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.