Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 270-300)

Comments:
Chocolate must have been very popular in 1980's
Godiva must have made a lot of money
Hershey needs to try something new
Wow Hershey is making candy like M&M
People in America are going crazy over chocolate

Questions:
Does Godiva only make chocolate?
Will Hershey get back on top?
Did the people of America start eating Hershey Chocolate?
Was Hershey going to make something new?

Vocabulary:
Acquisition - the act acquiring or gaining possession.
Flamboyant -
strikingly bold or brilliant
Sacrosanct -
extremely sacred or inviolable

Literary Terms:
Simile - "Once we become like P&C Westle or General, Foods we are dead"
Personifications - " A Hershey bar is Stiff"

Overview Sentence:
Candy are becoming popular in America.


The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 240-270)

Comments:
Forrest must have drove son crazy.
Forrest must have been really serious with them.
His sons were so crazy to take out the red M&Ms.
Hershey didn't need to stop the advertisements.
His sons would never be like their father.

Questions:
Why was Forrest so hard on them?
How come he didn't show any emotions to them?
Was he hard on his daughter?
How come his wife didn't say anything to Forrest?

Vocabulary:
Commodity -
an article of trade or commerce, esp. a product as distinguished from a service
Embargoes - an order of a government prohibiting the movement of merchant ships into or out of its ports
Coronary -
of or pertaining to the human heart, with respect to health

Literary Terms:
Simile - "there is nothing like being broke"
Personification - "Their dedications to the business is mind boggling"

Overview Sentence:
Forrest Mars was so hard on his kids when they were younger.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 210-240)

Comments:
Wow everything has to do with advertisement.
Hershey has to have some advertisement if he wants more people to buy his candy.
People are always trying to find something new to sell.
Sugar was really expensive back then.
Hershey really needed to save his money for the future of his company.

Question:
Why didn't Hershey want to advertise his candy?
Why did the price for sugar go up?
Was it hard to advertise Hershey candy?
Did the advertisement help Hershey sell more candy?

Vocabulary:
Naifs -
Lacking worldly experience and understanding, especially
Calamitous -
causing or involving calamity; disastrous
Discretionary -
subject or left to one's own discretion

Literary Terms:
Simile - "Mohler's solution was to preserve profits by slashing "discretionary" spending, like the company's new advertisement budget"
Metaphor - "I'm going down with the Titanic"

Overview Sentence:
Hershey is trying to advertise his candy so more people would buy his candy.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 180-210)

Comments:
Now Hershey and Mars are big competitors.
Forrest really wants to see his candy everywhere.
The M on M&M had to be perfect.
Forrest had really high standards.
The Mars family had never been in debt.

Question:
How do people stand working for Forrest?
Does every M on M&M have to be perfect?
Was being a manger for Mars company hard?
Didn't the people get sick of hearing Forrest yell?

Vocabulary:
Consolidated - brought together into a single whole
Dismay -
to break down the courage of completely, as by sudden danger or trouble; dishearten thoroughly; daunt
Initiative -
an introductory act or step; leading action

Literary Terms:
Metaphor - "And if everyone is focused on their little piece of the pie, there's no one looking at the big picture"
Simile - "Forrest Mars didn't like marketing people at all"

Overview Sentence:
Forrest Mars became independent. He didn't work with Hershey anymore. He became obsessed with M&Ms.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 150-180)

Comments:

That's good that Murrie and Forrest are working together.
I did not know that M&M stands for Mars and Murrie.
Murrie really helped Hershey out when Hershey needed.
Murrie must have taken it very bad when Hershey passed away.
They were s close with each other they were like brothers.

Questions:

Why didn't Hershey appointed Murrie as the president of Hershey company?
Why was Bruce Murrie and the Hershey workers were nervous when Forrest Mars was around?
Why did Forrest get so angry all of a sudden?
Why did Forrest and Murrie got into a big argument?

Vocabulary:

Confectioners - one that makes or sell confections
Confections -
a sweet preparation of fruit or the like, as a preserve or candy
Prominence -
the state of being prominent; conspicuousness

Literary Terms:

Simile -"He treated everybody in the world like they were stupid except him"
Personification -"Chicago is a sweet-toothed town"

Overview Sentence:

Bruce Murrie and Forrest Mars work together. But things turned out really bad and Murrie quit. He stopped working for Forrest.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 120-150)

Comments:

That's gross people use to lick the bottom of the kisses so they would stick to the wrapper.
Hershey was really obsessed with making soap.
Money did not matter to Hershey at all.
I do not think coca and soap go together.
He probably did not make a lot of money off the soap.

Questions:

Why did they crossbreed varieties of beans?
How come some beans have to be roasted in different temperatures?
Why did the people went on strike against Hershey after all what he did for them and the town?
Did Hershey ever got remarried after kitty died?

Vocabulary:

Tedious - long a tiresome
Crossbreed - to produce (a hybrid)
Idyllic - suitable for or suggestive

Literary Terms:

Simile - "nobody else could touch their equipment; it was like their own child"
Setting - "Hershey longitudinal department"

Overview Sentence:

Hershey spent a lot of time trying to make soap with coca but he still missed Kitty a lot.




Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 90-120)

Comments:

I didn't know that making Milk Chocolate is so difficult.
Romance and chocolate go really well together.
Everyone must really love chocolate.
Each place in the world have their own likes about chocolate.
Everyone wanted to make the perfect chocolate.

Questions:

Why were people so crazy about chocolate?
How come milk and chocolate don't go well together?
How come only the rich could drink chocolate?
Why is chocolate so important in Valentines day?

Vocabulary:

Consumptive - tending to consume; destructive, wasteful
Phenylalanine - a crystalline, water-soluble, essential amino acid
Anandamide- a naturally occurring endogenous cannabinoid chemical compounds of the mammal brain which is released in response to pain

Literary Terms:

Simile -"we didn't know what it was like to live in a real small town"
Personification - "The connection between chocolate and romance seems almost universal"

Overview Sentence:
Chocolate and milk don't go together romance and chocolate have a deep connection.


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 60-90)

Comments:

Forrest Mars really wanted to get away from his father.
He really wanted to event new chocolate so he was a spy in other companies.
Milton life must have been crazy.
Fanny really hated her husband Henry.
Milton didn't really have a childhood.

Question:

Why was fanny jealous of Kitty?
Why did Milton want to get his parents back together when he knows they won't be together?
Why did Milton sell his caramel factory?
Where did he come with all these ideas?

Vocabulary:

Egotistically - Pertaining to or characterized by egotism.
Novelties - State or quality of being novel, new, or unique; newness
Clamoring - A loud outcry, a hubbub

Literary Terms:

Metaphor - "I know they tired to pump information out of suppliers and brokers and candy buyers- anybody they could"
Simile - "None of the 1,200 chemicals in the chocolate is dominant, like the vanillin in the vanilla or the menthol in the mint hat give them their distinctive flavors"

Overview Sentence:

People started to steal secrets from candy makers and sell them to other candy makers.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 30-60)

Comments:
In the candy world you make a lot of money.
The Mars office building is so plain.
There's is nothing wrong with having some privacy.
Hershey didn't copy Mars M&M when they made Reese pieces.
Its so surprising people go crazy over candy.
Questions:
What happen to the partnership between Mars and Hershey?
Why does everyone go want to find a new candy?
Did Forrest really hate his father?
Did he really take over the company?
Vocabulary:
Idiosyncrasies- a characteristics, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual
Insidious- Intended to entrap or beguile
Entrepreneurial - a person who organizes and manages any enterprise
Literary Terms:
Characterization-"Executives say the brothers manages the business far more closely than their father ever did"
Simile-"His mother referred to Frank Mars as the miserable failure"
Overview Sentence:
Hershey and Mars were once partner's. The origin of the Mars company was very messy.

The Emperors of Chocolate (pages 1-30)

Comments:
I really didn't know that chocolate was so important in the army.
The candy industry is such a crazy place.
People who own candy company's were so secretive about their candy recipes.
I didn't know that Hershey and Mars didn't like each other.
Hershey and Mars were going at it when it came down to making candy that could stand up to 100 degrees.
Questions:
Why did Hershey and Mar hate each other?
Why is everyone so crazy about candy?
Did Mars company stay a family business today?
Why did people keep their candy business so private?
Vocabulary:
Abbreviated- shortened;made briefer
Consistency- a degree of density, firmness, viscosity
Reminiscent- awakening memories of something similar; suggestive
Literary terms:
Simile-"The thought made him cringe like he eaten a piece of sour candy"
Metaphor-"That bar could kill you if you weren't careful"
Overview sentence:
Hershey and Mars are archenemy. They compete in making chocolate bars. They are very private about their business. They make about 75% of the United States chocolate.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Red Scarf Girl Conclusion

She taking on responsibilities at home.
Things that she thought that ere really important to her they weren't.
She's growing up.
People didn't notice that the chairman wasn't a good person.
She's thinking much more about the things that are important.

Why didn't she want her grandmother to see her watching?
How did she feel when she learn that it's time to grow up?
Did her house feel empty?
Did things get better after?

Ransack -
to search thoroughly or vigorously through
Contemporaries - existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time
Rightist - of or pertaining to conservative or reactionary political views; noting or characteristic of the political Right

Denouement - "I will do my job. I will"
Direct characterization - "I looked at his gray hair and felt sad rather than happy"

Ji-li Jiang knows that it's time for her to start taking care of her family and she won't give up even if time gets hard or hopeless"

Red Scarf Girl Continue

People are still bothering Ji-li Jiang about her father.
She must have been in so much pain when she cut herself.
She should have been more careful.
They had to search her house again don't these people get tired.
How can the Red guards make her grandmother sweep the floor of the streets.

Why does Bai Shan care so much for Ji-li Jiang?
What are Ji-li Jiang and her family gonna do when the Red guards take everything?
What do the Red guards do with the stuff they take?
Is she going to go kill herself?

Mechanically -
habitual; routine; automatic
Condemning - To express strong disapproval of
Frantically - desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied

Personification - "His cold manner became a little more animated"
Simile - "I felt like a small animal that had falleninto a trap, alone and helpless, and sure that the hunter was coming"

Ji-li Jiang had to work in the rice fields. she fainted when she was working. the Red guards searched her house again they took everything besides their clothes. She's think she shouldn't live anymore.


Red Scarf Girl Continue

Ji-li Jiang must be going through so much.
She such a good daughter and older sister.
The kids had no right to make fun of her because of her family background.
Song po-po really wanted to help them after what happened.
They must be happy to know that their dad came home but sad after they found out that he's not staying at home.

Did it bother JI-li Jiang that she had to stay home and help the family?
How did she feel when she found out that her family owns over 33 hundred acres of land and lots of business?
Why couldn't her father stayed home he was free of charge?
Why didn't Song po-po look at Ji-li Jiang family differently?

Immensity -
vastness; enormous extent
Epilepsy - a disorder of the nervous system, characterized either by mild, episodic loss of attention or sleepiness (petit mal) or by severe convulsions with loss of consciousness (grand mal)
Revolt - to break away from or rise against constituted authority, as by open rebellion; cast off allegiance or subjection to those in authority; rebel; mutiny

Direct Characterization - "Ji-li I envy you so much"
Metaphor - "i watched her doll like figure retreating through the cold wind, and somehow I felt much better"

Ji-li Jiang had to stay home and help out. HEr dad came home but didn't stay. She wanted to change her name but didn't.

Red Scarf Girl Continue

The Red guards are so cruel beating someone just because they wouldn't say anything.
Everyone must be worried because her dad didn't come home last night.
The Red guards had no right to lock up Ji-li jiang father.
The Red guards had the nerve to tell Ji-li Jiang that she can break away from her parents.
I really hope she doesn't do that.

Why did they lock up her father?
Will he be able to get out soon?
Did her dad have anything to hide from the Red guards?
Why do they need to remold the people?

Leniency -
the quality or state of being lenient

Pestering - To harass with petty annoyances; bother
Sneered - A scornful facial expression characterized by a slight raising of one corner of the upper lip

Simile - "standing in the dark doorway, he looked like a monster"
Metaphor - "the world would spin around her and she would feel weak and nauseous

Ji-li Jiang father got locked up. Because he wouldn't tell the Red guards anything. Ji-li Jiang family can't come and see him. Ji-li jiang was told that she can break away from her parents.

Red Scarf Girl Continue

Ji-li Jiang must have been bored at home for one whole year without going to school.
Children are so cruel to their parents if they did something wrong.
Some people are getting what they deserve.
She finally gets to go back to school.
She gets to have a fresh start in school.

Why couldn't she go back to school?
Do the Red guards really have the right to hit people?
Is school gonna be different for Ji-li Jiang?
Why does her father have to take political study class?

Whelp -
the young of the dog, or of the wolf, bear, lion, tiger, seal, etc
Gleefully - full of exultant joy; merry; delighted
Benediction - an utterance of good wishes

Simile - "she told me Xinjiang was like a flower garden"
Metaphor - "there was a chill to the air that cut into the skin and numb the body"

Ji-li Jiang doesn't get to go back to school until one year later. She finds out that no one knows about her past. She wants to start new. Her dad is taking class at night. Her younger sister gets picked on because of her family background. Their future doesn't look good.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Red Scarf girl continue

The Red Guards are such cruel people pushing a old man on the floor.
It's so sad that Ji-li Jiang family have burn old picture if they had anything consider fourolds.
Ji-li Jiang best friend must be in so much pain knowing that her grandmother committed suicide.
The Red guards are driving people to kill themselves.
They aren't making China better they are making it worse.

What do the Red guards have against the fourolds?
Why did An Yi grandmother kill her self?
Did she ever thought how her family would feel?
Why did the Red Guards search Ji-li Jiang house?

Propaganda -
information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc
Repentance -
deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like
Trundled -
to cause (a circular object) to roll along; roll

Metaphor - "the hollow rumble of the hard wheels on the concrete floor went around a corner and slowly died away"
Simile - "she doesn't seem like a landlord's wife"

Things are changing quickly and it not good. Everything goes wrong. Ji-li Jiang house gets searched. Her best friends grandmother committed suicide.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Red Scarf Girl Continue

The Red guards have no right to search peoples houses.
ji-li Jiang mom and dad must be sad having to let go of Song po-po go.
It must not be the same anymore without her there.
There won't be anyone there to pick them from school when it rains.
Song po-po was so nice to Ji-li Jiang and her brother and sister buying them things with her own money.

Why did the Red guards search the people's houses?
Why did they have to let Song po-po go?
How can people just stand there and watch the red guards do those things?
Is the Red guards going to check Ji-li Jiang house?

turbulence -
the quality or state of being turbulent; violent disorder or commotion.
Bourgeois - a member of the middle class.
Pedicab - (esp. in Southeast Asia) a three-wheeled public conveyance operated by pedals, typically one having a hooded cab for two passengers mounted behind the drive

Red Scarf Girl Continue

Ji-li jiang must be so happy since it's summer.
It's so cool that the teachers get to pick the school for the students.
That's so cruel that the chairman change the rule that the teachers can't pick the schools anymore.
Ji-li Jiang must be so disappointed.
She must be shocked that she has to go to school with the kids that picked on her.

Elation -
a feeling or state of great joy or pride; exultant gladness; high spirits.

Elite - the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons
Calligraphy - fancy penmanship, esp. highly decorative handwriting, as with a great many flourishes

Direct Characterization - " in those two years she had been more than a teacher to us; she had been a devoted friend"
Metaphor - "I knew that many of my favorite books, like the stories in Grandpa Hong's bookstall, would be sorted away forever, declared poison under the new standards

Ji-li jiang was so happy to know that summer is here. she was happy to know that her teachers get to pick the school she gets to go too. But disappointed later finding out that the chairman change the policy.


Red Scarf Girl Continue

It was a good idea that Ji-li Jiang stayed home.
Song po-po and her Grandmother were nice trying to cheer her up.
The kids at school had no right to talk about Ji-li Jiang father just because they were Red Successors.
It's so dumb that you can't be a Red Successor if you don't have a good background.
The kids are so mean to pick on Ji-li Jiang just because she lives a little better then some people.

Was her grandfather a bad person?
Why do people need to have a good background to be a Red Successor?
Why did her friends turn on her?
Why won't the teachers say anything?

Remnants -
Something left over; a remainder
Remold -
cast again
Textile -
any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting

Hyperbole - "I jumped blindly into the dazzling sunshine and ran home"
personification - "Alone in the corner of the school i saw a wildflower she had six delicate petals, each big as the nail of my little fingers.

The kids turned on Ji-li Jiang so easily. They picked on her because of her family background. Her father told her that alot of people will talk but she shouldn't listen cause they don't know anything.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Red Scarf Girl Continue

Kids are so cruel back then in China.
The Chairman had no rights to let the kids humiliate the teachers.
Ji-li Jiang must be shocked that the kids wrote stuff about her all over the school.
Her aunt must have been in so much pain having kids make fun of her just because she wears make up.
Ji-li Jiang was smart not to write anything abot her teachers cause she has nothing against them.

why is the chairman so cruel?
How could Ji-li Jiang watch the kids make fun of her aunt?
Why would the kids write something about Ji-li Jiang?
What is she going to do?

Fervor - great warmth and earnestness of feeling
Insidious - Intended to entrap or beguile
flabbergasted - To cause to be overcome with astonishment

"They are invisble knives that are even more dangerous then real knives or guns"
"Her face was ugly with distress"

The chairman had no right to do this even if he thinks that the teacher are posioning the children minds. The kids are so cruel they can easy turn on their teacher. Ji-li jiang has alot coming to her cause now kids are going to make fun of her. Cause rumors are spreading around school that she had a realtionship with a teacher.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Red Scarf Girl

Ji-li Jiang is so flexible. She has so much energy. There seem to be something wrong with the family because her dad won't let her try out for the Liberation army. she always so polite. The student had no right to destroy the mans clothes just because it was one of the four old. Ji-li Jiang should have said something instead of just sitting there and watching.

Why did her dad want her to try out? Why did the people want to get rid of four old? How come the people choose JI-li Jiang to try out? Why did she just sit there and let those kids tourment that man?

Liberation - the act of liberating or the state of being liberated
Emblem -
an object or its representation, symbolizing a quality, state, class of persons
Paradox - a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

" The sweet breeze carried the scent of new leaves and tender young grass and rippled the paper slogan"
" she was slim and stood straight as a reed her eyes sparkled ans her long braids, tied with red ribbons, swung at her waist"

Ji-li Jiang must have really wanted to try out. But her father said no why? Her friends are even wondering why. Things are changing in China. There are new rule and looks. You cant be caught in the four olds anymore.