A Reading Addict's View on "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Hello! My name is Tanlen Carmen Raubenheimer and I am a reading addict.

I have read many…many…many books in my lifetime and I am about to tell you something incredible.

Recently I was assigned to read “To Kill a Mockingbird” in my AP English class. At the beginning it sounded totally boring but to my big surprise….It wasn’t. In fact it is one my favorite books.

…Shocking I know…

It may not be “modern” compared to Twilight, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Eragon…you name it. BUT it has lessons that ANYONE, ANYWHERE, and at WHATEVER AGE can understand.

It is timeless literature and it doesn’t have an expiration date on it, like milk.

Besides if we are looking for “Modern Literature” I propose that we take some Shakespeare out.

Just saying.

To Kill a Mockingbird teaches you about how you need to understand a person’s perspective before you judge them.

For Example Atticus, Souts’s father, tells Scout “"If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view …until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

That is something I have always had trouble with.

Again…Tis  shocking…

I am a very judgmental person…at times. If you do something stupid I am going to laugh and whisper something to Benj.

It’s not my fault….

…It’s Chandlers….

…And Cheys…

…and Mckays…

…. And… I don’t even know anymore

Anyway…It’s something that I need work on and this book really focused on not judging a person because of their appearances

And let’s be honest.

You probably have the problem to.

We have all heard the phrase to walk in someone else’s shoes but do we actually do it?

That was a rhetorical question, don’t answer it out loud.

We also learn that others, many others, will oppose our beliefs.

 They judge us for what we believe is right. But does that make it wrong?

Should we give them up because others think of it as wrong?

The answer is a resounding NO!

Just like Atticus, we will be judged for doing what is right. However, Atticus never gave up and we should do the same.

It will be challenging and it won’t be easy but it is the right thing to do.

This book gives us true insight to human nature.

And that isn’t something a lot of “modern” books give us.

It is also a story about our history. It may be a history that we don’t like but it is our history nevertheless.

Unless we want a repeat of our history we need to learn from it. How would that happen if we cut ourselves off from the literature that would help us?

To Kill a Mockingbird is a vital part of our education…

…just like ice cream and blonde British boys are vital to me…

I vote that we keep To Kill a Mockingbird in our literature….

THE END!

  

Painting A Picture Of Myself

Tanlen



Who is kind, loyal, trustworthy, and laughable

Who has taller sisters, a small sister, and two young brothers

Who has a love for art, music, and the mysterious

Who feels loved, lonely, and the need for something new

Who needs sleep, touch, and something she hasn't found yet

Who fears rejection, chickens, and not living her dreams

Who would like to see adventures, people getting along, and her family in South Africa

Who lives in a bubble the get popped too much for her liking

Raubenheimer

My Little (Big) Lists Part 2

The 10 People, Places, Things Etc. That Make Me The Most Happy:

• The Beach
• Surronded By Trees
• Disneyland
• Anywhere Where I Feel Accepted
• My Bed
• My Family
• The Art Room
• My Friends And I Laughing
• Photos that Bring Back Good Memorise
• Chocolates From South Africa

10 Places I Will Visit Before I Die:

• Rome
• The Pyramids
• Hawaii
• The Place Where They Flimed Harry Potter
• The Bahamas
• Greece
• The Titanic (Or As Close As I Can Get)
• A Coral Reef
• A Real Castle
• The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter

My Little (Big) Lists Part 1

10 Things I Know To Be True:

• The Church is True
• My Family Loves Me
• Blue is my Favorite Color
• I Have Moved To Many Times
• Art is Like The Best Thing Ever
• I Am No Longer a True Blonde
• I Am Blind
• I Do Not Like The Color Pink
• Merlin. Right Now Anyway, Is The Best Show Ever
• The Saying Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Words Will Never Hurt Me Is Not True

10 Objects I Can't Live Without:

• My Toothbrush and ToothPaste
• My No Frizzy Hair Cream
• A Paintbrush
• A Pencil
• A Good Book
• My Glasses
• My iPod
• My Wonderful Soft Bed
• A Computer
• A Hairbrush

10 Things I Should Have Learned By Now:

• That I am Blind And Need My Glasses Everywhere
• That When You Take Things Out Of The Oven It Is Hot
• No Matter How Hard I Try I Do Not Get Math Or Chemistry
• There Will Always Be Someone To Bring You Down
• I Am Unable to Make Cool Noises or Sound Effects
• That Life Can't Be Sunshine And Butterflies All The Time
• The First Thing People Will Ask Me When They Find Out I Am South African Is "Why Are You Not Black?"
• Carlynn, Casey, And I Don't look Related
• People Will Always Ask "Where Is Your Accent?" And I Will Always Feel Guilty For Losing It On Purpose
• People Will Use You Sometimes

10 Of My Greatest Fears:

• Chickens
• Rejection
• Mice
• Judgment
• Needles
• Disapointment
• Not Marrying A Blonde British Man
• Snakes
• Talking In Public
• Reading Twilight

 

How To Make South African Crunchies

Alright all y'all American folk I gonna teach you how to make some South African Crunchies. They are baie lekker (very yummy in Afrikaans.) This is the treat my mom made for the South African lunch that some of you had a chance to taste.  

The first steps are to preheat your oven to 325 degrees farinheit ( I always forget this step...my bad!) and grease your pan. (This is really important)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are your ingrediants...most of them are household items

We are first going to mix our dry ingrediants.

Mix in a big bowl:

·        3 cups of oats (or granola)

·        1 1/2 cups of flour

·        1 cup of sugar

·        1 1/2 cups of cocanut

·        2 teaspoons of baking soda

Now in a different bowl we are going to melt 300 grams of margarine or butter with 3 tablespoons of golden syrup or maple syrup

          (Golden syrup can be found at kohlers, my bad. Riddley's in the international aisle)  

 

Combine the dry ingredients with the mixture of the margarine and syrup. The dry ingredients must be mixed well with the mixture. The texture should be dough like and not too wet.

 

 

 

This is what it should look like mixed

 

Use your huge impressive muscles to press into a pan, use your fingers and to spread it equally.

 

 

 

It should look like this when your done

 

Put it into the oven for 15 minutes. It should be a golden brown when you take it out.

 

 

 

 

Cut them into square WHILE WARM. They harden as they cool.    

 

And there you have it. You have just made South African Crunchies. You could almost pass as a native! Almost is the key word...

How to procrastinate

We all have had the homework we don't want to do. Well the answer is simple....procrastination. It is simple and easy enough for everyone to do. Here are the very simple steps to becoming a procrastinator. 
Step #1
Suddenly forget you have that homework. It isn't hard to do. You can forget your homework folder at school or suddenly forget where you put your backpack. It's easy enough.
Step #2
Watch TV, read a book, listen to music, color in a coloring book. It's simple and sophisticated.
step #3
Go out. Eat food at a fancy place. Go see a movie or a basketball game. (Guess where I am right now ...wink wink...) It will keep your mind off the pending doom.
Step #4
Go take a nap. Hopefully your dreams won't involve homework.
Step #5
Do absolutely nothing.  Go stare at a wall or something!

As you can see procrastination is an art that can be easily learned and mastered.
...This post is not responsible for failing grades, emotional outbreaks, or any other negative consequences... 

Blogger Critic

http://www.jakeandcarla.blogspot.com/

Blog #1:

Blog number one is a blog I follow because the mom use to babysit me in South Africa. She hasn't posted in a while but I know that is because she has been in South Africa for a while.

Carla Denise Geddes is the only member of the church in her family. She converted to the gospel when she was about twelve and she moved to America a little bit after she graduated.

She has been blogging since 2007 and her first blog post was about being sealed to her husband  (who is an American) in the South African Temple. 

Her blog is very colorful, her focus is her children, husband, and in general her life, her audiance is mostly her family and friends.

I enjoy reading her blog because it is so much fun to see what is going on in her life right now.

...And besides we South Africans need to sick together.

http://livoniarecipes.blogspot.com/

blog #2

This blog is for the chefs in the class.

The blog has a fresh (literally) background, the recipes sound amazing, and guess what? They are all Mormon!

They have a index for food so if you are searching for something specific it narrows your choices.

There are a lot of women on the blog so the recipes are all different and individual.

The only thing I wished they had done differently was have put pictures with the food.

There is only one question left...

...Where is Livonia?

 

 

 

 

 

http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/

Blog #3

As you can tell from the title this is a craft blog.

I personally love just looking at crafts and think Wow maybe one day I will craft that!

So as you can tell the blog name really sucked me in.

The blog has a cute title page, it has a color scheme, it has advertisements, and it has some of the cutest craft ideas ever! (Enter fan girl squeal here)

It has something for everyone. Some crafts are for beginners and some are definitely not. However, it is a very lovely blog to just scroll through.

Or maybe that is just me because I like to be weird like that.

Barcode Clan

Take it from someone who has moved like 14 times, friendship makes a difference in you life. I am known, in my family, for being the child who won't make friends. In Canada I didn't want to make friends. What was the point? I was leaving as soon as I could and it would create so many tears. I was miserable. I went out of my way to not do anything with anyone. At girls camp it kinda changed. There were people that could be my friends. I sat by them at church anyway. I still didn't see the point. That changed. I became friends with a lot of girls. We even gave ourselves a name. We were the Barcode Clan. (Don't ask, I don't remember!)

They decorated my room when I was in South Africa. We watched movies. We play games. We had so many inside jokes that they made me a book. We sobbed when I left. They were probably the BEST friends I have ever had. Am I friends with them now? Not really. We like things on Facebook. I skype Sarah sometimes. We spam eachother's facebook. Do we talk alot? Not anymore. But to me that doesn't matter. They were there when I needed someone and I know that they are still there if I need something. It is the memorise that counts. They will always be there no matter how old I am or where I go.

Growing Up

               I have a love-hate relationship with growing up. Going to colleges was challenging for me. It made my love-hate relationship more apparent to me.

BYU was really snazzy. I really loved the feeling I got there and it would have been a great experience if I hadn't gotten lost and sunburned. (Yes, my skin is so sensitive that it got sunburned...from snow.) I got lost and I wasn't able to go to a class I wanted to go to. That made me really worried because I am normally get lost in a parking lot (True story, ask Carlynn). How am I going to get to class...on time? It was also freezing at BYU that day and made me hate the snow even more!

I fell on my butt at UVU. I was beginning to wonder if all these bad things that were happening to me were signs. Anyway, I fell on my butt and Chandler laughed. The one thing I loved about UVU was that it was all connected. I didn't have to face the cold weather! Or fall on my butt again. There was a lot of green and I felt like I was at an airport. I didn't get lost, which I was surprised about. All in all I would have had a wonderful time if it wasn't for the bruised bum.

I thought there was a lot of green at UVU that is nothing compared to the red at UofU! (Art nerd time! They are complimentary colors!) The highlight of the day was the Canadian car that was half parked in a pile of snow. (Picture is so included.) Ian Seth Boggess got us lost. Luckily, it wasn't for long. We met the group and went to meet our tour guide. He wasn't the best tour guide of the bunch. (That goes to UVU) The thing that sold me at UofU was the womb chairs and I really wanted to sit on one but all of them were taken! The campus was really pretty and I wanted to draw a lot of the buildings.

I am scared of change. I have had a lot of drastic changes in my life and I don't like them. I rather be like Huck and ran away from my problems but I know I can't. College is coming at me wither I like it or not. it is something that I know I have to face and while I am excited for it there is a shadow of doubt clouding what could be fun.

Who am I? I know I am a daughter of God and that he loves me with all his heart.

What was I born to do? I wish it was to sleep and be lazy but it is not. Truthfully, I don't know yet.

What is stopping me? Me and all my doubts. It has been this way since I was little and it is something that I am trying to fight.

(Oh, Canadians!)

My Talents Make Me Special

Everyone has their own special talents that are unique to them and everyone uses them differently.  I try use my talents to join the conversation online. I join the conversation online by posting mormon messages or my testimony on my facebook. I have lived in three different countries and most of my friends from there are Mormon. However, not all of them are.  I like to think that they read or watch the messages I put on my facebook. I try use some of my talents by trying to always be open to questions they might have.  I don't know if I am converting anyone but I do feel like I am influencing others to do good. If that is all I am doing then I am still proud of my work.

Be An Example

" You have a great opportunity to be a powerful force for good in the Church and in the world. There is truth in the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” In many cases it is with words that you will accomplish the great things that you set out to do."

          One of the best ways to be a missionary is to be an example. I have witnessed many miracles because someone has been an example. My grandpa was one of the best examples I have had in my life. He fully converted to the gospel and never looked back once he knew it was true. He was a teacher and because of his words many people have better lives. He was never afraid of telling a stranger about the church and sharing with them his testimony. My grandpa is my example of helping others with our words.

"Every disciple of Christ will be most effective and do the most good by adopting a demeanor worthy of a follower of the Savior. Discussions focused on questioning, debating, and doubting gospel principles do little to build the kingdom of God."

          I don't know about you but I know that I get frustrated very easily. It is always hard for me to calmly sit back and listen to someone bashing my beliefs. However, I have seen the effects that a calm conversation can do. It is something I believe we can all work on. As a disciple of God we need to do all we can to build His kingdom. If that is swallowing our frustration then so be it. We all have things that we can work on to create a better example for others.   

 

My Perfect Day

My perfect day would begin by waking up without the help of someone else. I would be able to lie in bed until I felt ready for my day to start. I would then eat my dad’s lovely bacon or sausage omelets and eventually return to my room to read a fantastic book or finish an art project. When I was done there I would Skype my family in South Africa to get the latest gossip of my soap opera family. As soon as the call would end, my mom would have magically appeared with a Café Rio chicken salad. While munching on the salad I would watch the latest addicting NCIS marathon with my sisters. I would spend the rest of the day with my family. For dinner I would have a steak with loaded mash potatoes. So in a nutshell my perfect day would be me just getting fat.

Step One

Step One: Create a blog for thesis. Done. Step Two: do the assignments...huh maybe later!