1.  In The Blind Side Leigh Anne Tuohy takes a young, black boy into her home. She treats him as her own child, he becomes a part of her family, and becomes a successful student and football player. I enjoyed this movie a whole lot. Sandra Bullock did a great job portraying the mother who took Michael Oher in. It doesn’t really make it either way. I love to read, whether it is based on a true story or not, so it didn't really have an effect on my experience.

2. I would explain that many of the stories that are only half true or not true at all, but they have a purpose in this book. They are told so that you feel the way the soldiers felt during the war, not necessarily to know exactly what they experienced, because experiences affect people differently. I would tell them to pay close attention to which stories are true and which are not. It is also difficult to discern which is Tim O’Brien the narrator and which is the author, so it is important to always be reading into what it is saying to figure out which is which.

4. My favorite story was “Spin” because they stories within “Spin” weren’t all sad and gory. My least favorite was “How to Tell a True War Story” because that is when you start to question which stories are true and which ones aren’t. This is also where he tells the story of Rat Kiley torturing the baby water buffalo, and I really dislike this part of the story. I most sympathize with Kiowa because he is so anti-violence yet he is stuck in the middle of a horrible war. I didn’t especially like Azar because he is so cruel.

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7. After reading this novel my thoughts of truth are the same, yet the way I see one accepting truth is partly based on the way it makes one feel. One’s reactions to the story make one believe or not believe, not the actual story. I didn’t especially like this book, so I would not recommend this novel to any of my friends. Especially since they all pretty much like the same kind of stories that I enjoy reading.

Things Carried

every day when i leave my house i take my purse. inside my purse is everything i need to make it through the day. the contents of my purse are as follows: pens and pencils; my cell phone; my wallet; my graphing calculator; my ipod; my planner; peppermints/gum; and whatever book im reading at the time. pens and pencils are necessary because i do a lot of writing during school and that would be hard to do if i didnt have something to write with; also other people (especially guys) are never prepared and need something to write with as well, so who better to ask than a girl with a purse. i take my cell phone because that is how i stay connected with others; it also gives me a sense of security because i know that help is just a phone call away. i take my wallet with me because it has many things in it that i need: my drivers license; cash; my debit card; and my pictures. i take my graphing calculator because calculus would be impossible without it, and its already hard enough with it. i take my ipod because i couldnt live without music; especially my michael buble and hillsong. i take my planner because if i dont write something down, i am very likely to forget it; i am also slightly ocd about being organized. i take peppermints or gum because i sometimes get bored and need something to keep me awake; plus who doesnt love gum? i always have a book in my pure in case i ever have some free time to read; i love reading and use every spare minute to read a good book.

im not really sure what these things would say about me to someone who just randomly found my purse and went through it. but i know that all of these things are a must have for me when i leave the house.