4,000 Days-No.9

After I finished reading this book, I wonder "how would this story be changed if the main character is woman?"

First, the main character, Warren Fellows, says in the book that the life at the prison was very hard like a hell. There were not enough food, the cell was very dirty and has no human right.
But I think, if the author was woman, she would spend much better life than men. Because women is not much strong as compare as men in health. The physiological function is differ between men and women so women should be more protected in health care.

Would the author try to escape from the prison if the author is woman? I don't think so. Because man is much stronger than woman in physiological function. Man has stronger muscles than woman and in case if they have to run fast to escape, it is hard for woman. Also women is much calm than men sometimes. Women can decide in calm and can consider the possibility carefully. Also in the history, the prison breaker are mostly men.

When I studied about the drug in school before, I found the data which shows the percentage in man/ woman who takes drug. I remember that the man has much higher percentage than woman. It might not be happened if the author is a woman.

The Enchanted Garden

From the title of this book, first, I predicted the garden that is really great and there are a lot of fun. After I started reading the book, I was bit confused because two boys are playing outside, not in the garden. After I finished the reading, I knew more about the title.

There are swimming pool, food, ping pong table in the garden. But the garden is not two boys'. There is a boy who looks unhealthy and it is his garden. For the unhealthy boy, the boys are enchanted but for the two boys, the unhealthy boy is enchanted. I see irony in this book.

I uses the reading strategy, Picture the story in my head. The expressions in the text about the garden are a lot. Therefore I pictured the garden in my head according to the text. I simply picture the garden looks like my condominium garden because there are swimming pool and ping pong table.

All the Years of Her Life

The story, "All the Year of Her Life", is about a boy, Alfred, steels things from the store and his mother, Mrs. Higgins comes to talk with shop owner, Mr.Carrs. Because of Mrs. Higgins persuades Mr. Higgins, Alfred doesn't go to police. Alfred realizes the mother's strength at the store and home.



This story can happen at Japan too. In Japan, many boys and girls shoplift from stores and it has became serious issue. When the shop owner catches the boy/girl, they call parents first. I have watched in TV many times that parents cry and asks the shop owner to not call police.



However, these years, parents in Japan have less responsibility in caring children. Therefore, the children who shoplift answer the reason to the police that they want to attract the parents' attentions. When the shop owner asks parents to come to the shop, some parents says that "it is children's responsibility and it is not parents' so it is okay to send thier children to the police. "I do not care. It seems very sad for me. Shoplifting is not only children's problem but also parents.

The Beautiful Garden

4,000 Days-No.8

I finished reading the book, 4,000 Days written by Warren Fellows. At the end, he finished spending 12 years at the Bangkok prison with the crime of taking drug. His 12 years at the Bangkok prison was horrible. He couldn't live normally. He had ate cockroach, sands, his nails, and many other things. He was in under control by guards 24 hours and had no freedom. The day came when he was released by the prison. He says in the book that "I can't even remember what I felt at this time. I suppose I was never going to believe it."

This words reminded me when I got the acceptance letter from university. I can't remember what I felt at this time and couldn't believe it when I just got the letter. I spent so much time in feeling pain and stress and the took few minutes to realize the reality. I had worried and couldn't believe the future while I was studying for the exam. After I passes the exam, my future started expand and I guess that Fellows felt same as me later. However, I know that the our situations were totally different but, at the core of our feeling, it seems same for me.

While I was reading the last parts of the story, I remember and compared the story with my own experiences and it helped me to image the picture, his feeling, and have deeper understanding of the story. I learned from this book that it brings us happiness when we have freedom and blight future.

4,000 Days-No.7

In the story that I am still reading, 4,000 Days by Warren Fellows, the author, Fellows, is now having hard time. He seems to have same mental problems from his stress and many kinds of feeling such as regret, pain, depression, despair, and hopeless. He lose a lot of hair, has hallucinations, and reduced wight.

To try to understand more about Fellows feeling and deeper understanding of the sistuaion of the story, I used the reading stratey to link my experience that is similar to his feeling.

I know that it is impossible to compare my own experience and his perfectly but I think to compare my worst and most painful experience with the story, it would help me to understand more about Fellows.

When I was studying for entrance exam for university, I felt so much pain and stress. It was the my worst period in my life. I was trying my best to improve my TOEFL score but the result didn't come well for long time. I wrote Japanese essay a lot but I couldn't get good comments from teacher. I spend much time and my parents spend money and I have responsiblity to enter university. It made me feel huge stress and pain and I couldn't beleive future. My goal seemed getting far away from me day by day. Because of the stress, I lost 3kg of my weight and my some hair at back head became white. I yell at my parents and gave them pain too. I wanted to run away from what I was doing and my future.

But I noticed that it wasn't the last chance. Even though I fail in the exam, I would still have chances in the future. It released my stress. I know that in the book, it is really hard time for Fellows but he still have chance to have better life in the future. I guess that he felt same as me that we have future and chances so he could overcome the hard period and to take the chance in good way, he decided to write the book to let people know his life at the prison and to alarm them.

4,000 Days-No.6

In the book which I am reading now, 4,000 Days by Warren Fellows, the author is now regretting the time when he took drug. He keep saying in the book that if he could rewind the time to when he took drug, it would be the greatest thing. But of course he can't .

I use a reading strategy to infer the reason and the situation surrounding him that made him take drug by my background. These days, there are more young people in Japan who take drug. It became easier to have drug these days. I wonder why young people are so interested in taking drug and I tried to get to the answer by using my background.

I think that there are the problems in society. If many young people feel against the society or depressed by the society, there pain or stress is released to doing something bad things. For example, if the society is not built as good for people, such as there are huge difference among people by money, education, or wealth, the rate of crime increases. Therefore, I think the society is important to being good system and should have trust from people. If people have dream or wish to be better person or life into the society, there would be less people who commit crime because they have hopes and goals. So I think that the good solution to reduce crime such as taking drug is to check the system of society. Among the society, education is also important. If the education at school, family, or society works well to teach children and people that the taking drug brings no benefit to you, then it would be the common understanding among people. It will help society and people to reject taking drug and extinction of drug.

Also people take drug to release there pain and stress. I have heard the story of taxi driver in Bangkok. According to the story, there are many taxi drivers who take drug because there are many heavy traffic jams at Bangkok and it is stressful to the taxi drivers to wait for ling time inside of their taxi. I infer the reason why there are many taxi drivers and it is to release their stress.

By using these background, I infer the the time and situation when Fellows started to take drug and the situation should be not so good. May be there were not enough toughs about drug or the young people felt bad at their society or politics. If Fellows could trust the society and believes that the society works well to make his dreams, wish, and hopes would come true, he might not have took drug. Therefore, in my opinion, the fault and responsibility is not only for a person who actually takes drug but also in the society.

4,000 Days-No.5

In the story, the author, Fellows, wrote about when he was think about prison breaking. Fellows was at a loss whether to do or not. He couldn't have patience anymore to live under the harsh life at the prison. But he was worried that if he fail to do prison breaking, he would have capital punishment for sure. I predicted the later story by using the reading strategy of predicting the story using my experience and background.

I had watched the American TV drama called "Prison Break." The drama is about people who did prison breaking and run away from police. In the drama, the main character of the drama, Michel, once said that "We need to have courage and strong decision to do something that is really risky." This word helped me to predict the later story of 4,000 Days.

I predicted the story that the author, Fellows, would not commit the prison breaking. Because he doesn't seem to have courage and strong decision. If he did have, he wouldn't take drug. The person who has courage and strong decision, s/he will say no and never take drug. Therefor, I think he would choose to stay prison to not get more punishment.

However, I noticed while I am writing this that it is impossible him to do prison breaking. Because if he did and didn't succeed, he should still stay in Bangkok prison or already taken capital punishment and if he did succeed the prison breaking, he should still run away from police and impossible to write this book.

Girl by Jamaica Kincaid

Benna is the word that I was interested. I didn't know the meaning but from the sentence, I predicted that Benna is kinds of song. The sen tense says "is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school!?"

I know the Jamaican song called reggae. It is rhythmic and beat music and I related reggae with benna. I used my backgraound knowledge to image the story.

After Thought

After I finished the story, "The Wisdom of Toads", in English class, my thought about the story had changed. At first, I thought that the author wrote this book because he wanted to apology and tell readers about his regrets. However, while I was reading the story once again with Ms. Jo Ann in the class carefully and slowly, I found that there is no clear sentence that should show his apology or regret. Then I am confused the purpose of this story. He might want tell readers that he was not the good model of father or teacher. So the message is don't be father or teacher like him. He might put himself as bad example of father or teacher. But I doesn't make sense to me that he doesn't apology and show his regret in the book. Now I think that this book might be a story that makes readers to think about how to get back the trust from others.

The Wisdom of Toads by Ken Lamberton

I read a story called "The Wisdom of Toads" Ken Lamberton. At the begging of this story, I had several questions about it.

Why is he trying to find the toads?
Why is he in a prison? What is his name of the crime?

To discover the answer to these two questions, I used the reading strategies.
I used the strategy of paying more attention to what I am reading when the text becomes difficult. I felt the sign of the importance parts in the story. I don't know what it exactly is, but from the sentences, I felt something more serious. At the part, I could find why he is trying to find the Toads and why he is in the prison and what for.

After I got the answer for these two questions, another question came into my head.
The question is, Is he a real father and teacher?

I used the strategy to get this answer: I think about what I know to help me understand what I read.

The both father and teacher must be good example for children. However, he did commit the crime and according to what I thought from the reading, he doesn't seem he is sorry.

In the paragraph 10, he says that "They (his children) would need me."

He must be ashamed on what he did, as a father and teacher. I know that there are same kinds of the events in Japan. For the case of Japan, when the court declare a penalty, they asked about their responsibility in what they have done as their states such as father or teachers or others. Then the courts give them the punishment. I think that the man lost the responsibility as a father and teachers. These two states must be a good example and can't betray his family member and students. However, he still think that his children would need him. Is that so? It is just the bad influence to his children. I don't think his children would need him. And we can't call him as father or teacher.

4,000 Days-No.4

In the book, he was taken his human right away. He couldn't have a normal life anymore at there. There was not enough food for him so he ate cockroach to save from starving. He wasn't conscious to taste it. He wanted everything that he could eat. At that time, he said that he couldn't recognize him as a human. He said that the pain from starving is felt heavier than quiting drug. I realized that the importance of food and I am very happy that I can get food anytime. I infer that the author regretted a lot in taking drug after he experienced the harsh life at the prison. I can see from the book and it reminds me that people notice an evil deed and regret it after they are taking punishment.

The food is important. However, when people are in hard situation in food, it can cause a conflict. The start of war was from occupation area which people could get more food. Insufficiency of food makes people be insane. In Africa today, people kill each other to get food. If there are enough food, those people could be saved. To actually save them, what can we do? As a country, in case of Japan, they have high skills in agriculture. They have high enough skill to put seeds in the grand of Africa where basically hard to grow crops by changing the their genes. Now, what can we do as personal? Fortunately, we are at comfortable environment than those people who are starving. Therefore, we can waste these mercy. We can't think the our comfortable life as a matter of course. We are just lackey and we must concern about the fact of people's hard situation at especially Africa.

The story reminds me the importance of food. I don't want to regret in wasting food when I am in starving.

The Summer the Sun Did Nout Blow Up

While I was reading this story, I tried my best to understand the story deeply. I used two strategies a lot.

1. I stop from time to rime to think about what I am reading.
2. I go back and forth in the text to find out how ideas are related to other ideas.

These two strategies are very helpful to understand the story.

One of my weak point in reading is I sometime read really quickly and even I don't understand the story, I keep reading and at the end, I lost. So these 2 strategies gives me a time to re-read the story and try not to go forward until I understand the story.

I used these 2 strategies at paragraph 1,2,and 8. First two paragraphs are what I should read carefully because I don't have much information. At the 8th paragraph, the story seems to change the direction so I thought that it is very important.

I also used the dictionary once. I searched the word "rumour" at paragraph 9. Actually, there are many words rumour in before 9 paragraph but I didn't search. However, after I saw the word rumour a lot and predicted the word would be important later, I searched the word by my dictionary and in consequence, it was very helpful.

After I finished reading the story with using these strategies, I took my time to think about its theme.

People can't believe something new easily. Before you believe, you need to take your time and inspect it.

It sometime leads people to bad way or negative way when they believe something and are betrayed. We have to believe something after we check it ourselves.

In the story, if people ask or check the story from "Readers' Digest" and check the story with whom you heard, then it wouldn't make this big trouble.

The Theme of 4,000 Days

I think the theme of this book is that "there is nothing more precious than a free life."
He didn't have any free while he was in the prison and he said that it was most harsh time in his life. He didn't have free and human right. He didn't have free to eat, speak, act, behave, and live. Everything was limited and being under surveillance. After he spent 12 years and became free, he couldn't feel free and still lacks free life. Because the limited life at there was so harsh that still takes free away from him. He knows that the free life is the best thing now.

So this book and the author, Warren Fellows, shows the "bad example" life for readers and says that "there is nothing more precious than a free life."

In his case, that was drug abuse. But person who commits criminal must to go to prison and being taken free away. Taking drug undermines your health and committing criminal can make other's life fall through. But at the last, everything go into you in hundred times worth.

4,000 Days-No.3

In the story, the author, Fellows, got caught in Bangkok.
I can't imagine the his new life at the Bangkok Prison.
In the book, he describes the life there as hell.
He didn't have enough food to eat and he was treated like slave.
He was forced to have a public work for 8 hours every day.
His cell smelled like toilet.

I have no confidence to live at there for 12 years.

The descriptions in the book stimulates many spots in my brain, especially imagination.
But I guess that he didn't describe every thing at there. I thought that when he published the book, it should have a censorship by Thai government and I guess that they asked to delete some parts in the story. The prison in each country has many restriction of information and Bangkok prison as well.

Therefore, I infer that there should be some more facts that he experienced and these were more harsh. I infer that the prisoner has no human right at there because of the harsh treatment for them. No right to speak, no right to eat fully, and no right to touch to world outside of the prison.




Last week, there was a big news in Japan. The Russian Somo wrestler got caught by taking a drug in Japan. The sumo is the Japanese traditional sports and we are proud of it. Therefore, I can't believe that the traditional was tainted by non-Japanese sumo wrestler. The sumo needs the strength of heart, skill, and body. These can't be missed to be a Sumo Wrestler. In case, if famous people such as, actor, actress, sports player, singer, teacher, or politician, take drug, the collapse of life is not only for them but also for others. In short, there are so many children who want to be a Sumo Wrestler in the future but these children might lost their dream because of the Russian sumo wrestler who took drug. Not only children but also his coach, roommates, family, and Russians. One mistake can betray a thousands of people.

I can't find any good point in taking drug.

The Lady or the Tiger?

The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank Stockton

Summary: A long time ago, a man is accused of a crime by a king. In the arena, the king gives man two choice of opining doors. Behind each door is hungry tiger and beautiful lady. If he opens door at tiger side, he will e eaten and if he opens another door, he has marry with her. The king's daughter, the princess loves the man she knows the secret if the doors. Now, she gives the sign to the man which door to be opened.

Reading Strategies: Through my reading, I check the understanding of the story by each paragraph. I put check marks at the end of every paragraph and when I couldn't understand the story, I went back and re-read the story. Also the story takes place at the arena in long time ago, I needed to use my imagination to understand to situation and atmosphere. Some important sentences, I read slowly and carefully and sometime, I converted the English into Japanese. To use the reading strategies carefully and effectively, I concentrate reading each sentences and paragraph.

Infer: At her sign, the young man crossed the arena and opened that door.

4,000 Days-No.2

In this week, I read 2 two chapters which talked about life before he met drugs.
In the book, he said that "I never imagined that my life would fall through in this way."
I heard this words before.

"DACO" is a name of free information paper in Thailand. It has many information that helps us to live in Thailand. In DACO, there is a one space that shows the letter from Japanese prisoner who was taking drugs and serving in prison in Bangkok. He was sentenced to serve 30 years in the prison. It is twice more than the author of this book, Fellows.

He said exactly same words with Ferrows. Both life was good enough before they started to take drug.

It made me think that taking drug is very horrible. Even people know that it corrupts life, they do take drug somehow. Both got caught in Bangkok and I'm living in same city. I hear many drug stories in here. To not my life corrupts, to not bring disgrace on my family, school, and Japan, I must not take drug forever.

Another thing that is common to both is they are trying to stop and save people from the hell of drug. Fellows wrote this book to tell how the life in prison is terrible and regret of being taking drug. The Japanese man is also doing same thing as Fellows. This is their job.

We are living in Thailand which has serious problem of drug. We don't know what will happens in future. To prevent the worst situation, to be able to prevent others, I think we have to discuss about the issue of drug more in school or among friends.

iPhone Girl

That was interesting to read the article called, "iPhone Girl."

I think it is okay if the iPhone with the picture has no problem but, it shocks people who pay huge amount of money and expected it as brand new. I infer that this is a one reason why world is interesting in her.

I infer about her why she became so famous in the world is that the picture was on the iPhone was so unexpected. I think the picture was kind of test in camera and it is the company's mistake to forgot delete the picture. Even so, people are attractive by unexpected things and want to know more about, what, who, where, when, why, and how. It is just a curiousness.

Another reason why people are so interest in this news is, including me, it surprises me that iPhone is made in China. I believed that it is made in U.S.A or U.K. I trust U.S.A and U.K more than China so I was shocked by knowing that the iPhone is made in China.

I infer by this article is the world is in peace now. I don't really think so, but why people are so excited in this new? It is just a human mistake and it sounds me that this happening is nothing significance. In the world, there are millions of people who can't buy iPhone and even food and they are streving. There are many wars and fights in the world still today. Why did medias focue on this stupid news? I know the consumers' feeling when they found the pictures in their brand new iPhone and it might make them super angry, but you are surely happier than people who are straving. Then why are you so angry by that? Why doesn't media work hard to report the news about the wars around the world? Even though, this news was in the category of entertaiment, but I infer that the media faces to wrong direction.

Using Reading Strategies

While I was reading "THe Telephone" with Mrs. Jo Ann and my classmates, I used two reading strategies which were

1.I analyze and evaluate the information in the text.
2. I check to see if my guesses or predictions about the text are right or wrong.

I read only two paragraph, 8th and 22nd, and I didn't read most of the story.
Therefore, I used the fisrt strategy. I didn't have much information about the book, so I needed to get the information as quickly and clearly as possible from the paragraph that I read.

In the 8th paragraph, it tells us how the village has thier own lives. It is the core of the basic information of the book and I need to know it for understanding further story.
It seems hard at first but I need to do it anyway otherwise there will be more difficult to undersntand the story later.

Second reading strategies that I used is checking my predictions are right or wrong. Before I start reading the book, before start reading the new chapter, or new paragraph, I usually predict the later story. Im not trying do it but Im doing natually.

The prediction is like a goal or aim. The one purpose to keep reading is to check my predictions are right or wrong. I dont want to stop reading because im curious of my prediction. But actually i do stop readign sometime when it is super boring.

This time, my prediction was correct and i became happy.

I know that the reading strategies helpe me a lot and there are some strategies that I need to be careful to use or concentrate to use.

But in my opinion, im using most of the strategies natually or unconsciois.

4,000 Days-No.1

24/8/08

I chose a non-fiction book called "4,000 Days" which was written by Warren Fellows.
This book is about an Australian man, who is the author, and he wrote this book after he became free by 12 years in prioson in Bangkok. He was caught by police because he took the drug.

The book cover seemed me interesting and this is one reason that I chose this book. I can feel the gloomy mood by the cover. There are many lines and each five lines are carved to count the days on the wall.

I read the first part of the book, prologue and the first chapter "CHANGE."
While Im reading this book, it is hard to image the author's situation because the life at inside prison is never famililar with me. However, I don't want to image it. For example, the prisoners sometime ate cockroach and insects and thier excrement. But it tells me about the another world and which I really don't want to step in.

There are many words that I don't know it means. However, because of it is a non-fiction book, it is easier to pridict the word and this is why I chose the non-fiction story. From this time, Im trying not to use the dictionary as much as possible for my English practice. But sometime I need such as when I found the words that means special.

Kazu