For the creative nonfiction reading I chose "To Be American" by Xu Xi. I was first attracted to this story by the title and actually enjoyed reading it because you get to see how America is viewed from a different point of view.

I chose "Little Things" out of the short stories from Raymond Carver because it isn't super jolly or happy. This is something that actually happens in life and it was a good change from all of the happy go lucky stories.

I chose this picture for the Collected Stories book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez because is reminds me of the last short story of "The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and Her Heartless Grandmother" and how Erendira is trying to escape to the shore.

Followers- I was a follower when I went to a party and told myself I would not consume any alcohol and ended up drinking way to much and had to sleep in my car. Gave in to peer pressure.

Berenger- It was actually the following weekend from when i gave in to peer pressure and was a follower but at this party I actually stood up for myself and didn't have one bit of alcohol and turned into the DD(designated driver) and got my friends home.

He was a punk,she did ballet
What more can I say?

He wanted her, she'd never tell
secretly she wanted him as well.

But all of her friends stuck up there nose
they had a problem with his baggy clothes.


I chose skater boy by Avril Lavigne because of her use of rhymes in her lyrics with the 3rd and 4th lines as great examples.

Spring in New Hampshire
by Claude McKay
Too green the springing April grass, Too blue the silver-speckled sky, For me to linger here, alas, While happy winds go laughing by, Wasting the golden hours indoors, Washing windows and scrubbing floors. Too wonderful the April night, Too faintly sweet the first May flowers, The stars too gloriously bright, For me to spend the evening hours, When fields are fresh and streams are leaping, Wearied, exhausted, dully sleeping. I chose the poem by Claude Mckay because he mentioned spring cleaning with his line of "washing windows and scrubbing floors". This line really hit home for me since i get really into the spring cleaning mode and go off on my house.

From all of the poems by Pablo Neruda the one that stood out the most to me was "Ode to Clothes" because it was poem that I was able to relate to my everyday life with something as simple as what you wear.