Literature Analysis #2

1. Harry Potter is a boy who didn't know anything outside of living in a tiny closet at the foot of his aunt and uncles stairway. But that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive!

BQ: First Steps

Why do people make stupid decisions and how do people make decisions are two questions that can be answered either difficultly, or easily depending on what you what to answer first and how you want to answer it. If I were to look for the answer on the first question, I would simply state how people make stupid decisions, because they aren't thinking about all of their options or the consequences to their actions.

The second question is simply that people make decisions based off of what they know and what is comfortable to them. No one wants to do something foreign and scary to them, even if it is the best choice and will help them in the end. Decisions are hard to make, and the choices you want to make aren't always the best ones for yourself, or even to others around you.

Big Question

My two big questions are..... Why do people make stupid decisions, and how do people make decisions?

The Medium is the Message

Reading the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one thing, but watching a video is way more interesting. I found the cartoon version and it kept me interested the entire time. I was able to understand what the story was trying to say, as I watched it happen. Reading the story can get boring looking at text the whole time, but when you have people acting it out, it is so much more entertaining. I loved watching the video.

Vocabulary #10

1. Pedagogue: A teacher; strict.
My sister at times can be a pedagogue.
2. Cavernous: Like a cavern in size, shape or atmosphere.
The cabin in the woods is very cavernous.
3. Coquettish: Characteristically flirtatious in a teasing manner.
She is a very coquettish person who always gets her way.
4. Tête-à-tête: A private conversation or interview.
We had a little tête-à-tête at my school.
5. Suffice: To be enough or adequate.
That is a suffice amount of food for camping.
6. Amorous: Inclined or disposed to love.
He was in an amorous disposition.

Sleepy Hollow Plot Summary

The story takes place in Tarrytown, New York, located in the valley called Sleepy Hollow. The protagonist of the story is Ichabod Crane who works as a teacher in this town. He is a poor teacher and gets only ten dollars per a day from his work. He sleeps in his student’s house at nights to save money. After some time he falls in love with a beautiful girl, Katrina van Tassel in the town. She happens to be the daughter of a farmer in that town. But there is an other guy in the town who loves her. He is a strong and well built Brom Bones who always boasts about the number of people he fought with. One day, Ichabod Crane is invited to van Tassel’s house for a party. He goes there on a horse his friend, Hans Van Ripper has offered him. The horse’s name is Gunpowder and he reaches van Tassel’s place by riding the horse. When Crane reaches arrives at the party, everyone sits down for the dinner. After the dinner the music starts playing and everyone starts dancing. Crane gets the chance to dance with Katrina Van Tassel and Brom Bones looks at them while they are dancing.
After the dance, everyone sits down to recite tales they know. The tales, being the ones about ghosts and other powers, are all exciting and intriguing. Everyone enjoys the story of a headless horseman who haunts a graveyard. When the party finishes, Crane starts to his home on the horse and he had to travel through a graveyard. Surprisingly, he sees the headless horseman in the graveyard and the horseman chases Crane. He chases him till the bridge, where it is said that his head was cut.
In the next morning, Hans Van Ripper is surprised to see the horse alone without his friend Crane. After searching they could only find the horse’s saddle at the place. Near the saddle, they could find only Crane’s hand and besides it a smashed pumpkin.