Monday, June 19, 2017

Is Jason a hero or Not

       Jason Taylor is a hero because he is caring, heroic and courageous person.He stands up for what is right and just, and is willing to give his life to save another.  In the novel, Jason stands up to Neal and shows that he is a courageous person.  Through his action he is able to  show uncool kids that bullying is wrong, that they should also try to stand up against to Neal and other bullies.One of the reasons I think he is a hero is because he stood up to bullies that nobody would dare to even speak bad about them for fear of being hurt. This shows that he is brave and was willing to risk personal injury. Another example is when he broke Neal Brose's calculator to show him he wasn't scared of him. He demonstrates that he is a hero when he came  back to help Dean Moran after he made it to spooks . This shows he would risk his happiness to help others that need it. Some will argue that he is not really a hero, but if they see the impact his actions have on other characters, they will agree he is a hero. Jason Taylor is a hero because he is caring, heroic and courageous person.He stands up for what is right, and is willing to risk his life by standing up to Neal to show that bullying is wrong and to show uncool kids to stand up against Neal and other bullies.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Black Swan Green Maggot

      The author David Mitchell labels the chapter "Maggots", to describe and explain how Jason felt all throughout the chapter. He gets called a maggot when his peers attached some stick notes on calling him maggot, which caused an uproar of laughter from everyone else. He used the word maggot because it describes how low he thought of Jason.the theme of bullying fits in very well because throughout the chapter Jason is constantly ostracized by his peers. However, the Jason's stammer was eventually accepted by everyone and fit in.

Black Swan Green Souvenirs

      Jason's time with his parents were very different experiences. With his Mother he seemed to have a good time, as they bonded when they flew a kite together. However, he did feel embarrassed when his peers saw him out with his mom waiting in line at a store. When he spent time with his father it was a different experience because it negatively affected him, when his father tried to assert his dominance. Jason felt this way because his dad spent most of his time bossing Jason around.

Friday, March 31, 2017

Black Swan Green Blog#1 "Solarium"



    In this chapter Jason's pseudonym, Eliot Bolivar, and his poems are discovered by Madame Crommelynck. They meet because Jason thinks she can help him with his poetry. She ends up doing more for him. She introduces authors to him, makes him reconsider using his real name when he publishes and enlightens him on the idea of beauty and poetry. However, in the end of this chapter Jason finds out she and her husband are potentially criminals.

    The solarium is the room Jason and Madame Crommelynck went to in order to restore something about themselves which they didn't like. They found a connection with another and in the solarium they were able to forget their troubles and heal their pride.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Black Swan Green Blog#1 "Relatives" Reaction and Thoughts


Relatives came to visit in this section of Jason’s story, which takes place during March. Jason was awed by and hoped to impress his cousin, Hugo who was two years older. During the visit, Jason’s dad and Uncle Brian dominated the conversation. They first argued about the best route from Richmond, and then the best route to Bath. Over sherry they argued about the recession. Jason noted how his mother cooked a fancy dinner and spoke in fancy terms when Uncle Brian and Aunt Alice visited. The salt and pepper became condiments, for instance. Uncle Brian had bought a bottle of wine. When it was opened, Brian and Michael argued over the best place to get wine. Next, the parents gloated over their children’s accomplishments. Jason had hoped his mother wouldn’t mention his poetry prize.

Black Swan Green Chapter 5 "Rock"Blog Reaction and Thoughts

      In the chapter “Rocks,” corresponding to the month of May, Jason and his family were horrified when one of Great Britain’s warships was sunk by the Argentinian forces during the Falklands War. It was the first time the people of Great Britain had considered they might lose the war. Meanwhile, Jason’s dad had been sleeping in the guest bedroom. He said it was because of his back. Jason’s parents had fought over dinner about the rockery that Helena wanted put in the backyard. Michael was against the rockery and was hateful in his protest. Helena defended her desire to have one made of marble, of course. Michael indicated it was a waste of a good deal of money. Helena broke a plate in the kitchen. Michael went after her but she’d already gone out and slammed the back door. 

Black Swan Green Blog#2 "January Man " Themes


    Jason Taylor is a 13-year-old with a stammer in the small Town of Black Swan Green in Worcestershire. The first chapter starts with a rule Jason's father has: "Do not set foot in my office," and Jason breaking that rule to pick up the phone. It also introduces Jason's older sister Julia, friend Dean "Moron" Moran, popular boy Nick Yew, Gilbert "Yardy" Swinyard, Ross Wilcox and his cousin Gary Drake, golden boy student Neal Brose, tomboy Dawn Madden, Mervyn "Squelch" Hill, bully Grant Burch, local legend Tom Yew and "less shiny legend" Pluto Noak. Jason secretly publishes his poems in the Black Swan Green Parish magazine under the alias "Eliot Bolivar". Jason breaks his grandfather's Omega Seamaster De Ville, a valuable watch. Also, after an accident on an iced-over lake, he meets a mysterious old woman rumored to be a witch.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Blog#1 Black Swan Green Chapter 4 "Bridle Path" Thought and Feeling

       Jason has the day to himself, and what better way to while away the time than by exploring the bridle path. This bridle path begins near his house, but ends somewhere near an ancient lost tunnel that is the subject of town lore. During Jason's quest to discover the mystery of the path, he comes across lunging Doberman pinschers, brawling toughs, the flirty, but cruel, bad girl Dawn Madden, a young couple making love, what appears to be the corpse of his only friend (Dean Moran), a man covered in wild bees, and a hospital for the insane.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Blog#1 Black Green Swan Chapter 2 " Hangman" Feeling and Thought     


       After reading Chapter 2, memories of a time when I felt self-conscious created a sadness and empathy for Jason. His desperation is an example of any teen who wants to be accepted by his peers and will do what he can to “fit in.” For a growing adolescent, having Jason’s problems with his voice and manner of speech would be a source of stress, made worse by a parent’s criticism.  When stressed, even teens with normal speech patterns will occasionally stammer, or go “umm,” so imagine how difficult it was for Jason!  However, I admire him for pre-planning what he would say and spare himself from ridicule.


 Blog#2 Black Swan Green Chapter 2 "Hangman" Central Idea

       In Chapter 2, Jason is very self-conscious. He is desperate not be different, and in his desire to fit in, he is unable to see how wrong his classmates' actions are, and gives them “immunity” for their wrong-doings.  He has another cause for more embarrassment. His voice is changing, and he occasionally squeaks.  He also has a stammer which prevents him from expressing what he actually wants to say. In order to prevent any situation in which he could be made fun of, he plans in advance what he is going to say.  He feels that if he were to stammer in front of his classmates, his secret will be revealed, and “by the end of first break my life won’t be worth living.”  This shows that he lives in constant fear of ridicule from his classmates, and even from his father who expresses his annoyance whenever Jason stammers.  Jason beings to think ahead about what he wants to say.  Although his vocabulary is vast, he avoids using it because “kids aren’t s’posed to use adult words.” Jason lives his life in fear and desperation for acceptance from his classmates.

Friday, March 3, 2017

Blog#1 Chapter 1 "January Man" Black Swan Green

     As I read this book, I began to think that the tone of this book is dark.The main character is Jason who was very curious and wants to answer the phone in his dad's office.  Jason's dad had told him that he was never to go to his office. My thoughts therefore, was that the mysterious call is from a woman because Jason heard a baby wailing in the background and music from Sesame Street. In addition, there was a heavy breathing on the other end of the line. Jason told the mysterious caller, "You might have the wrong number." Then Jason's dad showed up and got really angry at Jason for not listening to him about not going into his office.