this book and about creating a blog while reading. I thought about not being able to understand the book. I didn't know how big my vocabulary actually was and how I would get along with the book. Many people said that it isn't fun reading an English book and having to translate every second word. I was a bit worried that this would be my case.
Now I know that I shouldn't have been so sceptical because it's been really cool! The book is written in a way that is really good to understand for non-native speakers. I've always been curious how the story would go on and what would happen next! I liked writing my blog entries more and more. It's also something I've never done before, but I'm at a point where I even think about creating a blog related to another topic.
I think the last weeks working with the novel helped me in many ways. At first there's my vocabulary. I'm sure that with every book or text I'm reading, I can improve it because there are always words I don't know which enrich my vocabulary. Reading the first chapters of "Slam" there have been sentences I didn't understand right away and I had to read them twice or three times to get it. I just wasn't used to read in English. It's the same with writing. Of course we write texts or letters in our English lessons, but for me it's been something different writing these blog entries. At the end of the novel I've been able to read and write faster and there were less things I didn't understand. We analyzed a lot and the more often I did it the better and easier it was for me. The first analysis of Sam has been pretty difficult for me and it was hard finding the right adjectives to describe him, but I improved my skills on that now! I don't think that I'm perfect in reading and writing now and I think everything still needs improvement, but for now I'm "proud" of the improvement I did while reading the novel!
today you'll get to read an essay which we had to write about several question e.g. which skills we did improve while reading "Slam" or which skills still need improvement.
The novel "Slam" written by Nick Hornby has been the first book I read in English. At the beginning I've been very sceptical of reading this book and about creating a blog while reading. I thought about not being able to understand the book. I didn't know how big my vocabulary actually was and how I would get along with the book. Many people said that it isn't fun reading an English book and having to translate every second word. I was a bit worried that this would be my case.
Now I know that I shouldn't have been so sceptical because it's been really cool! The book is written in a way that is really good to understand for non-native speakers. I've always been curious how the story would go on and what would happen next! I liked writing my blog entries more and more. It's also something I've never done before, but I'm at a point where I even think about creating a blog related to another topic.
I think the last weeks working with the novel helped me in many ways. At first there's my vocabulary. I'm sure that with every book or text I'm reading, I can improve it because there are always words I don't know which enrich my vocabulary. Reading the first chapters of "Slam" there have been sentences I didn't understand right away and I had to read them twice or three times to get it. I just wasn't used to read in English. It's the same with writing. Of course we write texts or letters in our English lessons, but for me it's been something different writing these blog entries. At the end of the novel I've been able to read and write faster and there were less things I didn't understand. We analyzed a lot and the more often I did it the better and easier it was for me. The first analysis of Sam has been pretty difficult for me and it was hard finding the right adjectives to describe him, but I improved my skills on that now! I don't think that I'm perfect in reading and writing now and I think everything still needs improvement, but for now I'm "proud" of the improvement I did while reading the novel!
I don't think there's much you could improve on analyzing "Slam". Every topic we disgussed has been related to the story. Maybe we could have talked about parent's reactions to pregnancy announcements in general. I would be interested in the fact whether parents usually react like Annie or rather like Robert. All in all creating a blog has been a cool variety, even if it's been muuuch more work than preparing for a class test, but I can definitly recommend this kind of work!
You'll hear from me soon!
Maike
You'll hear from me soon!
Maike
Freitag, 24. Juni 2016
Chapter n°18-20 - the happy end
Hey guys,
as I started to write this new post right now, I thought about this post being one of my last ones about the novel because it has only got 20 chapters. I almost through with telling you how our story is going to end. I'm sure I'm really going to miss the weekly blog post writing...
However, let me tell you what this post's about:
I'm going to write about the last three chapters of "Slam".
Chapter 18:
It kind of shocked me aswell that so many teenage fathers won't stay in touch with their children! Because of this I googled about this in general. I just wanted to know more about this topic. About how many fathers are staying in touch with their children and this is what I found:
What do you think about this statistic? I'm very interested in your opinions!
Chapter 19:
Chapter 19 is written like somebody else asks Sam questions about his life and he answers them. He talks about his sister Emily, about how he's doing at college and he explains his relationship to Alicia. After a long time they have sex again and for Alicia it seems like they are back together, but Sam ends the conversation about their relationship with the words:
Sam is wizzed into the future again. Sam and a girl called Alex meet Alicia and Carl at a Chinese restaurant. Alex is Sam's girlfriend and Carl's Alicia's boyfriend. They are talking about Roof and Emily and everything seems to be fine. But it's just a look into the future for Sam and there's a long way before getting to this point but like Sam says:
I really like getting a look into Sam's future at this point. I think it would be different if the novel would end with Alicia and Sam still trying to get on with Roof and the whole situation. I like that we get to know how their future is looking like. Even when Sam isn't there yet, he's got the possibility of living a good life. A life that he can truly enjoy.
I hope you like the last chapters as much as I do :)
Maike
as I started to write this new post right now, I thought about this post being one of my last ones about the novel because it has only got 20 chapters. I almost through with telling you how our story is going to end. I'm sure I'm really going to miss the weekly blog post writing...
However, let me tell you what this post's about:
I'm going to write about the last three chapters of "Slam".
Chapter 18:
"That's the great thing about it [the Internet]. Whatever your problem is, it's on there somewhere, and it makes you feel less alone." (p.232, ll.3-5)Sam is using the Internet to find out some statistics about teenagers and pregnancy. First he's blessed because his situation is ways better than what other teenagers tell about theirs on the Internet. He finds a statistic about how many per cent of teenage fathers lose touch with their child after fifteen years (it's 80%) and he's shocked. It makes him so upset that he runs to Alicia's home right away and "fights" for not losing touch with Rufus one day. It ends with Alicia and Sam arguing and Andrea calming them down.
It kind of shocked me aswell that so many teenage fathers won't stay in touch with their children! Because of this I googled about this in general. I just wanted to know more about this topic. About how many fathers are staying in touch with their children and this is what I found:
"One million men, 10.3% of all fathers and 5% of all men, don't live with their children." - the guardianThe statistic refers to the UK. I'm not able to compare the numbers to the ones from other countries, but only thinking about the situation in the UK makes me kind of sad. (Does this sound strange?) Why are 10% of all fathers not living with their children? It's one father out of 10!
What do you think about this statistic? I'm very interested in your opinions!
Chapter 19:
Chapter 19 is written like somebody else asks Sam questions about his life and he answers them. He talks about his sister Emily, about how he's doing at college and he explains his relationship to Alicia. After a long time they have sex again and for Alicia it seems like they are back together, but Sam ends the conversation about their relationship with the words:
"We live in two separate worlds that are not uniting. I don't want this to be an ugly separation. I think we should both be dedicated to creating the best possible life for Roof. Try and make it as easy as possible for him." (p.249, ll.12-16)Chapter 20:
Sam is wizzed into the future again. Sam and a girl called Alex meet Alicia and Carl at a Chinese restaurant. Alex is Sam's girlfriend and Carl's Alicia's boyfriend. They are talking about Roof and Emily and everything seems to be fine. But it's just a look into the future for Sam and there's a long way before getting to this point but like Sam says:
"I could do it, though. I could see that. I wouldn't be sitting here now if I couldn't do it, would I?" ( p.254, ll.27-29)Talking about my favourite chapter I said that I don't like the chapters in which Sam is wizzed into the future. After reading chapter 20, the last chapter of the novel, I have to change my statement a bit:
I really like getting a look into Sam's future at this point. I think it would be different if the novel would end with Alicia and Sam still trying to get on with Roof and the whole situation. I like that we get to know how their future is looking like. Even when Sam isn't there yet, he's got the possibility of living a good life. A life that he can truly enjoy.
I hope you like the last chapters as much as I do :)
Maike
Sonntag, 19. Juni 2016
NYC campaign against teenage-pregnancy
Hey guys,
today's post is about the following task out teacher gave us: We are asked to write a letter to the NYC Human Resources Administration, telling what we think about their campaign and how they could improve it.
We were given some posters and we could decide whether we want to talk about all of them or only about one. I chose this one:
Dear NYC Human Resources Administration,
recently I saw a poster of your campaign against teenage-pregnancy.
On the one hand, I think it's important starting campaigns like this and making aware of how negative teenage-pregnancies can affect the teenager's lives. Teenager's are still kind of children and need their childhood. A pregnancy can take all of this away. It makes the teenagers take responsibility which is mostly too much for them because they can't really care for themselves. How should they be able to care for a child?
On the other hand, I'm not sure whether these posters will affect what they should.
The poster I recently saw is the one with the little girl on it. Her expression is sad and she seems to be worried. Next to her is the sentence "Honestly Mom...chances are he won't stay with you. What happens to me?".
In my opinion it's clever putting the picture of a little girl on the poster. The campaign is there for making teenager's think twice about getting pregnant. The girl on the poster shows what it's all about - it's exactly what teenagers should avoid.
The text next to the picture is very suitable aswell. Teenagers are young, which means they can't be in a relationship for many years. I would describe teenage-relationships as something the teenagers want to experience and want to have fun, but generelly they don't last many years.
For me it's strange thinking about finding a partner while being 16 or 17 years old and being sure to spend the whole life together. That's the problem with teenage-pregnancies because once the child is born, the parents don't know what to do. Staying together just for the good of their child? Or seperating and letting the child grow up with only one parent?
Because of that I think that the question "What happens to me?" is so right. I can imagine that most teenagers don't think about this question when they're being intimate or when the girl's pregnant. I'm sure this poster makes some teenagers think about it!
In my opinion there are three different groups you could put teenagers in.
One group are the caring teenagers. They are aware of what could happen and they think about important things twice. Then there's another group that maybe could be reached by such a campaign because it definitly shows what the future could look like and I'm sure they don't imagine their future being like this. Like on the poster: Having a child, seperating from the partner and not knowing how to carry on with the child.
The third group of teenagers is why I'm not sure that these posters will affect what they should. These teenagers do whatever they want to - no matter whether they read such a poster or not. It won't make them think about anything. It's just a made-up sentence and why should the future be like this? It can also be another way.
I also thought about whether there's a way to improve the campaign. I'm not sure whether there's anything that makes every teenager be aware of what a teenage-pregnancy does with their lives, but maybe more teenager's could be reached by showing them facts. Showing them facts and statistics how it could affect THEIR lives. Your campaign seems to show what happens with the child or how the child's life will be, but it could be that showing facts about their life maybe reaches them more. It could also be that showing them pictures of teenage parents with their babies while they have to renounce to go to a party or to do something with friends, would make them be aware of the consequences. They wouldn't be able to do those things because they've got a child. I think something like that could scare them off.
It's good that there are campaign's which try to "save" the teenager's lives, if you see it in a way that a pregnancy can "destroy" it. I'm convinced that there are teenager's out there who will be more carefully after seeing this campaign. I think especially some teenage girls will think about it because very often you can hear a teenage girl say: "Oh, how cute is this baby?" and I'm sure nobody wants to give birth to a child who could have disadvantages because its mother gave birth to it in a very young age.
Best regards,
Maike
today's post is about the following task out teacher gave us: We are asked to write a letter to the NYC Human Resources Administration, telling what we think about their campaign and how they could improve it.
We were given some posters and we could decide whether we want to talk about all of them or only about one. I chose this one:
Dear NYC Human Resources Administration,
recently I saw a poster of your campaign against teenage-pregnancy.
On the one hand, I think it's important starting campaigns like this and making aware of how negative teenage-pregnancies can affect the teenager's lives. Teenager's are still kind of children and need their childhood. A pregnancy can take all of this away. It makes the teenagers take responsibility which is mostly too much for them because they can't really care for themselves. How should they be able to care for a child?
On the other hand, I'm not sure whether these posters will affect what they should.
The poster I recently saw is the one with the little girl on it. Her expression is sad and she seems to be worried. Next to her is the sentence "Honestly Mom...chances are he won't stay with you. What happens to me?".
In my opinion it's clever putting the picture of a little girl on the poster. The campaign is there for making teenager's think twice about getting pregnant. The girl on the poster shows what it's all about - it's exactly what teenagers should avoid.
The text next to the picture is very suitable aswell. Teenagers are young, which means they can't be in a relationship for many years. I would describe teenage-relationships as something the teenagers want to experience and want to have fun, but generelly they don't last many years.
For me it's strange thinking about finding a partner while being 16 or 17 years old and being sure to spend the whole life together. That's the problem with teenage-pregnancies because once the child is born, the parents don't know what to do. Staying together just for the good of their child? Or seperating and letting the child grow up with only one parent?
Because of that I think that the question "What happens to me?" is so right. I can imagine that most teenagers don't think about this question when they're being intimate or when the girl's pregnant. I'm sure this poster makes some teenagers think about it!
In my opinion there are three different groups you could put teenagers in.
One group are the caring teenagers. They are aware of what could happen and they think about important things twice. Then there's another group that maybe could be reached by such a campaign because it definitly shows what the future could look like and I'm sure they don't imagine their future being like this. Like on the poster: Having a child, seperating from the partner and not knowing how to carry on with the child.
The third group of teenagers is why I'm not sure that these posters will affect what they should. These teenagers do whatever they want to - no matter whether they read such a poster or not. It won't make them think about anything. It's just a made-up sentence and why should the future be like this? It can also be another way.
I also thought about whether there's a way to improve the campaign. I'm not sure whether there's anything that makes every teenager be aware of what a teenage-pregnancy does with their lives, but maybe more teenager's could be reached by showing them facts. Showing them facts and statistics how it could affect THEIR lives. Your campaign seems to show what happens with the child or how the child's life will be, but it could be that showing facts about their life maybe reaches them more. It could also be that showing them pictures of teenage parents with their babies while they have to renounce to go to a party or to do something with friends, would make them be aware of the consequences. They wouldn't be able to do those things because they've got a child. I think something like that could scare them off.
It's good that there are campaign's which try to "save" the teenager's lives, if you see it in a way that a pregnancy can "destroy" it. I'm convinced that there are teenager's out there who will be more carefully after seeing this campaign. I think especially some teenage girls will think about it because very often you can hear a teenage girl say: "Oh, how cute is this baby?" and I'm sure nobody wants to give birth to a child who could have disadvantages because its mother gave birth to it in a very young age.
Best regards,
Maike
Samstag, 18. Juni 2016
Chapter n°13-17 - Rufus' birth
Hey guys,
I'm back with a new blog entry about chapter 13-17 and about the song "Everything to me". I hope you're looking forward to reading it :)
Chapter 13:
Annie tells Sam that she's pregnant aswell and they're thinking about the future of the two babies.
Alicia gives birth to "Rufus". Sam and Andrea are with her at the hospital. Sam's description of the "giving-birth-situation":
I can understand Sam's reaction somehow. His girlfriend is giving birth to their child and it's a very big thing. It suits to Sam very much that he's describing the situation like this because he's often a bit strange, e.g. when he's talking to Tony Hawk's poster. So I didn't really wonder about Sam describing the situation like a battlefield "where bombs explode", haha.
Chapter 15:
Sam moves into Alicia's house and Alicia and him take Rufus (nickname: Roof) home for the first time.
Sam lives the day he already visited once as he was wizzed into the future.
He goes to college this day and has a fight with another boy who is telling Sam Rufus might be his son and not Sam's. Because of this Sam doubts Alicia and thinks about this boy being right. At the end it emphasizes that Rufus is definitly Sam's son. The whole situation makes Alicia feel angry because it seems like Sam isn't trusting her.
Sam's dad meets Sam at a restaurant and wants to tell him that his life with Alicia won't work out. He talks about how it has been with Annie and how their relationship didn't work out because they only cared about the baby and not about themselfes anymore.
The song "Everything to me":
The song "Everything to me" is written by Mark Schultz and deals with the topic adoption.
Mark Schultz once met a woman who didn't grow up with her biological parents. She told Mark her story which made him think about this topic and which made him write a song about it.
The woman told Mark that her mother had three options: she could have an abortion, she could keep the child or she could give the child away. She said her mom carried her nine months with pain, but at least she decided to give her child away, just to give her child a better future than she ever could. The woman is able to understand why her mom did this - because at least it's been the best for both.
The first impression while listening to the song is that it's a sad song. If you watched the music video, you saw the young mother giving birth to her child and giving it away immediately. For me it seemed like the mom had made a mistake by giving the baby away, although she only tried to do the best for her child.
The video wants to show that adoption isn't always a bad thing.
Of course many people would immediately say that it's wrong letting a baby grow up with foster parents and not with its biological mom because it doesn't seem right giving a baby away from its mom.
But if we think about the fact that some mom's are not able to raise a child or even to care about it. It doesn't matter whether it's because she's an alcoholic or whether she's just too young and it's too much responsibility for her. In such cases it's good that there's the possibility of giving the child a good future with parents who really care for the child and who are able to give it a good future.
Alicia is a mom now. Her baby Rufus is born.
At the beginning of pregnancy Alicia had the same oportunities as every other women. The three options I wrote down above. Alicia has been sure to keep the baby and to take all the responsibility from the beginning.
I think it's pretty brave to do this. I mean, I could NEVER imagine being pregnant at 17 and honestly, I wouldn't know what I would do.
It's tough wanting to get the baby even if you know that you mostly have to give up your whole life you had before.
Let's see how Sam and Alicia get on with this situation. There are three chapters left in our novel to find out!
See you soon :)
Maike
I'm back with a new blog entry about chapter 13-17 and about the song "Everything to me". I hope you're looking forward to reading it :)
Chapter 13:
Annie tells Sam that she's pregnant aswell and they're thinking about the future of the two babies.
"They'll be friends, won't they? - I hope so. They'll be the same age, anyway." (p.188, ll.33-35)Sam and Alicia are working out how they carry on when the baby's born.
"I enrolled in a sixth-form college, and Alicia decided to take the year out (...)." (p.190, ll.31f)Chapter 14:
Alicia gives birth to "Rufus". Sam and Andrea are with her at the hospital. Sam's description of the "giving-birth-situation":
"It seemed more like a place where bombs explode and legs came off and old ladies dressed in black started screaming." (p.201, ll.4-6)Andrea and Annie argue about the baby's surname, until Alicia's dad and Mark come in and meet their grandchild for the first time.
I can understand Sam's reaction somehow. His girlfriend is giving birth to their child and it's a very big thing. It suits to Sam very much that he's describing the situation like this because he's often a bit strange, e.g. when he's talking to Tony Hawk's poster. So I didn't really wonder about Sam describing the situation like a battlefield "where bombs explode", haha.
https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2013/11/28/10/39/newborn-220142_960_720.jpg
Baby Rufus <3
Chapter 15:
Sam moves into Alicia's house and Alicia and him take Rufus (nickname: Roof) home for the first time.
"Here we are, Roof. Mummy and Daddy. This is your whole family." (p.209, ll.27f)Chapter 16:
Sam lives the day he already visited once as he was wizzed into the future.
He goes to college this day and has a fight with another boy who is telling Sam Rufus might be his son and not Sam's. Because of this Sam doubts Alicia and thinks about this boy being right. At the end it emphasizes that Rufus is definitly Sam's son. The whole situation makes Alicia feel angry because it seems like Sam isn't trusting her.
"If that's how little you trust me, then everything's pointless, isn't it?" (p.219, ll.22f)Chapter 17:
Sam's dad meets Sam at a restaurant and wants to tell him that his life with Alicia won't work out. He talks about how it has been with Annie and how their relationship didn't work out because they only cared about the baby and not about themselfes anymore.
"Is he breathing? Has he pooed? Does he need changing? That's all we ever said. We never looked at each other." (p.226, ll.33f, p.227, l.1)
The song "Everything to me":
The song "Everything to me" is written by Mark Schultz and deals with the topic adoption.
Mark Schultz once met a woman who didn't grow up with her biological parents. She told Mark her story which made him think about this topic and which made him write a song about it.
The woman told Mark that her mother had three options: she could have an abortion, she could keep the child or she could give the child away. She said her mom carried her nine months with pain, but at least she decided to give her child away, just to give her child a better future than she ever could. The woman is able to understand why her mom did this - because at least it's been the best for both.
The first impression while listening to the song is that it's a sad song. If you watched the music video, you saw the young mother giving birth to her child and giving it away immediately. For me it seemed like the mom had made a mistake by giving the baby away, although she only tried to do the best for her child.
The video wants to show that adoption isn't always a bad thing.
Of course many people would immediately say that it's wrong letting a baby grow up with foster parents and not with its biological mom because it doesn't seem right giving a baby away from its mom.
But if we think about the fact that some mom's are not able to raise a child or even to care about it. It doesn't matter whether it's because she's an alcoholic or whether she's just too young and it's too much responsibility for her. In such cases it's good that there's the possibility of giving the child a good future with parents who really care for the child and who are able to give it a good future.
Alicia is a mom now. Her baby Rufus is born.
At the beginning of pregnancy Alicia had the same oportunities as every other women. The three options I wrote down above. Alicia has been sure to keep the baby and to take all the responsibility from the beginning.
I think it's pretty brave to do this. I mean, I could NEVER imagine being pregnant at 17 and honestly, I wouldn't know what I would do.
It's tough wanting to get the baby even if you know that you mostly have to give up your whole life you had before.
Let's see how Sam and Alicia get on with this situation. There are three chapters left in our novel to find out!
See you soon :)
Maike
Samstag, 11. Juni 2016
My favourite chapter
Hey guys,
today's post will be about my favourite chapter of the novel and about some questions to Nick Hornby, the auther of "Slam".
It's been hard for me to choose my favourite chapter because there are many situation I don't like really much. In my opinion the chapters were Sam is wizzed into the future aren't that cool. It's unrealistic seeing exactly the things which will happen in the future. So I was sure about choosing one without the wizzing-thing.
At least I decided to take chapter 2 as my favourite chapter.
In chapter 2 there happen a lot of things. But because I've already written a blog post about the content, I will just let you know the reasons why I chose it.
Chapter 2 starts with Sam talking to Rabbit about Annie. Rabbit is Sam's friend and they're often skating together. He's good at skating but he isn't that clever. Conversations with him are always pretty strange which makes the whole situation very funny. I like that, because even if it's a serious topic, it ends up being funny because of his strange way of speaking haha.
What I also like about this chapter is the conversation between Sam and his mum. It's something I've already written about aswell: the teenager-mum connection.
I like reading or hearing about teenagers and their connection to their mums because it's unique and nobody has the same as you do!
Do you remember Sam and Alicia meeting for the first time? At Andrea's birthday party?
This also happens in chapter 2. It's the start of the whole story and I like that it's not like you mostly imagine a boy and a girl meeting for the first time.
You'd probably imagine they'd meet at school or outside but not on a birthday party from your mother's friend. I like that it's not a "common" place to start a love story.
It's also not a "normal" start. I don't imagine starting a love story with ignoring each other and being unfriendly. But it's cool that the love story of "Slam" doesn't start like you imagine it to which makes it much more interesting!
Chapter 2 is my favourite chapter because there's much to laugh about and there happen important things aswell! It's the start of Sam's and Alicia's love story - the main topic of the book.
Sam's life is full of funny, nice and serious things. Maybe there aren't sooo many funny situations, but when Rabbit appears it's always funny and your only thought is how dopey he is! These situations are the contrast to the ones which Sam can't laugh about.
I think chapter 2 shows this contrast pretty good which is another reason for me choosing this one.
Everybody has once probably got one book in which something hasn't been clear and where you would've liked to ask the author something. Our task has been to think about those questions:
I would like to know why Nick Hornby chose London as the location of the story and most of all why did he choose exactly THIS story? I mean, why would you write aboout teenage-pregnancy? Did he experience it himself? Or some of his friends?
Are there some experiences in the story that he made himself? Some details that he took out of his own life, e.g. the divorce of the parents?
Is there any reason for writing about the "wizzing-thing"? Would he like to be able to see what the future is like and that's why Sam is able to?
Is Nick Hornby an admirer of Tony Hawk aswell? Could it be that he likes Tony and because of that the skater playes an important role in Sam's life?
Is there any reason for letting Sam and Alicia meet at a birthday party of a mother's friend? Why did the mums "connected" Sam and Alicia? Why didn't they meet any other way?
Why did Nick Hornby create such a silly boy as Rabbit? Has he got stupid friends aswell or did he think it would be funny having one character who is always talking rubbish?
I think that's all I'd like to ask Mr Hornby.
Have a nice sunday!
Maike
today's post will be about my favourite chapter of the novel and about some questions to Nick Hornby, the auther of "Slam".
It's been hard for me to choose my favourite chapter because there are many situation I don't like really much. In my opinion the chapters were Sam is wizzed into the future aren't that cool. It's unrealistic seeing exactly the things which will happen in the future. So I was sure about choosing one without the wizzing-thing.
At least I decided to take chapter 2 as my favourite chapter.
In chapter 2 there happen a lot of things. But because I've already written a blog post about the content, I will just let you know the reasons why I chose it.
Chapter 2 starts with Sam talking to Rabbit about Annie. Rabbit is Sam's friend and they're often skating together. He's good at skating but he isn't that clever. Conversations with him are always pretty strange which makes the whole situation very funny. I like that, because even if it's a serious topic, it ends up being funny because of his strange way of speaking haha.
What I also like about this chapter is the conversation between Sam and his mum. It's something I've already written about aswell: the teenager-mum connection.
I like reading or hearing about teenagers and their connection to their mums because it's unique and nobody has the same as you do!
Do you remember Sam and Alicia meeting for the first time? At Andrea's birthday party?
This also happens in chapter 2. It's the start of the whole story and I like that it's not like you mostly imagine a boy and a girl meeting for the first time.
You'd probably imagine they'd meet at school or outside but not on a birthday party from your mother's friend. I like that it's not a "common" place to start a love story.
It's also not a "normal" start. I don't imagine starting a love story with ignoring each other and being unfriendly. But it's cool that the love story of "Slam" doesn't start like you imagine it to which makes it much more interesting!
"(...) who did she think she was, sitting there pouting and looking the other way?" (p.24, ll.29f)After the birthparty Sam is talking to Rabbit and again they're having a stupid conversation.
"What was she doing at the party? - She lives there. (...) - She lives at a party?" (p.37, ll.22-24)I like Rabbit haha. He's so stupid and talks rubbish without recognizing it :D
Chapter 2 is my favourite chapter because there's much to laugh about and there happen important things aswell! It's the start of Sam's and Alicia's love story - the main topic of the book.
Sam's life is full of funny, nice and serious things. Maybe there aren't sooo many funny situations, but when Rabbit appears it's always funny and your only thought is how dopey he is! These situations are the contrast to the ones which Sam can't laugh about.
I think chapter 2 shows this contrast pretty good which is another reason for me choosing this one.
Everybody has once probably got one book in which something hasn't been clear and where you would've liked to ask the author something. Our task has been to think about those questions:
I would like to know why Nick Hornby chose London as the location of the story and most of all why did he choose exactly THIS story? I mean, why would you write aboout teenage-pregnancy? Did he experience it himself? Or some of his friends?
Are there some experiences in the story that he made himself? Some details that he took out of his own life, e.g. the divorce of the parents?
Is there any reason for writing about the "wizzing-thing"? Would he like to be able to see what the future is like and that's why Sam is able to?
Is Nick Hornby an admirer of Tony Hawk aswell? Could it be that he likes Tony and because of that the skater playes an important role in Sam's life?
Is there any reason for letting Sam and Alicia meet at a birthday party of a mother's friend? Why did the mums "connected" Sam and Alicia? Why didn't they meet any other way?
Why did Nick Hornby create such a silly boy as Rabbit? Has he got stupid friends aswell or did he think it would be funny having one character who is always talking rubbish?
I think that's all I'd like to ask Mr Hornby.
Have a nice sunday!
Maike
Chapter n°9-12 - pregnancy
Hey guys,
today you will get to know what happens in chapter 9-12.
In the end of the post about Sam's trip to Hastings I asked myself a few questions about how the story could go on. After reading the chapters I'm talking about now, I can finally answer them :)
Chapter 9:
What are the results of the pregnancy test? How is Alicia going to tell Sam?
In the beginning of chapter 9 Alicia visits Sam. They talk about him running away and about the pregnancy test:
Is Sam's family really going to family counselling? Is Sam's dad joining them?
Annie, Sam's dad and Sam are visiting a counsellor called Consuela. Together they try to find out the reason why Sam ran away, but they come to the end talking about the parent's split up and about school.
Alicia and Sam decide to tell their parents about the pregnancy.
Alicia's mum starts to cry right away, while her husband shouts at his daughter. Sam's mum reacts very calm. She cries for a while and then talkes to Sam and Alicia. She shows with words how much she's hurt:
Sam's dad hears about the pregnancy, as well as the kids at school. Sam and Alicia get back together and plan to go to "NCT classes" (classes where you get information and support for pregnancy and birth). They visit one but because the other participants are even older than Sam's mum, they avoid going to it a second time.
At the end of chapter 10 Mark, who is in a relationship with Annie, moves in. Sam doesn't seem to be very happy about it. I think this quote shows very good what Sam is thinking:
Sam and Alicia are talking to her parents about their future and that Sam is going to move in when the baby's born. Sam is talking to Annie about the same. She's not convinced of the idea and tries to change Sam's opinion, but he responses:
Sam is wizzed into the future again, where he meets his little sister Emily, the daughter of Annie and Mark. He also meets Alicia and their baby Roof again, who Sam has to take to the doctor. Going to the doctor emphasizes as being pretty difficult for Sam who doesn't know anything about his son, not even his real name.
So let me give you one quote summarizing this whole "dream":
This has been a little summary of chapter 9-12 and I hope you liked it. I also hope that you're still looking forward to knowing how the book's going to end.
I'm really excited!
Last lesson in school we talked about the topic "teenage parents" and about a song which deals with adoption. The song we worked with is called "Everything to me" from Mark Schultz. I'm going to say something about it in my next post!
If you want to listen to the song, just click on the link below :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPYaRJOWznk
Greetings,
Maike
today you will get to know what happens in chapter 9-12.
In the end of the post about Sam's trip to Hastings I asked myself a few questions about how the story could go on. After reading the chapters I'm talking about now, I can finally answer them :)
Chapter 9:
What are the results of the pregnancy test? How is Alicia going to tell Sam?
In the beginning of chapter 9 Alicia visits Sam. They talk about him running away and about the pregnancy test:
"Do you want to know the results of the pregnancy test? - I think I can guess. (...) she just nodded." (p.123, l.29 & p.124, l.1,11)
Is Sam's family really going to family counselling? Is Sam's dad joining them?
Annie, Sam's dad and Sam are visiting a counsellor called Consuela. Together they try to find out the reason why Sam ran away, but they come to the end talking about the parent's split up and about school.
Alicia and Sam decide to tell their parents about the pregnancy.
Alicia's mum starts to cry right away, while her husband shouts at his daughter. Sam's mum reacts very calm. She cries for a while and then talkes to Sam and Alicia. She shows with words how much she's hurt:
"Of all the things, Sam. Of all the things you could do. All the ways you could hurt me." (p.144, ll.4+5)Chapter 10:
Sam's dad hears about the pregnancy, as well as the kids at school. Sam and Alicia get back together and plan to go to "NCT classes" (classes where you get information and support for pregnancy and birth). They visit one but because the other participants are even older than Sam's mum, they avoid going to it a second time.
At the end of chapter 10 Mark, who is in a relationship with Annie, moves in. Sam doesn't seem to be very happy about it. I think this quote shows very good what Sam is thinking:
"The moment your dad's out of the house, then there's a possibility of someone else's dad moving in. And then things can start getting worse." (p.160, ll.10-12)Chapter 11:
Sam and Alicia are talking to her parents about their future and that Sam is going to move in when the baby's born. Sam is talking to Annie about the same. She's not convinced of the idea and tries to change Sam's opinion, but he responses:
"She [Alicia] wants me to. And there's a lot of getting up in the night and burping and all that, isn't there? Why should she have to do that on her own?" (p.168, ll.1-3)At least Sam talkes to his Tony Hawk poster again. Out of Tony's answers Sam interprets that his idol is frustrated.
"And when he was frustrated, he wizzed me." (p.168, ll.25f)Chapter 12:
Sam is wizzed into the future again, where he meets his little sister Emily, the daughter of Annie and Mark. He also meets Alicia and their baby Roof again, who Sam has to take to the doctor. Going to the doctor emphasizes as being pretty difficult for Sam who doesn't know anything about his son, not even his real name.
So let me give you one quote summarizing this whole "dream":
"It was all too much, meeting my sister and my son all on the same day. It would be too much for anybody." (p.174, ll.27-29)
This has been a little summary of chapter 9-12 and I hope you liked it. I also hope that you're still looking forward to knowing how the book's going to end.
I'm really excited!
Last lesson in school we talked about the topic "teenage parents" and about a song which deals with adoption. The song we worked with is called "Everything to me" from Mark Schultz. I'm going to say something about it in my next post!
If you want to listen to the song, just click on the link below :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPYaRJOWznk
Greetings,
Maike
Sonntag, 5. Juni 2016
My favourite character
Hey guys,
today's post will be about my favourite character of our novel "Slam". I'll let you know why I chose this one and what its general characteristics and specific actions are.
My favourite character is Sam's mum.
I chose her because she's the one I understand the most. I can relate to her actions and what she says and she seems to be sympatical to me.
There are people in my life who've got some things in common with Sam's mum, which is another reason for choosing her.
About Sam's mum:
Sam's mum is called Annie (which I found out on p.143, l.11). Annie works for the council, is divorced from Sam's dad and she's good-looking.
Annie has been through bad things in life which she doesn't want her son to experience. She isn't really proud of her past and she often says that given birth to Sam has ruined her life.
Specific actions:
I think Sam's mum is a very interesting person. She's been through tough times in her life, but she's always been able to handle it somehow.
It's been cool to get to know Annie a bit better and to not always work with Sam.
I hope you liked to read this post.
Have a good start into the next week!
Maike
There are people in my life who've got some things in common with Sam's mum, which is another reason for choosing her.
About Sam's mum:
Sam's mum is called Annie (which I found out on p.143, l.11). Annie works for the council, is divorced from Sam's dad and she's good-looking.
"She was wearing a black dress and a bit of make-up, and you could tell she was making an effort." (p.22, ll.12f)Annie is a person who is really caring for her son. Because they don't live with Sam's dad and because Annie hasn't got a clue from the things Sam tells her about skating, she bought him a Tony Hawk poster, so that he's got someone who understands him.
"Maybe that was why mum bought me the poster, so that I'd have somebody else to talk to." (p.12, ll.8f)The quote
"My mum didn't want me to be with Alicia all the time. She started to worry about it after a couple of weeks." (p.48, ll.20f)shows that Annie's worried about her son and maybe that she's intended to protect him from bad things.
Annie has been through bad things in life which she doesn't want her son to experience. She isn't really proud of her past and she often says that given birth to Sam has ruined her life.
"(...) that's because she messed up school by having me." (p.19, ll.32f)Having Sam is something she regrets very much when she meets blokes. Annie's still young and wants to meet a man without thinking that she's already got a son.
"My mum was talking to a bloke, and she wasn't that thrilled to see me." (p.29, l.15)Sam's mum's also emotional, e.g. she's crying when she gets to know that Alicia's pregnant (yes, Alicia really is).
"She stood there crying for a little while (...)." (p.143, l.27)
Specific actions:
- Sam's mum acts angry when Sam returns home from Hastings. She's furious and full of worries about Sam, so that she shows what she feels with acting like this:
"She looked at me, and then looked around for something to throw at me, and she found the remote control." (p.115, ll.25f)
- As Annie opens the door in her dressing gown and Sam stands there with Alicia's family, she's perplexed and says something confused:
"Oh. Hi. I was just in the middle of..." (p.142, l.33)...but she can't think of a reason, so she says things which don't make sense.
- When Annie gets to know that Alicia's pregnant, she reacts very controlled. At first she doesn't say anything, then she cries and at least she talkes to Sam and the others. Annie shows that she's hurt, but she doesn't lose temper.
"Of all the things, Sam. Of all the things you could do. All the ways you could hurt me." (p.144, ll.3ff)
- In the novel there is a scene where Annie talks to Sam about sex. She speaks openly about it and she doesn't mind answering Sam's question.
"Are you having sex? - Are you?" (p.54, l.35 & p.55, l.1)
- Most of the time when there's a scene about Annie's age, she mentions something like that:
"(...) three years older than David Beckham, a year older than Robbie Williams, four years younger than Jennifer Aniston." (p.16, ll.3f)She compaires herself to people her ages who are very good-looking.
I think Sam's mum is a very interesting person. She's been through tough times in her life, but she's always been able to handle it somehow.
It's been cool to get to know Annie a bit better and to not always work with Sam.
I hope you liked to read this post.
Have a good start into the next week!
Maike
Sonntag, 29. Mai 2016
Chapter n°6, 7 & 8 - the trip to Hastings
Hey guys,
today's post will contain a few bullet points about chapter 6, but it's mostly about chapter 7 and 8 and the task:
"Argue whether or not Sam has developed as a character during the trip to Hastings."
So let's start:
Chapter 6:
- Sam made kind of a time travel
- he's living with Alicia and Roof (their baby) at Alicia's house
- he doesn't know whether it's just a dream or not
At first Sam talks about a family called the "Parrs". This family lives in Hastings - which is the only place Sam thinks about to run away to.
In the beginning Sam seems to be glad because his plan is working:
Sam rents a room in the bed and breakfast which costs exactly the amont of money Mr Brady pays him.
Chapter 8:
Sam goes to bed and falls asleep, but at four o'clock in the morning Mr Brady wakes him up. He wants Sam to get him his remote control which fell down the side of the bed.
In the end of chapter 8 Sam hides in front of Alicia's house because he hopes seeing something which could show him whether Alicia is pregnant or not. Because his plan doesn't work, he drives home again.
Character development?
On the one hand I think Sam kind of developed as a character because he realized that he has to take the responsibility for the things that happened. For the things he did. He learned that running away is no option, but that he has to stay and live with the new situation.
He also compares the situation in Hastings to the one he ran away from in London and finds out that the one in London isn't as bad as he thought. He realizes that it could be worse than having a pregnant girlfriend. Sam notices that his life isn't bad and that he was wrong in thinking he has to run away and to escape everything.
On the other hand I don't think there's a development. Sam went to a city which isn't unknown for him. He visited this city years ago and knows all the places where he tried to find a job or looked for a place to stay.
Sam tried to run away from his troubles, but it went wrong. I don't know whether there's a real development. He "tried something out" and because it didn't work he goes back home. Sam learned that he has to take responsibility and that his life isn't bad, but I'm not sure about a real development.
Maybe you want to let me know your opinion on whether Sam developed as a character or not.
I'm very interested how the story's going on.
Is Sam's family really going to family counselling? Is Sam's dad joining them? What are the results of the pregnancy test? How is Alicia going to tell Sam?
We'll find out :)
Maike
today's post will contain a few bullet points about chapter 6, but it's mostly about chapter 7 and 8 and the task:
"Argue whether or not Sam has developed as a character during the trip to Hastings."
So let's start:
Chapter 6:
- Sam made kind of a time travel
- he's living with Alicia and Roof (their baby) at Alicia's house
- he doesn't know whether it's just a dream or not
"(...) whether that was it, now, whether my old life was over (...)" (p.87, ll.23f)Chapter 7:
At first Sam talks about a family called the "Parrs". This family lives in Hastings - which is the only place Sam thinks about to run away to.
"I was positive that Alicia was pregnant, and I knew I didn't want to be a father." (p.100, ll.21f)The quote shows why Sam plans to run away.
In the beginning Sam seems to be glad because his plan is working:
"(...) I had come to Hastings to escape my troubles (...). And as long as I didn't turn on my mobile (...) my troubles would stay in London." (p.102, 23f)In Hastings he tries to find a job to earn some money, but nobody can offer him one. In the evening he starts looking for a place to stay and finds a bed and breakfast which looks cheap and which smells of fish very much. While he's waiting at the reception, an old man calls out:
"Don't just stand there, young lady. Open the door for me." (p.105, l.23)The man is called Mr Brady and offers Sam a job. Mr Brady's angry and rude and he commands Sam to help him (e.g. getting down the stairs), but Sam is glad to get some money so he does what Mr Brady wants him to do.
Sam rents a room in the bed and breakfast which costs exactly the amont of money Mr Brady pays him.
Chapter 8:
Sam goes to bed and falls asleep, but at four o'clock in the morning Mr Brady wakes him up. He wants Sam to get him his remote control which fell down the side of the bed.
"This is what you're being paid for. (...) I don't sleep, so you don't sleep." (p.112, ll.26+28)is Mr Brady's argument for Sam helping him, so Sam reaches down under Mr Brady's bed to get the remote control. He's afraid of the things he could feel or touch under there and it brings him to the decision to go home again.
"(...) Could having a baby be any worse than this? And the answer I gave myself was, No it could not." (p.113, ll.25-27)
"I was going back home to marry Alicia and look after Roof, and I was never going to think about running away again." (p.114, ll.22-24)Sam returns home to his mum crying and talking to policemen. She's really mad at Sam because he ran away without telling anybody. His mum is worried about her son and wants to know the reason for him freaking out. He answers:
"I don't know. A lot of stuff. Splitting up with Alicia. School. You and Dad." (p.118, ll.31f)This makes his mum think about going to family counselling. The actual reason why Sam ran away is unknown for her.
In the end of chapter 8 Sam hides in front of Alicia's house because he hopes seeing something which could show him whether Alicia is pregnant or not. Because his plan doesn't work, he drives home again.
Character development?
On the one hand I think Sam kind of developed as a character because he realized that he has to take the responsibility for the things that happened. For the things he did. He learned that running away is no option, but that he has to stay and live with the new situation.
He also compares the situation in Hastings to the one he ran away from in London and finds out that the one in London isn't as bad as he thought. He realizes that it could be worse than having a pregnant girlfriend. Sam notices that his life isn't bad and that he was wrong in thinking he has to run away and to escape everything.
On the other hand I don't think there's a development. Sam went to a city which isn't unknown for him. He visited this city years ago and knows all the places where he tried to find a job or looked for a place to stay.
Sam tried to run away from his troubles, but it went wrong. I don't know whether there's a real development. He "tried something out" and because it didn't work he goes back home. Sam learned that he has to take responsibility and that his life isn't bad, but I'm not sure about a real development.
Maybe you want to let me know your opinion on whether Sam developed as a character or not.
I'm very interested how the story's going on.
Is Sam's family really going to family counselling? Is Sam's dad joining them? What are the results of the pregnancy test? How is Alicia going to tell Sam?
We'll find out :)
Maike
Freitag, 20. Mai 2016
Chapter n°5 - (un)expected news
Hey guys,
I'm sorrry that it's been a while since I uploaded my last post, but I'm on holiday right now and I really enjoy the free time! Days without studying or homework. Only doing things I like! I guess everybody/ every teenager can relate to this, don't you? :)
Today I've got something special for you. Okay, it's not really special, but I've never posted something like this before. It's a phone dialogue.
The task is one of the optionals our teacher gave us.
At first some information about what happens in chapter 5:
On his sixteenth birthday Sam receives a text message that says:
One of his thoughts is that Alicia could tell him she's pregnant and how could it be otherwise? Alicia starts the conversation with telling Sam that she's late with her periode.
Remember the post I talked about Sam and Alicia being intimate? This already showed a bit what's going to happen, doesn't it? I expected her telling this haha.
So the two plan to buy a pregnancy test to know it for sure. Before they get to do this, they notice that they haven't got enough money to buy one, so Alicia walks home to get more. In the meantime Sam runs away. Later that day my fictional phone dialogue takes place:
A - Alicia
S - Sam
A: Sam! What did you do? Why did you run away??
S: Alicia, I'm sorry...I...
*Alicia interrupts him*
A: You can't do this to me! I can't deal with this alone.
S: Alicia, you have to understand that for me it's very much to deal with too and... It's a complete new situation.
A: You don't even want to know the results of the test?? You're not...?
*Sam interrupts Alicia*
S: I'm more than interested and excited! There are just so many questions in my head which become reality if you'd tell me that you're...that you're definitly pregnant.
A: You can't imagine what's going on in my head!! But it seems like we have to deal with this now - with this new situation.
S: So...you mean? It's real??
A: It is! Sam, it is! Are you happy to hear it? Or...I don't know how to feel. I'm scared...
S: I know what you want to say! I'm feeling exactly the same! What will happen to us? We are going to be parents! Alicia...Is it going to change me?? Am I going to be okay? Your parents will probably kill me! And what's with college? I want to end college... I already thought about these questions at Starbucks but I didn't want to ask because it sounded so selfish and...
A: Sam! Stop for a second! My head is filled with those questions aswell and it feels like they're overwhelming me. But what can I do? There's a little baby inside me and isn't it something beautiful?
S: Yes, could be, but...
A: Sam, what do you think about coming over, so we can talk in person??
S: Yeah. It's probably the best.
A: Thanks! See you soon. Bye.
S: Bye.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
Maike
I'm sorrry that it's been a while since I uploaded my last post, but I'm on holiday right now and I really enjoy the free time! Days without studying or homework. Only doing things I like! I guess everybody/ every teenager can relate to this, don't you? :)
Today I've got something special for you. Okay, it's not really special, but I've never posted something like this before. It's a phone dialogue.
The task is one of the optionals our teacher gave us.
At first some information about what happens in chapter 5:
On his sixteenth birthday Sam receives a text message that says:
"I NEED 2 C U URGENT Axx." (p.71, ll.28f)Alicia sent this message and even it's Sam's birthday, he agrees meeting her. Because it seemes to be really important and because Alicia wants to meet him absolutely this day, Sam thinks about what she could tell him.
One of his thoughts is that Alicia could tell him she's pregnant and how could it be otherwise? Alicia starts the conversation with telling Sam that she's late with her periode.
Remember the post I talked about Sam and Alicia being intimate? This already showed a bit what's going to happen, doesn't it? I expected her telling this haha.
So the two plan to buy a pregnancy test to know it for sure. Before they get to do this, they notice that they haven't got enough money to buy one, so Alicia walks home to get more. In the meantime Sam runs away. Later that day my fictional phone dialogue takes place:
A - Alicia
S - Sam
A: Sam! What did you do? Why did you run away??
S: Alicia, I'm sorry...I...
*Alicia interrupts him*
A: You can't do this to me! I can't deal with this alone.
S: Alicia, you have to understand that for me it's very much to deal with too and... It's a complete new situation.
A: You don't even want to know the results of the test?? You're not...?
*Sam interrupts Alicia*
S: I'm more than interested and excited! There are just so many questions in my head which become reality if you'd tell me that you're...that you're definitly pregnant.
A: You can't imagine what's going on in my head!! But it seems like we have to deal with this now - with this new situation.
S: So...you mean? It's real??
A: It is! Sam, it is! Are you happy to hear it? Or...I don't know how to feel. I'm scared...
S: I know what you want to say! I'm feeling exactly the same! What will happen to us? We are going to be parents! Alicia...Is it going to change me?? Am I going to be okay? Your parents will probably kill me! And what's with college? I want to end college... I already thought about these questions at Starbucks but I didn't want to ask because it sounded so selfish and...
A: Sam! Stop for a second! My head is filled with those questions aswell and it feels like they're overwhelming me. But what can I do? There's a little baby inside me and isn't it something beautiful?
S: Yes, could be, but...
A: Sam, what do you think about coming over, so we can talk in person??
S: Yeah. It's probably the best.
A: Thanks! See you soon. Bye.
S: Bye.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
Maike
Freitag, 13. Mai 2016
Summary of what we've done so far
Hey guys,
our teacher recently gave us the task to summarize everything we did regarding to our novel (we had to do a few tasks at school, but also some at home) and to think about ideas how we would like to work with "Slam".
Before we started reading the book, we were given a little worksheet on which we had to answer a few questions about us and our life, for example:
- Do you feel like your life is in balance at the moment?
or
- Has anything ever turned your life upside down? If not, what could turn your life upside down?
We answered these questions without telling the results anybody and I would like to keep this. I'm sure everybody can answer these on his own.
As we started reading the book I didn't know why we had to answer questions about OUR life. I mean, the book hasn't got something to do with me. I didn't see the reason behind it.
Now I got to know Sam a bit and I can tell that these questions are perfecty fitting to Sam's life. His life is turned upside down and I don't think it's in balance at the moment (where I stopped reading). Answering these questions should probably reminded ourself to times where our life hasn't been in balance or where something unexpected happened or we should imagine what this could have been. While reading about Sam's life I had to think about what I wrote down and I could empathize with Sam very good.
Describing the setting and the perspective of our book and analizing Sam's character has been our first real task. We worked it out at school, but wrote the post at home. It's been the first post I wrote and it felt strange at first. (okay. It hasn't been my first post at all, but the opening post doesn't count haha). I've never done something like this before. Sharing my thoughts and feelings online. But I start to like it more and more :)
Our second task has been to characterize the relationship between Sam and his mum. I really liked this one because for me it's really interesting getting to know something about a relationship that everybody experiences. The unique relationship to our mums...
One lesson we read chapter 3 together. We were split up in little groups and everybody had his own task: Summarizer, Character observer, Language observer and Speculator. We always changed the exercises after a few pages, so each of us did every job once.
Personally I didn't like this way of working very much. Hmm... I don't know if I can say that I didn't like it VERY MUCH because it sounds a bit too strong. I just prefer reading books at home because there it's more quiet and I can concentrate better. I also like reading without stopping and summarizing small parts so, the exercise has been okay - I just prefer reading on my own :)
Last lesson we were asked to deal with chapter 5.
Our teacher read out the beginning of the chapter and it has been funny to listen cause he imitated the different voices very good :D - I'd like to hear this more often haha.
In chapter 5 there appears the sentence
*very important topic* - a topic I want to let you know in my next post. Sorry, but I just haven't got enough time to write this now haha, so be excited for the following post!
My ideas to work with the novel:
Have a nice weekend!
Maike
our teacher recently gave us the task to summarize everything we did regarding to our novel (we had to do a few tasks at school, but also some at home) and to think about ideas how we would like to work with "Slam".
Before we started reading the book, we were given a little worksheet on which we had to answer a few questions about us and our life, for example:
- Do you feel like your life is in balance at the moment?
or
- Has anything ever turned your life upside down? If not, what could turn your life upside down?
We answered these questions without telling the results anybody and I would like to keep this. I'm sure everybody can answer these on his own.
As we started reading the book I didn't know why we had to answer questions about OUR life. I mean, the book hasn't got something to do with me. I didn't see the reason behind it.
Now I got to know Sam a bit and I can tell that these questions are perfecty fitting to Sam's life. His life is turned upside down and I don't think it's in balance at the moment (where I stopped reading). Answering these questions should probably reminded ourself to times where our life hasn't been in balance or where something unexpected happened or we should imagine what this could have been. While reading about Sam's life I had to think about what I wrote down and I could empathize with Sam very good.
Describing the setting and the perspective of our book and analizing Sam's character has been our first real task. We worked it out at school, but wrote the post at home. It's been the first post I wrote and it felt strange at first. (okay. It hasn't been my first post at all, but the opening post doesn't count haha). I've never done something like this before. Sharing my thoughts and feelings online. But I start to like it more and more :)
Our second task has been to characterize the relationship between Sam and his mum. I really liked this one because for me it's really interesting getting to know something about a relationship that everybody experiences. The unique relationship to our mums...
One lesson we read chapter 3 together. We were split up in little groups and everybody had his own task: Summarizer, Character observer, Language observer and Speculator. We always changed the exercises after a few pages, so each of us did every job once.
Personally I didn't like this way of working very much. Hmm... I don't know if I can say that I didn't like it VERY MUCH because it sounds a bit too strong. I just prefer reading books at home because there it's more quiet and I can concentrate better. I also like reading without stopping and summarizing small parts so, the exercise has been okay - I just prefer reading on my own :)
Last lesson we were asked to deal with chapter 5.
Our teacher read out the beginning of the chapter and it has been funny to listen cause he imitated the different voices very good :D - I'd like to hear this more often haha.
In chapter 5 there appears the sentence
"I need 2 C U urgent Axx." (p.71, ll.28f)It's a text message written by Alicia. First we had to find one thought quote and one dialogue quote in our novel which expressed Sam's feelings after reading this. Then we had to sum up a conversation between Sam and Alicia and to typify their reactions to *a very important topic*. Lastly we had to think about why they acted differently.
*very important topic* - a topic I want to let you know in my next post. Sorry, but I just haven't got enough time to write this now haha, so be excited for the following post!
My ideas to work with the novel:
- We could imagine being Sam and write a part of the story which fits into the book at one point, for example: a part between chapter 2 and 3. (we did this in our german lesson recently, that's why I thought about it)
- We could write a letter to one character of the novel explaining what we think about his behavior/ actions/...
Have a nice weekend!
Maike
Montag, 9. Mai 2016
Chapter n°3 & 4 - the lovecouple
Hey guys,
I'm back with new reading stuff for you :))
Our teacher recently gave us the task to write down all our thoughts that come up to our mind about a special quote out of chapter 3. But before I write about the quote, I have to let you know what happened meanwhile. Otherwise you probably wouldn't be able to understand the connection between the quote and what you already know so:
You already know something about Sam's character, his family (history) and his first meetings with Alicia.
The third chapter starts with the sentences
Sam's mum doesn't like seeing her son spending so much time with his girlfriend. Because of that one evening she wants to go to the cinema with Sam, just to avoid that he's seeing Alicia again. The hours without Alicia are horror for him.
The bold tiped sentence is the quote given by our teacher. Now we are asked to think about why Sam's mum is scared of Alicia. Here are my ideas:
- Sam's mum could have have bad prejudices against "rich people" like Alicia's family (make her feel scared)
- made experiences with bad relationships (wants to protect Sam; Alicia might only use Sam)
- she's scared of the unknown/ the future and therefore also Alicia
- she's scared of not being able to protect Sam if he's too much into the relationship with Alicia
- Alicia might want Sam to do things he doesn't want to (he won't realize it because he loves her so much) --> his mum is scared
- Alicia could take up all of Sam's time (his mum can't let him go/can't let him live his own life)
While writing this I thought about the situation Sam's mum is in and how I would react being her. I think Sam's mum exaggerats a bit. Of course it's a whole new situation for both of them and she doesn't know Alicia yet, but in my opinion there's no visible reason to be scared of her.
Telling him that she's kind of afraid of his girlfriend might makes Sam feel bad. I mean, every teenager wants their parents to like their girl- or boyfriend, doesn't he/she? Sam's mum should probably just talk to Sam about her feelings and her fears.
The next night Sam and Alicia are so happy being able to spend time together again, that they're being intimate. You know what I want to say? I'm sure you do.
The thing is: the way Sam describes the moment shows that they didn't really want it to happen. But it did happen anyway...
What comes up to my mind right now is that maybe this moment is the reason why their lives are going to be messed up. Like it says on the back of the book:
Now just a few words to chapter 4:
Right after Sam and Alicia had this one night together, Sam talks about their relationship starting to get worse.
Sam is aso joining Alicia's family for dinner one night. I can perfectly imagine the situation Sam describes at Alicia's home. Her parents try to talk with Sam about his future and other things, but you can feel that they don't really like him - believe me!
At the end of chapter 4 Sam's mum is meeting a man who she already met the night she was out with Sam. His name is Mark, but Sam always calls him
To be honest I'm kind of confused how everything changes so fast in this novel. At first Sam is so into Alicia and suddenly he's bored of her. Sam's mum gets rid of her boyfriend and now she gets to know a man.
I'm really really excited how it's going on with Sam and Alicia. I'm sure it's not their end because we're only in chapter 4 of 20, but I don't know what happens for sure.
I'm excited and I hope you too :)
Maike
PS. While I was reading chapter 3 I thought about showing you a picture of a couple like I imagined Sam and Alicia.
After reading chapter 4 my illusion about the lovecouple isn't really there anymore. I was really surprised and a bit shocked that Sam was writing about getting bored after only a few weeks. I know that love can go away sometimes or that there are couples splitting up after a short time, but the way Sam was talking about Alicia I would have never thought that their relationship would end this fast. Anyway, here's the picture:
I'm back with new reading stuff for you :))
Our teacher recently gave us the task to write down all our thoughts that come up to our mind about a special quote out of chapter 3. But before I write about the quote, I have to let you know what happened meanwhile. Otherwise you probably wouldn't be able to understand the connection between the quote and what you already know so:
You already know something about Sam's character, his family (history) and his first meetings with Alicia.
The third chapter starts with the sentences
"I dreamed my way through school for the next few weeks. I dreamed my way through life, really." (p.47, ll.1f)Sam seems to be on clound seven because he's so in love with Alicia.
Sam's mum doesn't like seeing her son spending so much time with his girlfriend. Because of that one evening she wants to go to the cinema with Sam, just to avoid that he's seeing Alicia again. The hours without Alicia are horror for him.
"(...) knowing that I wouldn't see her UNTIL THE END OF THE NEXT DAY, and that was more like (...) torture (...)." (p.50/51, ll.33-1)This night Sam's mum talks with Sam about his relationship with Alicia and asks whether Alicia can come for eating with them one night. Sam agrees and his mum answers:
"I'd like that. I wouldn't be so scared of her, then." (p.56, l.22)
The bold tiped sentence is the quote given by our teacher. Now we are asked to think about why Sam's mum is scared of Alicia. Here are my ideas:
- Sam's mum could have have bad prejudices against "rich people" like Alicia's family (make her feel scared)
- made experiences with bad relationships (wants to protect Sam; Alicia might only use Sam)
- she's scared of the unknown/ the future and therefore also Alicia
- she's scared of not being able to protect Sam if he's too much into the relationship with Alicia
- Alicia might want Sam to do things he doesn't want to (he won't realize it because he loves her so much) --> his mum is scared
- Alicia could take up all of Sam's time (his mum can't let him go/can't let him live his own life)
While writing this I thought about the situation Sam's mum is in and how I would react being her. I think Sam's mum exaggerats a bit. Of course it's a whole new situation for both of them and she doesn't know Alicia yet, but in my opinion there's no visible reason to be scared of her.
Telling him that she's kind of afraid of his girlfriend might makes Sam feel bad. I mean, every teenager wants their parents to like their girl- or boyfriend, doesn't he/she? Sam's mum should probably just talk to Sam about her feelings and her fears.
The next night Sam and Alicia are so happy being able to spend time together again, that they're being intimate. You know what I want to say? I'm sure you do.
The thing is: the way Sam describes the moment shows that they didn't really want it to happen. But it did happen anyway...
What comes up to my mind right now is that maybe this moment is the reason why their lives are going to be messed up. Like it says on the back of the book:
"(...) suddenly one moment changes their lives forever and presents him with new responsibilities (...)."Why couldn't a baby bring these new responsiblities? What do you think? Could that be? Let me know in the comment box!
Now just a few words to chapter 4:
Right after Sam and Alicia had this one night together, Sam talks about their relationship starting to get worse.
"I just woke up one morning and didn't feel the same way." (p.60, ll.3f)The quote
"And then two or three weeks later, we were bored with each other. I was bored, anyway."on page 60, line 17-19 is just one of many showing how the relationship between our lovecouple has changed.
Sam is aso joining Alicia's family for dinner one night. I can perfectly imagine the situation Sam describes at Alicia's home. Her parents try to talk with Sam about his future and other things, but you can feel that they don't really like him - believe me!
At the end of chapter 4 Sam's mum is meeting a man who she already met the night she was out with Sam. His name is Mark, but Sam always calls him
"(...) Mark, like a mark on your trousers (...)." (p.54, l.19)Maybe it's irrelevant what his name is, but for me it sounded really funny, that's why I wanted to let you know haha.
To be honest I'm kind of confused how everything changes so fast in this novel. At first Sam is so into Alicia and suddenly he's bored of her. Sam's mum gets rid of her boyfriend and now she gets to know a man.
I'm really really excited how it's going on with Sam and Alicia. I'm sure it's not their end because we're only in chapter 4 of 20, but I don't know what happens for sure.
I'm excited and I hope you too :)
Maike
PS. While I was reading chapter 3 I thought about showing you a picture of a couple like I imagined Sam and Alicia.
After reading chapter 4 my illusion about the lovecouple isn't really there anymore. I was really surprised and a bit shocked that Sam was writing about getting bored after only a few weeks. I know that love can go away sometimes or that there are couples splitting up after a short time, but the way Sam was talking about Alicia I would have never thought that their relationship would end this fast. Anyway, here's the picture:
Freitag, 6. Mai 2016
Chapter n°2
Hey guys,
the last days I read the second chapter and it was sooooooo much to read. It's around 30 pages long haha. But I'm sure some of you might also know the feeling that you're interested how your story's going on and what will happen next in your book, so you keep reading and reading, however, haha.
Chapter two starts with Sam talking about his mum. She's thirty-two years old, at the time he's talking about, so she's a really young mother. I can imagine that sometimes it's strange for children if their parents aren't much older than they are because the children's friends could like the mum or dad in more than a friendship way. Sam has got this "problem" and describes it like that:
Another thing Sam's talking about is his family history. He mentions that every generation before him tried to do something that could make a lot of money, but all of them failed. So did his mum. She
The most important thing in chapter two is that Sam mentions how he met Alicia for the first time.
When I think about a boy and a girl meeting for the first time, I mostly imagine a situation like in school or while doing a hobby, but Sam and Alicia meet another way.
Sam's mum was invited to a fiftieth birthday party by Andrea, a woman she knew from the council. Andrea is Alicia's mum and she wanted Sam's mum to bring him along. How would you react to something like that? Your mum wants to take you to a birthday party where you don't know anybody. Would you go or not?
Before I go on writing about their first meeting, I have to mention a conversation Sam and his mum had before going to the party. They talked about the age Alicia's mum had in contrast to Sam's mum. At first Sam thinks that Alicia has to be really old because Andrea is already 50 years old, but his mum explains that it's normal to be 50 while having a 16 year-old child.
Sam comes up with the argument that he's allowed to get drunk when his mum turns 50 and his mum replies:
First of all I have to carry on talking about Sam and Alicia. For me their first meeting seems to be a bit strange (or Alicia seems to be a bit strange) because at the beginning she doesn't want to talk to Sam. She kind of ignores him. Sam does the same until Alicia begins to laugh and they start a conversation. They talk about music and their families before they go up to Alicias room and watch a film.
For you it might seem like there isn't much between Sam and Alicia but because of the way he describes her I can tell that she means a lot to him.
Just one day after the birthday party the two are on their first date. They planned to go to the cinema, but instead they go to Alicias place. Although Sam has to think about his family history, his mum having a kid at 16 and he not wanting to make the same "mistake", he has sex with Alicia this night.
Everybody has a special connection to their mum. Either it's because of things you went through together, because you get along with each other really well or because whatever. Because everybody has a unique connection to their mum, for me it's been really interesting finding out something about the connection between Sam and his mum.
Sam and his mum've got a normal "teenager-mum connection" like I would call it. They fight like on page 13, line 12f :
Sam has got a very young mum. Further above I mentioned that I was thinking about some arguments for and against, so here they are:
older parents:
- sometimes can't understand their children (too much time between them)
- can take responsibility better
- can offer children more
younger parents:
- still children aswell
- want to enjoy their own life
- can understand their children better (young themselves/ not many years between them)
- maybe harder to take whole responsibility
I don't want to judge what's better and what's not because I think it mostly depends on what the parents make out of the situation.
Sam's mum talks to Sam like they're friends.
But sometimes she wants to meet a man without telling him that she's already got a 16 year-old son. She probably wishes to be alone and to be able to go on a date without thinking about Sam.
I tried to only mention the important things, but suddenly everything seems to be so :D
Have a nice and sunny weekend!
Maike
the last days I read the second chapter and it was sooooooo much to read. It's around 30 pages long haha. But I'm sure some of you might also know the feeling that you're interested how your story's going on and what will happen next in your book, so you keep reading and reading, however, haha.
Chapter two starts with Sam talking about his mum. She's thirty-two years old, at the time he's talking about, so she's a really young mother. I can imagine that sometimes it's strange for children if their parents aren't much older than they are because the children's friends could like the mum or dad in more than a friendship way. Sam has got this "problem" and describes it like that:
"The point is that I've got a thirty-two year-old mother that people - people my age - fancy." (p.18, ll.26f)
Another thing Sam's talking about is his family history. He mentions that every generation before him tried to do something that could make a lot of money, but all of them failed. So did his mum. She
"could have gone to university, but instead she was married just before her seventeenth birthday." (p.19, ll.19-21)Sam tries to be the first person in his family history that gets
"(...) a qualification in something while (...)"being still at school. (p.19, l.30f)
The most important thing in chapter two is that Sam mentions how he met Alicia for the first time.
When I think about a boy and a girl meeting for the first time, I mostly imagine a situation like in school or while doing a hobby, but Sam and Alicia meet another way.
Sam's mum was invited to a fiftieth birthday party by Andrea, a woman she knew from the council. Andrea is Alicia's mum and she wanted Sam's mum to bring him along. How would you react to something like that? Your mum wants to take you to a birthday party where you don't know anybody. Would you go or not?
Before I go on writing about their first meeting, I have to mention a conversation Sam and his mum had before going to the party. They talked about the age Alicia's mum had in contrast to Sam's mum. At first Sam thinks that Alicia has to be really old because Andrea is already 50 years old, but his mum explains that it's normal to be 50 while having a 16 year-old child.
Sam comes up with the argument that he's allowed to get drunk when his mum turns 50 and his mum replies:
"(...) it's the only argument I've ever heard for having a kid at sixteen." (p.23, ll.11f)As a result Sam names that he
"(...) didn't like it when she said things like that. It always felt like it was my fault, somehow." (p.23, ll.13f)Before reading this book I've never really thought about arguments for or against having a child at a young age. Now I did think about it a bit - I'll mention them later.
First of all I have to carry on talking about Sam and Alicia. For me their first meeting seems to be a bit strange (or Alicia seems to be a bit strange) because at the beginning she doesn't want to talk to Sam. She kind of ignores him. Sam does the same until Alicia begins to laugh and they start a conversation. They talk about music and their families before they go up to Alicias room and watch a film.
For you it might seem like there isn't much between Sam and Alicia but because of the way he describes her I can tell that she means a lot to him.
"(...) when she laughed, I could feel some part of me flip over." (p.25, ll.10f)is just one quote showing that Sam really likes her.
Just one day after the birthday party the two are on their first date. They planned to go to the cinema, but instead they go to Alicias place. Although Sam has to think about his family history, his mum having a kid at 16 and he not wanting to make the same "mistake", he has sex with Alicia this night.
Everybody has a special connection to their mum. Either it's because of things you went through together, because you get along with each other really well or because whatever. Because everybody has a unique connection to their mum, for me it's been really interesting finding out something about the connection between Sam and his mum.
Sam and his mum've got a normal "teenager-mum connection" like I would call it. They fight like on page 13, line 12f :
"(...) how I'd lost my temper with Mum for no reason (...)"but they also care for each other. For Sam it matters whom his mum is in a relationship with which is shown by the following quotes:
"Mum got rid of Steve, her rubbish boyfriend." (p.9, l.4)or
"(...) Mum was watching a DVD (...) and she seemed happy to me (...)." (p.14, ll.11f)Sam's mum tries to understand his son as good as possible, but Sam prefers to talk to a poster of Tony Hawk anyhow.
"I'm not dissing my mum, but she hasn't got a clue, really." (p.12, ll.2f)I think everybody in my age knows a similar situation where we prefer to talk to somebody else instead of our parents. Am I right?
Sam has got a very young mum. Further above I mentioned that I was thinking about some arguments for and against, so here they are:
older parents:
- sometimes can't understand their children (too much time between them)
- can take responsibility better
- can offer children more
younger parents:
- still children aswell
- want to enjoy their own life
- can understand their children better (young themselves/ not many years between them)
- maybe harder to take whole responsibility
I don't want to judge what's better and what's not because I think it mostly depends on what the parents make out of the situation.
Sam's mum talks to Sam like they're friends.
"And you think she's someone I'd like? - As far as I can tell, she's someone every boy likes." (p.21, ll.11f)She's not really strict and she doesn't show him her power.
But sometimes she wants to meet a man without telling him that she's already got a 16 year-old son. She probably wishes to be alone and to be able to go on a date without thinking about Sam.
"My Mum was talking to a bloke, and she wasn't thrilled to see me." (p.29, ll.15f)The second chapter has been a really long one, that's why it's also a pretty long blog post - sorry haha :)
I tried to only mention the important things, but suddenly everything seems to be so :D
Have a nice and sunny weekend!
Maike
Freitag, 29. April 2016
Chapter n°1 - Sam, the main character
Hey guys,
do you want to hear the first three words that come up to my mind about the first chapter?
cool, interesting and good to read for non-native speakers.
In the following I will write about the setting and the narrator of "Slam" and I'm going to analyze Sam's character.
The protagonist Sam describes the situation when he was almost 16 years old. Now he's around 17 or 18 and looks back to when everything seemed to be fine for a short period of time.
You could guess that the story takes place in England, because Sam is an english native speaker and he says something like
The story is written in the first person perspective which I like pretty much. For me it's easier to empathize with Sam when he's the narrater and when it's no outstanding person.
Sam is soon turning 16. Around this time his life is better than it has even been before.
Sam tells all the good stuff that happened to him, like a teacher talking to him about doing art at college, learning two new skating tricks or meeting a girl namend Alicia.
His parents are divorced and he's living with his mum. Tony Hawk is a very good skater and he's Sam's big role model.
At first it's really strange to read that somebody talkes to a poster but Sam also mentions the sentence:
In general Sam is a person who I can identify with. He's self-confident and open because he tells that he's talking to a poster.
Sam is a passioned skater and he's also really ambitious because he won't stop trying his skating tricks until they work out . He is orientated on his role model Tony Hawk and tries to be a skater as good as he is.
Sam's artistic and probably you can also say that Sam's appreciative. The sentence
Actually the book surprises me a bit because I would've never thou,ght that I could identify with so many things in there. Most of them are too private so I won't share them here :) , but I can say that I really like reading the book and that I'm excited for the coming chapters.
In my first blog post I said that maybe there will be things I can identify with. Here they are, so let's see if there will be even more :)
Greetings,
Maike
do you want to hear the first three words that come up to my mind about the first chapter?
cool, interesting and good to read for non-native speakers.
In the following I will write about the setting and the narrator of "Slam" and I'm going to analyze Sam's character.
The protagonist Sam describes the situation when he was almost 16 years old. Now he's around 17 or 18 and looks back to when everything seemed to be fine for a short period of time.
You could guess that the story takes place in England, because Sam is an english native speaker and he says something like
"(...) that sounds a bit American to me." (p.13, ll.26f),so he's probably not from the US.
The story is written in the first person perspective which I like pretty much. For me it's easier to empathize with Sam when he's the narrater and when it's no outstanding person.
Sam is soon turning 16. Around this time his life is better than it has even been before.
"(...) this feeling that my life was OK was new to me. I'd never had the feeling before, (...)." (p.10, ll.18f).I think everybody knows a time in their life which has been hard and where there were things to worry about, but to have the feeling that your whole life has never been OK before, is something else...
Sam tells all the good stuff that happened to him, like a teacher talking to him about doing art at college, learning two new skating tricks or meeting a girl namend Alicia.
His parents are divorced and he's living with his mum. Tony Hawk is a very good skater and he's Sam's big role model.
"He's the J.K. Rowling of skaters (...)" (p.11, ll.20f)like Sam describes him. He has got a poster of Tony Hawk in his room that he talks to about eveything. Sam imagines out of Tony's book "Hawk - Occupation: Skateboarder" answers his idol could give.
At first it's really strange to read that somebody talkes to a poster but Sam also mentions the sentence:
"Who doesn't talk to God, or a pet, or someone they love who has died, or maybe just to themselves?" (p.15, ll.4-6)and he's right. Many people talk to someone who isn't real. I do this aswell, but regardless it's been strange to read.
In general Sam is a person who I can identify with. He's self-confident and open because he tells that he's talking to a poster.
"I'll just say it, and you can think what you want." (p.11, ll.7f)shows that he isn't ashamed doing this even if it could sound really mad to other people.
Sam is a passioned skater and he's also really ambitious because he won't stop trying his skating tricks until they work out . He is orientated on his role model Tony Hawk and tries to be a skater as good as he is.
Sam's artistic and probably you can also say that Sam's appreciative. The sentence
"And that summer there seemed to be more money around." (p.10, ll.30f)shows that Sam and his mum usually don't have much, so he appreciates that this summer there has been more money around. Sam's also caring because at the beginning of the book he mentions that his
"Mum got rid of (...) her rubbish boyfriend." (p.9, l.4)It shows that for him it matters with whom his mum is in a relationship.
Actually the book surprises me a bit because I would've never thou,ght that I could identify with so many things in there. Most of them are too private so I won't share them here :) , but I can say that I really like reading the book and that I'm excited for the coming chapters.
In my first blog post I said that maybe there will be things I can identify with. Here they are, so let's see if there will be even more :)
Greetings,
Maike
Dienstag, 19. April 2016
Opening of the blog
Hello!
In the following weeks we are going to read a novel in school. It's called 'Slam' and it's written by Nick Hornby.
The novel 'Slam' is about a sixteen year old boy, called Sam, who meets a girl named Alicia. One moment turns their lives upside down and everything is changed forever.
My blog will be about this novel. While I'm reading I'm going to share my thoughts and feelings about this book with you.
I'm really excited reading the book because it sounds really interesting. The boy is my age so maybe there will be some things, I can identify with.
Let's be excited! :)
Greetings,
Maike
In the following weeks we are going to read a novel in school. It's called 'Slam' and it's written by Nick Hornby.
The novel 'Slam' is about a sixteen year old boy, called Sam, who meets a girl named Alicia. One moment turns their lives upside down and everything is changed forever.
My blog will be about this novel. While I'm reading I'm going to share my thoughts and feelings about this book with you.
I'm really excited reading the book because it sounds really interesting. The boy is my age so maybe there will be some things, I can identify with.
Let's be excited! :)
Greetings,
Maike
this is how our novel looks like :)
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