A Place Where The Sea Remembers by: Sandra Benitez

It appeared tia Fina had confessed to Chayo-it was her moral obligation to do so, she said-that before Tonito was born, Marta had gone to el brujo and placed a curse on him. Chayo ranted and stormed over the news of this betrayal while Marta begged to be forgiven, explaining that she had gone to Remedios to seek the spell's reversal. For proof it was sucessful, Marta said, wasn't Tonito a hale and hearty boy? But the fact that this was so did not temper Chayo's wrath. "From this day forward, I no longer have a sister," Chayo had pronounced.

Chayo stepped around the table at which she had been standing. "You know you're not welcome here," she said. There was that look on her sister's face that begged forgiveness. Chayo had seen it many times before and was hardened against it. What was done was done and no pleas from Marta would change what had come before.

Chayo bolted torward her son as the current spun him around. It was then that she saw his face. It was not Tonito in the river, but Richard. Richard, her sister's son.
Cande took up the rope and pulled the noose end of it over his head, tightening it under his shoulders. He dropped into the river even before Santos picked up the other end of the rope to steady him.
Chayo was at the river's edge and was ready to plunge in herself when the lime tree groaned. Gracefully, because there is grace even in such things, the lime treee was unhinged. Like a green leafy gate opening, the top of the tree swung away from the riverbank. Richard moved witht he tree, his little mouth opened in a noiseless scream. He lifted one arm toward his aunt and uncle before the river swept him away.

Review for Feb. 26, 07

After I did the blog, Mrs. Hillestad kinda reviewed what happened last week. Then we talked about Farenheit 415. First, we talked about how the setting of the book is more of a dystopia (like utopia but underneath it's the opposite). Then we started to discuss the major characters of the book. We talked about Guy and how he just does as he is told at first and how later he actually starts thinking. We talked about Mildred and how she is the example of what the people are like in this book. We spoke about how the author was writing this as like a prediction of the future with 3-wall tv's and "seashell" earplugs and that he wasn't exactly right but he came really close.Then we talked a lot about Clarisse and how she feels bored at her school and how some of us felt like that in our government classes this year because there was no AP program for government. And how she is inquisitive and she is supposed to represent what people were like a long time ago. We also talked about what Captain Beatty tells Guy about how the profession of the firemen started and that even though this book talks about censorship, the subtext is telling us to ask questions and be involved (which kinda ties into politics). The period ended with Mrs. Hillestad giving us a poem "The Hollow Men" and we were supposed to read it and make notes on it by Wednesday. xoxoxoxoxox

"Hope is the thing with feathers"

"Hope is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson


Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Review for Tuesday Feb. 20, 2007

Well there was basically no one here. Almost all juniors and seniors decided to take the day off. Of course all of the basketball players and cheerleaders were gone as well. The class basically began up in the senior alcove where Kim, Josh, Zach, and I decided to go down to English class together. However, once we arrived, we found that Mrs. Hillestad wasn't there so we sent Kim up to Ms. Coder's room to get her. They were chatting. After we got into the classroom I read my 4 sentences from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and talked about friendship. How inportant it is and how easy it is now to stay in touch through email and myspace. For the rest of the class period we talked about colleges. Congrats to Zach for knowing where he is going. I hope you have fun under 8 feet of snow. Josh and Kim are still waiting to hear from their schools. Princeton was a big topic, since Josh applied there. I still have not chossen my school yet but I am down to two opptions! Also a new update... Zach can't bake a cake and I made some gross lemon squares this weekend. Other that this it was a easy day. Oh yeah our Power and the Glory test is on friday.

Cheri...Review

Friday was a short period...
At the beginning of class Ms. H gave me 5 packages of sugar- those five packages were my five opportunities to speak during the class period... every time I spoke I had place a package on Lindsey's desk- I only used four...That means I have on in the bank!-ha. lol.

During class we talked about The Power and The Glory... Ms.H asked how reading this book was for each person- most people said it took a long time to get into. We talked about Maria making the bread for him-that he then used for confession- and that the lt. and the other men drank up all of the whiskey priest's wine- and he cried out of despair. (He covered his crying up with the fact he was drunk) We talked how all the hope in the world drains away- such as the wine drained away- out of the bottle and down the men's throats. Then we discussed how Padre Jose is a coward and he is selfish to ours eyes - but at the same time he is completely human and scared. He is scared to die and he cares what people think of him. Ms. H mentioned that we his weakness and coward ness and think he is bad, but the truth is we are scared of it because we see it in ourselves.

Cheri McNeely

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

"The one who cares that we stick together. You know what the secret is? It's so simple. We love one another. We're nice to one another. Do you know how rare that is?"

February 14, 2006

Today I read my blog from The Freedom Writer's Diary, which ensued a long conversation, approximately 30 minutes, about different forms of racism, the affects of racism, and different views and ideas about the affect of racism. When then drifted to The Power and the Glory, and we discussed the ending of the story, and how it creates a full-circle sense; it also created a sense of hope with the arrival of the new priest. The death of Coral was the next topic, and we dicussed the ambiguity in which Greene portrayed her death; if you didn't read between the lines, you might have missed the hint. Ms. Hillestad brought up the note given to the priest by the half-caste, and how on one side it talked about suicide contemplation. He was somewhat forced to go to the priest, because he couldn't deny a man his last rights. We discussed how teeth, at different levels of disintegration, represented the amount of evil in the person. The vultures in the story also represent death, as they are the continuously mentioned throughout the story. Then, Ms. Hillestad read a beautiful passage from the story, and how just that little hint about a match in the dark represented the always lingering and remaining hope. That was pretty much it, have a good morning, good day, and good night.
Zach Bradt. OUT.

Cheri...BLOG!

It is one of the strange discoveries a man can make that life, however you lead it, contains moments of exhilaration; there are always comparisons which can be made with worse times; even in danger and misery the pendulum swings.

The power and the Glory
Graham Greene

Cheri McNeely

The Freedom Writer's Diary

The Freedom Writer's Diary:

Diary 56:

Dear Diary,

A carton of milk was thrown, someone shouted "Fuck Niggers," and a big crowd formed, and the fighting began. There were people punching other people and there were people throwing things at each other. It must have lasted for about three minutes, although it seemed like three hours. Somehow I managed to find my way out of the crowd without hitting anyone or throwing a thing. It wasn't necessary for me to join in the fight because their reason for fighting was stupid. When I stood away from the crowd I saw the staff members and policemen breaking it up. The tardy bell rang a minute later, indicating that lunch was officially over. The crowd was reluctant to go to class because they wanted to see what happened to the people who started the fight.
Two people went to the principal's office, one was African American and the other was Hispanic. The principal suspended them both, hoping to rid of the problem as fast as he could, but his decision made the problem worse. Friends of both races now held grudges against each other.
After school, I walked to the bus stop by myself. I noticed there were some Hispanics at the next bus stop where some Hispanics were waiting. When the bus arrived everyone got on the bus, and another fight broke out. This was round two. Some guy started swinging a stick that came from one of the art classes at school. There were at least twenty people from each side fighting on the bus. I got off and stood behind a bench. There were so many people on the bus that it started to rock back and forth. The bus driver told them she would call the police, so the African Americans got off the bus.
As they were waiting for the next bus, a Hispanic boy crossed the street to the bus stop. He didn't see that a fight had just ended, but he did see the angry tension in the crowd as he walked past the bus stop. As he walked by the crowd, someone stepped in front of him and asked him "What did you say?" The boy had said nothing at all. The boy didn't respond, but tried to walk past. The boy who confronted him suddenly punched him in the face. He fell unconcious into the bushes then everyone rushed him at once. There were twenty angry boys against one. Someone grabbed him by the neck and dragged him out on the street. They started kicking, and punching him in his ribs, face, anywhere else they could reach. Someone picked up a metal trash can and slammed it into his face. Traffic was being held up, a bus arrived at the stop across the street, it stopped, and the bus driver got off to help the boy. He screamed, "Stop it, you punks." Someone turned around and punched the bus driver in the face, the bus driver ran to a store nearby and called the police. A lady got out of her car and also tried to help the boy, but got hit in the face for her efforts. As soon as the lady got back into the car the police came, and put an end to the fighting.
The boy lay unconcious, his arms, legs, and back were all broken. I watched as he was taken to the hospital and watched as the culprits were arrested.
"Why didn't I do anything to help him?" I asked myself. Maybe it was because I was scared of the consequences. Most likely, I would have been mauled by the crowd. Even though I could haev been hurt, I wish I had done something. If Ms. G finds out that I just stood by and did nothing, she'll be really pissed at me. After all, I wasn't being very "self-reliant". I just hope she doesn't find out.

Review for Monday, Feb 12, 2007

Wow! We covered a lot today! Let's see...I read the blog I posted with the Silverstein lyrics and Lindsey reviewed her review. There was a little bit more discussion on the Meyers-Briggs results and a couple of us mentioned that we noticed the character traits in ourselves and our families more this weekend. We then delved into the murky water of The Power and The Glory.

We talked about the things that changed the whiskey priest into a real priest. The fact that before, he didn't really care about the people; it was just a job for him. Later in the story, he realizes that the people really do need him and the gift he offers.

Ms. Hillestad mentioned a few times about the way Greene writes. We agreed that we like the way he makes the characters seem human. They have their good, but they have their bad, and Greene continues to write in a style that surprises us.

In case Zach missed it, we talked about the part where Coral, Captain Fellows' daughter, gets her first period. That lead, much to Zach's dismay, to a discussion about all the girls' first period. Then we talked about how our parents try to protect us from the world and everything in it.

THEN, Dom and I explained a little bit more about confession, because we talked about the part where the whiskey priest goes to the little hut in the woods and the family has confession with him.

And that was our day. We should have the book finished by Wednesday and our discussion will continue...

Review for Friday Feb. 9

On Friday, I started class off by reading my quality piece of writing from the book "This I Believe." Following my reading Kim read her review from Wed. then Dom informed the class more about Catholism and priests to help us better under "The Power and the Glory." Then, we all took personality tests and for the rest of the class period we discussed Extroversion and Introversion and the meaning behind the two, and the other catagories. It was a really fun class and interesting to learn about all the different personality traits!

My Heroine by Silverstein

The drugs begin to peak
A smile of joy arrives in me
But sedation changes to panic and nausea
And breath starts to shorten
And heartbeats pound softer

You won't try to save me
You just want to hurt me and leave me desperate

You taught my heart, a sense I never knew I had.
I can't forget, the times that I was
Lost and depressed from the awful truth
How do you do it?
You're my heroine

You won't leave me alone
Chisel my heart out of stone I give in everytime.

You taught my heart, a sense I never knew I had
I can't forget, the times that I was
Lost and depressed from the awful truth
How do you do it?
You're my heroine

I bet you laugh, at the thought of me thinking for myself.
I bet you believe that I'm better off with you than someone else.
Your face arrives again, all hope I had becomes surreal.
But under your covers more torture than pleasure
And just past your lips there's more anger than laughter
Not now or forever will I ever change you
I know that to go on, I'll break you, my habit

You taught my heart, a sense I never knew I had.
I can't forget the times when I was
Lost and depressed from the awful truth
How do you do it?
You're my heroine
I will save myself...

Priests...

Many of you were confused on the roles of Catholic priests and why they are respected and thought of so highly... hopefully this will answer some of your questions.

Couresty: Answers.com

Roman Catholic and Orthodox


The most significant liturgical acts reserved to Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic priests are the administration of the Sacraments, including the celebration of the Mass or Divine Liturgy (the terms for the celebration of theEucharist in the Western and Eastern traditions, respectively), and the Sacrament of Penance, also called Confession. The sacraments of anointing of the sick and confirmation or chrismation are also administered by priests, though in the Western tradition confirmation is most often celebrated by a bishop. Holy Baptism may be celebrated by anyone and Matrimony may be witnessed by a deacon, but most often these are also normally administered by a priest. The only sacrament which is always reserved to a bishop is that of ordination, or Holy Orders.
In these traditions, only men who meet certain requirements may become priests. In Catholicism the canonical minimum age is twenty-five. Bishops may dispense with this rule and ordain men up to one year younger; dispensations of more than a year are reserved to the Holy See (Can. 1031 §§1, 4.) A Catholic priest must be incardinated by his bishop or his major religious superior in order to engage in public ministry. In Orthodoxy the normal minimum age is thirty (Can. 9 of Neocaesarea) but a bishop may dispense with this at need. In neither tradition may priests marry after ordination. In the Latin rite of the Roman church, they must be celibate and there are special rules for married clergy converting from certain other Christian confessions. Married men may become priests in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Rites of the Roman church but in neither case may they marry after ordination even if they become widowed. It is also important to note that candidates for the episcopacy are only chosen from among the celibate.

Review for February 7

On Wednesday I presented my piece of quality writing from The Power and the Glory. We then discussed all the characters in the book and how the whiskey priest shares qualities with all of them. Then we talked about certain areas that some people were confused about- like who Juan and Luis are. We also discussed how the lieutenant was a foil for the whiskey priest, and how he really believes he is doing the right thing by killing people to find the priest.
We have to have the book finished by Monday or Wednesday and our third quarter goals are due today.

This I Believe- The personal philosophies of remarkable men and women

My basic belief about this (inner faith) is that I don’t like to ride in taxicabs. Does that sound silly? Let me put it this way. Life is a journey; it’s a ride from here to there. You step out of a door and you go to a door. There’s a clock ticking in front of you that measures off your time. You are charged with that time. You don’t know ‘til the end of the trip what the charge will be. You step out of the cab and say good-bye to the driver, or you just walk way, that’s all, the end of the trip.
How can this be a faith – not to ride in taxicabs? Let’s consider the alternatives. You can ride in a cab, or you can ride in a subway. What about the subway? There, at least you’re not alone. You get on the train, people bang into you, the train buckles and rolls, and the air is bad, it doesn’t smell good, but life is going on there, and life doesn’t smell good either. Yet somehow, it’s wonderful.
In the car, there are lots of people, all kinds. Wholesome people, beautiful people, and sick, miserable, depressed people. Maybe you hear the squeak of some horrible music, a blind old woman with a disfigured face is led through the car by a little girl. The old woman is playing a mouth organ. People drop pennies in a tin cup the little girl holds up. Wedged in the corner of the car is a half-witted person babbling to himself. All these are a part of life – our comrades, our fellow wayfarers. Riding in a taxicab, one lacks of company.

Hey Guys!!!!

Okay so I'm here in the states, in Columbus, Ohio to be exact!!!!! Well at the moment I'm here sitting in the hotel room starving. I checked the blog only to find out that none of you guys were at school on Friday and Mrs. Hillestad had to right a review... thank you Mrs. Hillestad. Tomorrow I fly down to Florida and on Wednesday I've got an appointment to look at Florida Gulf Coast University. Now I have a question... totally random, but stay with me. Why do hotel rooms have Bibles in them? Every single hotel I have stayed in has a Bible in every room! Why? Anyway... moving on. While I was here in Ohio I visited a friend, her name is Angelina Papio. If any of you know or remember her from the 8th grade, which I don't think any of you do so never mind. Well while here I was going to go see her high school. I was all excited to see a state side school, I know, lame but hey I have spent my whole school career in Aviano! and guess what the day I was supposed to go and see it they closed it and guess why... it was not a 2 hour fog delay, or 2 hour ice delay, or a snow day... it was a cold day!!!!!! That's right they closed basically all the schools in the area because it was too cold!!!!! Have you ever heard of such a thing? I find it kind of funny. As a request I ask the next two people who are doing to blogs, to do them with a much detail as possible. I will be extremely grateful. I miss you guys and A-town so much and I have only been gone 4 days.

Characters from The Power and The Glory

Where are you guys? I thought SOME of you would come to class!!?? Here's what we were going to do in class today; hopefully it will help you as you continue to read.

characters- it is easy to see as the novel goes on, that the WP is a christ figure. It is also important to note as well that each of the characters shows in part a side of the priest.

Mr. Tench- the dentist. married. two children. one dead. wife has gone "home." he can't leave Mexico because he is trapped by his financial and emotional investments

Whiskey priest- the main character. once a young, well-fed, proud, contented priest. now the last one left in Mexico. He too is trapped because he can't leave the people. he has moments of doubt, anger, etc. very human.

Lieutenant- character foil in many ways. he is driven and feels he is doing the right thing by ridding the country of priests and the church. he has a strong sense of right and wants to change things for the better. he is an idealist.

Chief of Police- corrupt. won't even give the order that will allow the lt. to capture the priest. lots of examples of corruption as the book continues.

Padre Jose- priest who married rather than suffer death. weak, but there is a part of him in all of us.

Captain Fellows-owns a banana plantation. forces himself to think he is happy.

Trixie Fellows- his wife who is focused only on her own mortality and fear. they overwhelm her.

Coral Fellows- daughter who has become a woman. too young to be scared of anything.

James Calver- the gringo who is wanted in Mexico. he killed two men. the lt. sees him as an easier foe than the priest.

Juan-the perfect young boy in the story who becomes a priest and later a saint. he is too perfect.

Luis-the young boy who is forced, by his mother, to listen to the story. he knows it is not true. he is a realist.

Luis' sisters-they listen to the story as well, but believe it and are awed by it. they are young: 6 and 10.

Maria-the woman the whiskey priest committed adultery with.

Briggitta- the whiskey priest's daughter. her existence changes everything for him.

Mestizo- the half-breed. he is a Judas figure.

How is the WP all these characters? He is trapped. He is an idealist. He is corrupt or tempted by corruption. He forces himself to be happy. He is scared. He sees beauty in the youth of Coral and Briggita. He is a "bad guy." He will be sainted if he is killed. He doesn't believe he is a good person. etc.

The Power and the Glory

The Power and the Glory
Graham Greene

But at the centre of his own faith there always stood the convincing mystery- that we were made in God’s image. God was the parent, but He was also the policeman, the criminal, the priest, the maniac, and the judge. Something resembling God dangled from the gibbet or went into odd attitudes before the bullets in a prison yard or contorted itself like a camel in the attitude of sex. He would sit in the confessional and hear the complicated dirty ingenuities which God’s image had though out, and God’s image shook now, up and down on the mule’s back, with the yellow teeth sticking out over the lower lip, and God’s image did its despairing act of rebellion with Maria in the hut among the rats. He said, “Do you feel better now? Not so cold, eh? Or so hot?” and pressed his hand with a kind of driven tenderness upon the shoulders of God’s image.