What is Bullying? Have You Ever Been Bullied?

Bullying is when a person do personal attacks to another person. It can be physical or oral. Most of the time bullying is intended to cause pain to the other person. Sometimes a person can be bullied by segregation from the rest of the group. Bullying can be seen everywhere, school, workplace, or your neighborhood. The seemingly stronger and more powerful person is often the bully. He/She would choose someone that looks weak to hurt.
Now there's even cyber-bullying, in which a person bullies another with text messages or social websites. They are often anonymous, using false identities.
Bullying is not right, but it's natural. All animals would somehow strengthen its own power and look down at the weaks.

From what I can remember - I've never been bullied. But I've seen people being bullied.

American History - Quickwrite (pg. 660)

- September 21st, the giant earthquake in Taiwan, I slept through the actual earthquake but the effect was unforgettable, and people kept talking about it.
- Taiwanese people wore red to protest against ex-President Chen, I didn't actually go to the march but I supported them.
- Ex-President Chen was put in jail for corruption, Taiwanese people don't have to suffer under his governing anymore.
- My sister became the first home-schooling middle-school student of Taichung, made me realize that Taiwan's education is awful, and later I began home-schooling too.
- Michael Jackson died, I've always liked his music and it was quite a big event at that time.
- Aug. 8th flood, it destroyed the road that led to our little cabin (it is sold now), as well as large areas in the mountains. It was terrible.

Turing Points - Quickwrite (pg. 646)

- Sun Yat-Sen, who overthrew the Qing Dynasty
- Jane Goodall, chose to study the chimpanzes in Africa
- Sojourner Truth, spoke out against slavery and women's rights

To Da-duh, in Memoriam - Quickwrite (pg. 607)

Country:
- love for animal
- love for plants
- food (rice, vegetables, fish, etc)
- green and brown
- space
- farms/ fields
- fresh air

City:
- computer
- cell phone
- school
- elevators and tall buildings
- garbage
- gray
- cars and scooters
- convenience
- people

Analyzing a Poem - Quickwrite

When first analyzing a poem, just look throught it. The first time reading it, quickly and casually. The second time, carefully and slowly, stopping at certain points. Then you can start to find figures of speech: similie is easy; metaphor is okay; personification, alliteration, etc. To get a deeper meaning of the poem, read even more carefully and try reading it out loud or in your mind. With the most difficult part, try to form an image out of the words. Connect the seemily meaningless words and sentences with something else, or find something similar to it. You can also listen to other people's interpretations. See how they feel about the poem and what they come up with. Then come up with your own feelings and interpretations toward the poem.

Pg. 537 Quickwrite

I would like to inherit the kindness of my mother and when I have my own children I would teach them like my mother did. My mother is not like the other Chinese mothers who limit their children, beat them and scold them when they get a bad grade, and control their future.