Blog Post #20- "Spagbol"

nvent a dried food you would take with you on your journey if you were Tally.  What would it be?  How would you make it?

I am an AVID hot wing eater.  I would want to package Cluckers hot-ranch buffalo wings so that I would only have to add water to the bag and leave it in the direct sunlight for two minutes.  Between the heat from the sun and the water, the wings emerge crispy, covered in sauce, hot, and delicious.  I think then, I would need some fries to go with that, and they would need to be packaged the same way.

Things I would miss the most about home after being forced to leave:

1. my family, if they couldn't go
2. air conditioning
3. cold milk
4. bathroom/shower
5. air conditioning
6. ability to wash clothes
7. internet access
8. my memopry foam mattress
9. air conditioning
10. full working kitchen

Blog on.

Blog Post #19-"Leaving"

Why do you think Tally ultimately decides to figure out where Shay is?

Duh, I think it is completely obvious why Tally has a little "change of heart". One word: Peris.

Peris "randomly" shows up at the Ruins. He also AMAZINGLY shows up after Tally has been questioned about Shay and given the ugly-for-life ultimatum. I think Peris is totally being used by the "eeee-ville" Dr. Cable to manipulate Tally. He's gorgeous and persuasive and by the end of the chapter, Tally is ready to blow the whistle on Shay. Then, the pressure from Dr. Cable, combined with the outcast feeling she has, no wonder she's ready.


Blog on.

Blog Post #18- "Infiltrator"

Give a chronological list of important events that happened in the chapter.

• Tally meets with Dr. Cable to tell her she has reconsidered hiding Shay's secret.
• Tally shows Dr. Cable the note from Shay, which she then shoves away, for they already have a copy.
• Both Dr. Cable and Tally are confused by the cryptic message from Shay.
• They piece together that Shay had a survival kit, a hover board, and two weeks worth of dehydrated food.
• Dr. Cable tells Tally she will be making the trip to the Smoke.  Alone.  With only what Shay had packed for herself.
• Dr. Cable instructs Tally that once she is at the mystery meeting place, she can activate the tracing device and Dr. Cable's goons will come to whereever Tally is and break up the escaped uglies party.
• As one last daggar to the heart, Dr. Cable shows Tally how she will look if she remains an ugly.  It's awful, Tally tells her to shut it off and she leaves.

Blog on.

Blog Post #17- "Peris"

Why do you think Peris comes back?  Support your answer with textual evidence.

I think Peris is being used by mean ole Dr. Cable.  I think Dr. Cable knows that Tally wants to be with Peris on "the other side" and is pulling at her heartstrings by roping Peris into the plan. 

I think Peris is playing dumb.
     "Oh, so getting yourself killed is your next brilliant trick.  I guess that would just top your current one."
     "My current what?"
     Peris rolled his eyes.  "This whole trick where you haven't turned pretty yet.  Very mysterious."
He's setting her up to get information out of her.  Then he guilt trips her when he says,
     "I mean, I already told everyone about you after that fire alarm thing, but they're really dying to meet you now", he continued.  "There's even a rumor that Special Circumstances is involved."
Why would he assume that?  He knows that it will get to Tally to know that he was really looking forward to her being a pretty and so were his new, fancy friends.  Then he finally, throws it all out there by reminding Tally that,
     "...you made me a promise, too."
We know that that is referring to Tally promising to stay out of trouble until her operation.  Who knew that her friendship with Shay would cause so many problems?

Blog Post #16- "Ugly for Life"

Respond to the quote:
"Everywhere she went, eyes looked away.  But, it was the most viable she'd ever felt."

www.wipeout44.com/.../drawing_eyes_portraits.jpg

Tally feels the eyes because the ugly kids KNEW she was supposed to be changed.  When she come back, and she's still ugly, it's OBVIOUS that there was a problem.  The other ugly kids don't realize that unfortunately, this is Tally's choice by not ratting out Shay.  They probably think she wasn't ready, or good enough, or anything.  So, to Tally, who was ready and excited, this is heart breaking and embarassing.  I feel sorry for Tally for being a faithful friend, and possibly now, a life-long ugly.

Blog on.

Blog Post #15- "Special Circumstances"

Summarize the chapter highlighting the important events in chronological order.  Predict what you think will happen next.

• Tally is in the hovercar with the man who told her she had "a problem with the operation".  He's driving crazy and she's a little car sick.
• They arrive at these ugly, rectangular dorm looking buildings that are painted a horrible, nauseating color.
• There are more people like the man who brought her, all dressed in formal gear, most of them ugly pretties.
• She is led to a metal door and told to go inside.
• She meets Dr. Cable, an intimidating, fierce woman.
• Dr. Cable explains that the problem with Tally's operation is that she is friends with Shay.  Tally thought she was in trouble for the pranks and is confused.
• Dr. Cable wants Tally to tell her with Shay and the "others" are.
• Tally tells her "I can't help you.  I made a promise."
• Dr. Cable tells Tally that she will remain and ugly and can "die that way for all I care."

Prediction:  I think Tally will hold true to her promise to Shay even though it means her fate will be to remain ugly.

Characterization: Dr. Cable

• "cruel pretty"
• intimidating
• "Her nose was auiline, her teeth sharp, her eyes a non-reflective gray.  Her voice had the same slow, neutral cadence as a bedtime book.  But it hardly made Tally sleepy.  An edge was hidden in the voice, like a piece of metal slowly marking glass."
• formal, serious
• no-nonscense
• manipulative
• "The woman became nothing but a monster, vengeful, and inhuman."

Blog on.

Blog Post #14- "Operation"

Summarize the chapter by highlighting the important event in chronological order.  Predict what you think will happen next.

1. Tally will be turning today.
2. She's had all her final measurements and was prepared for the invasive, yet exciting surgery.
3. Shay is gone.
4. The hospital hovercar finals arrives.
5. She hasn't packed much because she knows she want need  it in New Pretty Town.
6. They arrive at the hospital.
7. She anticipates being a pretty; day dreams about what it'll be like, even without Shay.
8. Tally is waiting for what seems like forever, but is more like an hour.
9. A man arrives.  Tally thinks he looks strange, like a pretty with a bad operation.  He's cold and intimidating.  He makes Tally nervous.  
10. He tells her there is a problem with her operation and she goes with him to see what it is. 

Blog on.

Blog Post #14-"Last Trick"

Respond to the following quote.  What does it mean to you?
"We don't have to look like everyone else, Tally, and act like everyone else.  We've got a choice.  We can grow up any way we want."


I think this quote is showing Shay's out-of-the-ugly-box thinking.  She's getting bolder with her notions to go against the grain, forget everything that they have been taught to want, and to do something different.  Be something different.  Think independently.




Blog on.

Blog Post #13-"Fight"

Two fights were presented in this chapter.  Compare and contrast both of them.  List the similarities and differences. 

Fight #1
Tally vs. Shay
While hidden in the changing rooms, the girls get into an argument based on how Tally looks.

Fight #2
Tally vs. Shay
As their bickering continues, they get onto the subject of Shay not wanting to become a pretty.

Similarities:

• both arguments seem to be lost causes; Tally still wants to be a pretty & Shay wants to stay an ugly
• both arguments are about things they can't control
• both girls are adament that they are the right one in the situation

Differences:

• Fight #1 is over Tally being overly critical of how she looks and Shay trying to assure her that she isn't all that ugly like they are told every day
• Fight #2 is over Shay not wanting to turn pretty and Tally being irritated because once again, David is brought up and is looking to be the one motivating Shay to not change
• Tally is motivated by wanting to be with Peris, Shay is motivated by wanting to be with David

Both fights seem pointless to me.  It's like the "two sides to every coin" issue.  Both of the girls feel that their side of the argument is the better side, but what they can't see is that each one of them is right, one way or another.

Blog on.

Blog Post #12- "Waiting for David"

What does the following quote from the chapter tell you about the city?
"That was the one thing about bring outside the city; it made all that nature stuff they taught in school seem a lot more useful.  She remembered now how rainwater fell on the mountains and soaked into the ground..."

I think that this shows how the city controls everything the people who inhabit it see.  She only remembers rainwater falling from studying it, not experiencing it.  They are controlling everything for the uglies and the pretties, making the world only what they want them to see.

Blog on.

Blog Post #11- "The Rusty Ruins"

Write a one paragraph summary of the chapter.
Tally and Shay are hover boarding through the Rusty Ruins.  Tally is creeped out by the strange, foreign city and how desolate it looks and makes her feel.  The Rusty Ruins bothers Tally because it is uninhabited and new to her.  Shay shows Tally a roller coaster and convinces her into riding it.  Tally enjoys her ride, but the newness of it is frightening to her.  Shay then tells Tally she wants her to meet someone and that Tally can't ever tell about it. 

Two Similes found in the chapter:
"Every building sported jagged spurs of metal sticking from its broken walls, like bones jutting from a long-dead animal." Uglies, p. 62

"They would stick ground cars to it and go as fast as they could.  Up, down, around in circles.  Like hover boarding, without hovering." Uglies, p.63

Blog on.

Blog Post #10- "Rapids"

In this chapter, Tally says, "I kind of like being fooled about some things."  Do you agree with Tally, or would you rather know the reality behind everything?  Why?

I think part of being innocent, is still having mysteries around you.  Think of something as simple as the tooth fairy- you want so desperately when you are little to believe that a tiny little fairy comes in specifically to your room, to retrieve your nasty fallen out tooth that has been jammed unsanitarily under your pillow the night before.  Having some imagination only makes these little mysteries come to life.  Don't grow up so fast that you lose out on all the fun.

White Water Rafting
"It is interesting to note that whitewater rafting was one of the earliest forms of transportation. It was not only used for carrying people but also for transferring goods from one place to another. However, it became quite popular as a form of leisure activity in the 1980s.

In 1811, the first recorded attempt to navigate the Snake River in Wyoming was planned by the Overland Astorians. While attempting to boat the stretch below Jackson Hole, the river was found to be too treacherous and it came to be called ?Mad River.?

The rubber river raft is believed to have been invented in the early 1840s. It was first made by Lt. John Fremont, who was then serving in the U.S army and Horace H. Day. They invented the rubber raft with the intention of surveying the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. Although the raft was invented in the mid-nineteenth century, it was not until the turn of the century that the first ever commercial whitewater trip was undertaken. At first, surplus military rafts were used as boats and it was only much later that inflatable rafts were used.
Private companies played a major role in augmenting the rafting business. In 1956, one of the members of the most affluent business families of America, John D. Rockefeller built a resort that introduced one of the first floating trips in the country. However, it only evoked a lukewarm response. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, exclusive whitewater rafting companies were formed. These include the Becker-Cooke Expeditions, Hatch River Expeditions and Slickrock Adventures.
Rafting was first included in the Munich Olympic Games, 1972. Subsequently, it was included in the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 1996 Atlanta Games. In 1996, the Ocoee River in Tennessee Valley played host to the whitewater events of the Summer Olympic Games."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy




Blog on.

Blog Post #9- "Pretty Boring"

Describe the Rusty Ruins. 

• What are they?
• What happened during this time period?

The Rusty Ruins are the remains of a land that once existed.  I think that it is like what we, as people of 2010, leave behind are the Rusty Ruins to Tally and Shay.  It was the place before Uglyville and New Pretty Town.  I imagine just like the ruins of the ancient Greeks- pieces or parts of buildings and structures, images of people that no longer exist.



Define peer pressure.  Think of a time when it happened to you or someone you know and explain the situation in a paragraph.

Peer pressure to me is when someone is trying to make you do something you know isn't right and you wouldn't normally do.  When I was in junior high, I had a friend that had gotten into an argument with our Humanities (English & History together in one class) teacher.  My friend had gotten in trouble for talking and our teacher had called her parents and she was grounded.  She talked me into writing some bad things about the teacher on one of the bathroom walls.  By the next morning, I was feeling so guilty, I approached the teacher and told her what we had done and how sorry I was.  I remember being so embarassed and crying because that just wasn't something I would do.  My parents had raised me better than that.  I ended up having afterschool detention for two weeks and had to clean/scrub graffitti off all the bathroom stalls.  It was awful.  I knew I shouldn't have done it, but my friend pressured me and I caved.  It never happened again.



Blog on.

Blog #8- "Facing the Future"

Reflect on the following quotes from the chapter, what does each mean to you?

"Making ourselves feel ugly is not fun"..."This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves."
-I think that Tally & Shay are realizing exactly that.  The game makes the uglies feel worse.  I think it works as a tool to make them want to be pretty even more.  Like the nicknames and segregation of the two groups wasn't enough already, right?

"Everyone judged everyone else based on their appearence.  People who were taller got better jobs...people killed one another over stuff like having different skin color." (referring to when everyone was ugly)

-I think this quotes shows how Tally's world got to the point of having uglies and pretties.  They are referring to our time now and how further down the line, someone thought it would be better to make everyone the same, either ugly or pretty, and take away those differences.

"It's the only way to make people equal." (becoming pretty)
-If everyone were pretty, there would be no differences between the people based on looks.  I wonder if the people of Tally's time factored in that even after the change, a person would still have the same personalities and that could possibly make them different.  Or maybe they will, we just haven't read it yet.




Blog on.

Blog #7- "Wipeout"

Think of another book, movie, or comic in which people use hover boards.

The first movie that popped into my head was "Back to the Future II". 

• How are they used?

In "Back to the Future II", Michael J. Fox's character, Marty, is in the future and uses a kid's hover board to evade his arch enemy Biff.


In the Uglies, the hover boards are used as a mode of transportation.  I think it's funny that Tally is struggling so hard in "Wipeout" to master her hover board.  It makes me think of teenagers in these present times that struggle with learning how to drive!

• Possibly post a picture or video link of this.

20jazzfunkgreats.co.uk

 Click here for the link to the video montage of "Back to the Future II" hover board scene:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ40lSWRPp0

Why do you think the new pretties don't come back to Uglyville to visit?  Describe their physical & mental transformation into new pretties.
 
I think the new pretties get so caught up in their new looks, new friends, parties, and fun activities that they forget about Uglyville.  Yes, they can come back, but why?  Everyone is so much prettier in NPT, more fun, and more interesting.  After they get their new skin and new beautiful lips and eyes, they are drastically better looking.  Mentally, I think they begin to form an "I'm better than uglies" attitude because they look so good. 


Blog on.