Anna+G

=**Monday, March 19th**= Strengths: I learned how to find good research affectively. I had a good introduction that people said caught their eye. I had a good conclusion.

weakness: My works cited page had some errors and I only had four sources. I could do better on spelling and capitalization. = = =**Friday March 16th**= I have now finished my research paper and learned a lot from it. I learned a lot about Pearl Buck but also about the research method. This skill will be very helpful if I go to college. I'm now reading Huck Fin and so far its a great book! Its funny, but also gets you thinking. I think that the author really captures what times where like then and how people thought. I'm excited to see where the book takes us next! = = =**Thursday March 1st**=

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 * I'm doing my research paper on Pearl S. Buck and the most interesting thing I've found out about her would probably be that she actually started an adoption agency for Asian Americans. I also learned how to find research that's reliable. I always wonder if what I find out on things like google or wikispaces is correct, so its good to know places to look for actual information that I can know is reliable.**======

**Characters**

 * Wang Lung - Wang Lung was the main character, and the whole story was about his life as a farmer in China. He was hard working, but only for wealth, not for the happiness of anyone else. He didn't care who he hurt even when he felt guilty, he always followed through with what would bring him wealth and happiness. He wasn't all a bad man though. Although he was all about wealth and honor, once in a while he would surprise you and do something good for someone, like helping his neighbor, Ching. He loved his land and would do whatever it took to keep it and keep working on it. He was a Chinese farmer, and thats all he knew, no matter what wealth he gained, he always craved his land.**


 * O-Lan - O-Lan was Wang lungs wife. She wasn't in anyway beautiful, but she was hard working and loyal. She never complained, in fact she hardly ever spoke, so when she did speak everyone listened. She loved Wang Lung and it broke her heart when she realized that he was disgusted by her beauty. She only felt love from him in her last days before she died even though she faithfully served him for probably about 20 years.**


 * Ching - Ching was Wang Lungs neighbor who was a kind older man. When the drought came and Wang Lung took his family south to find work and food, he gave the last handful of beans he had to Wang Lung to give to his wife who was with child at the time. After Wang Lung returned with riches Wang Lung hired him because he was so dependable and honest. Wang Lung valued his opinion because of what a great honest man he was.**


 * Wang Lungs oldest daughter - She never had a name but was always called "Little Fool" or "the oldest daughter". She was called little fool because she couldn't speak or even understand what went on around her. She was born during the drought and so she hardly survived. Because of the malnutrition when she was just a newborn, her mind never went past being a child. She loved her father though, and for some reason Wang Lung loved her dearly and loved to please her childish pleasures. She spent her days sitting in the sunshine playing with a piece of clothe smiling.**

**Summery**

 * The book starts with Wang Lung on his wedding day when he marries O-Lan. Together they work hard on his farm and grow slowly in wealth, even buying some land from "the great house". but then a drought comes and they lose everything except for the land, forcing them to starve or go south. They take a train south where Wang Lung works as a rickshaw puller until they are able to come back to the land. Because of O-lan getting a bag a jewel's he's able to grow in wealth until he is the richest man in their village. He even is able to have slaves and two wives, and moves to into town into the "big house" that the old rich family used to live in before they were ruined during the year of the drought.**

Rating
I would say its probably a four. It was really good, but sometimes the writer would go on and on about things. Other then that it was a great book!

Wiki Reflections
I think that it is pretty good. I didn't think the discussions really work very well. We never actually had conversations. But it works well to post the blogs on.

**Feb. 7th (read through page 119)**
=**Taking a Walk In Someone Else's World**= One of the strongest points of this amazing book, is that it shows you what life is really like in other places of the world. Wang Lung and O-Lan work day and night in their fields so that they can put food on the table for their three kids and Wang Lungs father. And after a few years they save enough money to buy more land from O-Lans old owners, but in a year of drought all their land is worth nothing. The whole village is starving and live on grass and bark. O-Lan becomes so weak in her pregnancy that the baby dies before she is born. It's described as,"She made a slight movement of her hand upon the bed and he saw upon the floor the childs body. 'Dead!' he exclamed. 'Dead,' she whispered. He stooped and examined the handful of its body- a wisp of bone and skin- a girl." As I was reading about how the kids are so weak all they can do is walk from room to room, I wanted to start crying for them. This man and woman who worked so hard now had nothing because of one fact... there was no rain. And now his children are starving and dying! They finally decide to take the train south to the "City" and there build a house out of mats and beg while Wang Lung pulls a rickshaw all day so that he can put food in his children's mouths. It makes me think about how difficult life is for so many people around the world, while here in America I complain of being hungry if I don't have three big meals a day. It's showing me more perspective on life and making me grateful for what God has giving me.

**Jan. 27th**
=Blinded By Pride= ====Wang lung is has now had a healthy son, and because of his and his wife's hard work he now has money saved, new clothes for everyone in his new family, and plenty of food. Wang Lung is feeling pretty good about himself as his wife takes his new son to see her old mistress. She was a slave in this house and she really wants to impress them by dressing the family in red and bringing rice cakes. Wang Lung cant wait to find out how the visit goes but is very pleased at how impressed everyone at the great house was. This is expressed when the writer says, "A slow smile spread over her face and Wang Lung laughed aloud and he held the child tenderly against him. How well he had done-How well he had done!" I find this quote interesting because he doesn't say anything about how poor they were before he got married to O-Lan, and how much of a help she had been. All he says is, "How well he had done! How well he had done!" He doesn't seem to give any credit to his hard working wife for their good fortune. Only himself.==== = = = = = = = = = = =**Simply Shy, Or Something Deeper?**=
 * In the "Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck, the main Character, Wang Lung, just got married, and his new wife is very interesting. He had never met O-Lan, his wife, before the day they got married. As the story goes on, she only speaks when she has to, and never for just conversation. She is very reserved and doesn't seem to want to show her feelings. Even when she finds out she is pregnant with her first son she shows no emotion and simply says,"I am with child." and nothing more. Although she's very quiet she is a hard worker. Everyday after working in the house she goes out to the field to help her husband and keeps up with him. Even when she was 9 months pregnant she insisted on working. She never once complains, even when she was giving birth, the book says she didn't make a sound. The most she has said in the book, was that she wouldn't have someone from the house, where she was a former slave, come and help her while she was giving birth. She says she wants to bring her son dressed in nice clothes and herself dressed nice before she will enter that house again. She seems to have great pride, but isn't willing to show it to anyone.**

**Digging into the "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck**


I decided to read good earth because it seems to be a book that will encourage deep thinking. I like books that give me a new perspective but is interesting at the same time. I'm hoping it give me a new perspective on the life of a chinese farmer while under the control of an emperor. I've read books about missionaries in places like this but never just an everyday farmer. This should make for good contrast to what I've read before and learned through other sources. I think it is important to know more about the cultures of other countrys.