Marley and Me quotes

1. "'We have to do the scare test,' I said. Many times before I had recounted for Jenny the story of picking out Saint Shaun when I was a boy, and my father teaching me to make a sudden move or loud noise to separate the timid from the self-assured" (Grogan 8).
In this quote, Jenny and John are deciding which dog they are going to take home with them.
When John was a boy he did this test and had the greatest dog a boy could ever obtain. John assumed it would work with Marley too and he would turn out as great as Saint Shaun. Marley was already put to the test and passed at a young age; he was going to be great... or so John thought.

2. "When the lesson was over, she asked if I could stay after for a minute. I waited with Marley as she patiently fielded questions from other students in the class. When the last one had left, she turned to me and, in a newly conciliatory voice, said, 'I think your dog is still a little young for structured obedience training'" (Grogan 63).
At this point, John has given up on training the wild dog himself and so he went to obedience school for help. This just shows how much trouble of a dog Marley really is. John later says Marley is the only dog he has heard of to get kicked out of obedience school. Despite everything, they keep Marley and work with his overactive behavior.

3. "One night early on, as I was turning off the lights to go to bed, I couldn't find Marley anywhere. Finally I thought to look in the nursery, and there he was, stretched out on the floor beside Patrick's crib, the two of them snoring away in stereophonic fraternal bliss. Marley, our wild crashing bronco, was different around Patrick" (Grogan 109).
The normally, crazy hyper dog that John and Jenny have known their whole life is starting to take on a new side of gentleness. He seems to realize that a baby is more delicate and so he doesn't act as frantic around the new born. With his new care and calmness, Marley gains respect from his owners and they are starting to trust him more.

4. "When I looked up, there he stood, ten feet from us, facing the street, in a determined, bull-like crouch I had never seen before. It was a fighter's stance. His muscles bulged at the neck; his jaw was clenched; the fur between his shoulder blades bristled. He was intensely focused on the street and apeared poised to lunge. I realized in that instant that Jenny had been right. If the armed assailant returned, he would have to get past my dog first. At that moment I knew- I absolutely knew without a doubt- that Marley would fight him to death before he would let him at us.
There was a scream in the middle of the night in John's neighborhood. A girl had been taken by a man and threatened with a knife. When John went to go help, he left the door open and Marley came running after him. It wasn't till later that he noticed Marley standing there in protection mode. He saw the side of Marley that made him feel safe with his dog. Before this, Marley was just a dumb, silly pal; now he was a loyal guard dog.

5. "Thw Abominable Snowdog. Marley did not know what to make of this foreign substance. He jammed his nose deep into it and let loose a violent sneeze. He snapped at it and rubbed his face into it. Then, as if an invisible hand reached down from the heavens and jabbed with a giant shot of adrenaline, he took off at full throttle, racing around the yard in a series of giant, loping leaps inturrupted every several feet by a random somersault or nosedive" (Grogan 222).
Even after moving to PA, Marley is able to adjust to the weather and be his old self. In this passage, Grogan uses a lot of imagery to explain Marley's crazy actions and it really adds to the story. he uses word choice and overall way of writing just sets a very joyful happy mood to the scene. Marley definately knows how to make life joyful and happy and so it fits.

6. "No matter how much trouble he had getting up the stairs, if I returned downstairs, say to grab a book or turn off the lights, he would be right on my heels, clomping heavily down behind me. Then seconds later, he would have to repeat the torturous climb. Jenny and I both took to sneaking around behind his back one he was upstairs for the night so he would not be tempted to follow us back down" (Grogan 241).
As Marley gets older, he develops arthritus in his joints and has a lot of trouble running his normal life. The stairs were one of the hardest things for him and it really shows how loyal he is to John and Jenny that he would face the pain every night multiple times just to be with them all the time. Because it is a stupid thing to do, John and Jenny treat him with sympathy and try to eliminate some pain by sneaking but it never seemed to work. He lived with the suffering and never complainied or stopped for anything.

7. "Yes, it was only a dog, and dogs come and go in the course of human life, sometimes simply because they became an inconvenience. It was a dog, and yet every time I tried to talk about Marley to them, tears welled in my eyes" (Grogan 274).
After Marley died, there seemed to be a big empty space in the Grogans' lives. He came inside one morning from finding the perfect place to bury Marley and found his kids crying. He tried to explain to them that everything was ok and they would be fine, but John himself was having a hard time dealing with the fact that Marley wasn't coming back. John says he is the kind of person that never cries at funerals or many sad times but for some reason, a dog made him soften up; only a dog.

8. "What I really wanted to say was how this animal had touched our souls and taught us some of the most important lessons od our lives. 'A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours,' I wrote. "Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty'" (Grogan 279).
John works at a newspaper in PA and when Marley died, he decided to write a column about his story with the world's best and worst dog ever. He wrote it in tears thinking of all the times he yelled at Marley for the bad things he did and also for the fun times they had together. Marley, and any dog, is a lot more to a person's life then they ever expected. John says he taught him lessons about life that would be abesnt and unimportant to him without the help of his companion. After writing the article, John got hundreds of e-mails and letters back from readers all over the city sharing their stories and giving their sympathy. His life was changed forever because of the silly little dog that he origionally thought ruined his life. No matter what, even with silly minds and bad behaviors, dogs will always be a man's best friend.

All the Pretty Horses 3

We finished up All the Pretty Horses this week in class. I thought the ending was really good. John Grady goes back to Texas after meeting with Alejandra who denies his marriage request and realizes that there is nothing there for him. His best friend Rawlins tells him to go into a different field of work and to start new. The ranch isn't what it used to be and his father is gone now too. The last thing that showed how lonely was was when Luisa's mother died. She was a worker for the Cole family for as long as he could remember and the last thing he had in Texas. Now that she is gone, there is no reason for him to stay. I would have liked McCarthy to explain a little bit about where he goes and what he does for the rest of his life, now that he is abandoned but just figured out that he wrote another book as a sequel which I am thinking about reading now. Overall the book was good. I liked how he used very different stylistic elements like lack of quotations and punctuation. It made the story more challenging to read but also made it flow a little better. It was written as if someone were speaking it. I picture it as if the classic western story is told by an old cowboy who was there himself to witness a great journey.

Marley and Me 5

The reason John and Jenny decided to get a puppy in the first place was because they wanted to have children eventually and they thought a puppy would help. The time they have to spend training and feelind him would be just as much as a new baby. Jenny took this so seriously that by the time they were ready to have kids, the house was already baby-proofed from having Marley. Finally, one day, Jenny told John about a stomach ache and how she felt like she was going to throw up after taking a sip of wine. They went to the drug store, bought a test, and went home to see. Jenny couldnt look herself so when she saw John's expression as she walked out of the bathroom, she knew. She jumped into his arms, more than overjoyed that she was finally pregnant. The next couple months were going to be spent, overdramatically protecting Jenny from cleaners, heavy boxes, and anything that would hurt her most important possesion. Among the many worries they had for a new baby, the biggest one was Marley. His energetic spirit caused much consideration of how Marley would react to a new member in the family. Would he go crazy not getting the attention he has now? They could only hope and pray that he would treat the baby with more care than any of the shoes, rugs, and other furniture in the house. John and Jenny were ready for the baby, but was Marley?

All the Pretty Horses 2

John Grady Cole seems to be the hero or leader of the story. He and Rawlins set out for Mexico together and accomplish many feats but throughout the book, John Grady has been more of the role model. He broke 16 horses in 3 or 4 days with a little help from Rawlins and got a promotion from the ranch owner, Don Hector, because of it. When he and the hacendado were talking, John Grady is recognized as the leader for the first time. When asked for sure, though, John refuses the title and says he and Rawlins are partners and they travel and work together. He is loyal to his partner and will stand up for him in and circumstance. John Grady is the stereo-typical cowboy with his loyalty, skill, and also ability to sneak around with women while living under strict conditions. Alejandra, the hacendado's daughter, is the most perfect girl John has ever seen who is rich and pretty and above all, a little rebellious against her father's will. She and John Grady sneak around together although Alejandra knows it isn't right. When he is approached about the relationship from Alejandra's aunt, John Grady realizes the extent of their wrong-doing. The aunt says it could ruin the reputation of Alejandra, and it is not likely she will ever get it back because she is a woman. In the book, issues of loyalty, leadership, and sexism are starting to make things difficult for John Grady and everyone associated with him.

Marley and Me 4

John Grogan writes with a different style than most writers. I noticed it this week while reading Marley and Me when he was talking about Marley's adjustment to the new house, family and life overall. He tends to give Marley his own voice in some cases, thinking about what the dog would say if he could talk and give opinions. One time when John was writing about Marley's first night alone in the garage, he gave insight to Marley's thinking when John walked in the door. "As soon as he spotted me, his face brightened and his tail began to beat the side of the box. It was if he were saying, Come on, hop in; there's plenty of room" (Grogan 22). Johns style is also very fun filled with lots of happy, playful words and expressions. He uses many similies and metaphores to explain how Marley reacts to different things or to try to give an image of what is really going on because his dog does some pretty strange things. "His body would quiver, his head would bob from side to side, and his entire rear end would swing in a sort of spastic dance. We called it Marley Mambo" (Grogan 25). All of the devises John Grogan uses in his writing makes reading his book so much more enjoyable and really adds to the overall imagery.

All the Pretty Horses

We started reading All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy in class this past week. So far what has happened is that these two guys, John Grady Cole and Joe Rawlins, leave their home and head off for Mexico on their horses. They meet a boy named Blevins and take him with them on their journey even though they are afraid he will cause some trouble since he stole a horse and ran away from home. So far I really like the book. It is much easier to read than The Odyssey but is still a little challenging to read because of McCarthy's style of writing. He doesnt always use quotations and his sentences can be anywhere from three words to a full page long. The dialogue can be hard to read at times but I have gotten used to his writing now and understand the plot so it is fun to read. I like the story line too because when you read the title, it seems like it would be a girly book about horses and an easy life but really it is an adventure story about guys going to live in Mexico and facing troubles along the way. I can't wait to read more into what happens to John Grady, Rawlins, an Blevins along their journey through Mexico.

Marley and Me 3

For John, it was important that Marley had one rightful owner that would control the rules in the house. He believed that a dog could only answer to one owner or master and that he wanted to be that master for Marley. Because of that, John took comlete advantage of the fact that the first couple weeks Marley was home, Jenny wasn't going to be there. He spent his time trying to house train and discipline Marley with his own tactics of scolding and prasing at appropriate times and treating him with beach visits and dog treats. Things were looking good for the duo except for the fact that Marley, like John had readin books, was a lab and growing at a very quick pace. By the time Jenny got home from her trip, the little puppy she had picked out so long ago had now grown up and gained about thirty pounds. With his bigger size and stronger muscles, it was harder to train him too. Marley gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "tail wagging." Vases and other object would be shot off the table if Marley's tail was anywhere near. He gained the nickname Mr. Wiggles because he was always happy and jumping around which didnt help with the tail wagging either. After a while, John and Jenny decided they would need to completely baby proof their house because the obedience training with Marley wasn't having the effect they would have hoped for. That also made John a little disappointed because he had high hopes for "Grogan's Majestic Marley of Churchill" and wanted badly to be the master. Even with the disappointment, John made a commitment and promised himself he would not give up.

O Brother Where Art Thou

We have been watching o Brother Where Art Thou based on the epic, The Odyssey by Homer in class for the past week. It is about three guys who escaped from jail and went searching for this treasure. The encounter many obstacles along the way like a man named Dan who is significant to the cyclopse in the book. it follows the story line pretty well with a few alterations. In the book, the cyclospe is blinded because Odysseus and his men thrust a spear into his eye. In the movie the make it a little more creative and Dan catches the spear right before it makes contact and instead he is then crushed by a burning flame that was lit for the secret meeting he was attending. Although there were many differences like that in the movie, there were also many similarities. The names of many of the characters were similar such as Odysseus was Ulysses and they called the man his wife was going to marry a suitor. Also the personality of each character was similar. Ulysses was the leader of everyone with the brains and masculine traits and the other two men were just kind of partners like the crew members. Overall I think O Brother Where Art Thou did a good job of creating a fun remake of The Odyssey while still keeping the character and theme of the story.

Marley and Me 2

After Marley came home and had been living with John and Jenny for a while, they realized that they had never really done any research to find out what kinda of dog they should get. John's curiosity led him to reading a couple books about it and they were almost completely alright with their decision. The guilt of thinking they had done a bad job went away for a bit when he read that labs are "a breed America could not get enough of" (Grogan 17), but as he read more he started to change his mind. The breeder had not shown them Marley's father and it wasnt until after buying Marley that they had met the energetic, wildly crazy male that they realized maybe that was a mistake. They can now only hope that Marley took after his sweet calm mom instead of his father. By what they have seen so far, it doesn't seem to be the case but John is still hopeful. He picked Marley the same way he had picked his first childhood dog who was, according to him, the best dog a person could own. John had called his dog saint shaun bacause of his good behavior but Marley wasn't looking too promising for that title. In the end, John was somewhat disappointed to admit defeat with his new pup but wasnt about to completely give up yet. Sometimes the dog just needs to be trained and disciplined first.

weekend

This weekend was especially fun for me. I haven't been out of the house hanging out with friends or going to soccer practices for the past couple of weeks because I have been out sick with the flu. I was really bummed cause my brother also had to rub it in my face by telling me he and a couple of his friends were going to Fargo this weekend for a tennis tournament and I would be stuck home once again. To top it all off, he told me they didnt have to go to school friday and so I got pretty mad and jealous when I heard that. Thankfully for me I had one thing to look forward to, a party saturday night with all the friends I hadn't seen in a while. As the weekend got nearer things started to be getting better. I found out that it was finally getting warmer in Edina and it would be a good weekend to go outside. It also helped to know that my brother was going farther north to the cold and his trip wasn't going to be nearly as good as he had said. Saturday night came around and I had a really fun time dancing and just hanging out. When I got home, I also heard the news that my brother's trip was going a lot worse than planned. He lost his first game and didnt know how the rest of the tournament was going to go. After the whole thing happened I guess I should have felt bad for him and everything but the previous jealousy and anger he caused me made me feel like revenge was needed. He is still not home yet but I cant wait to tell him about how much fun I had this weekend and hear about how badly his went.

New semester

This new semester means we are going to be reading a lot of new books and writing a whole new portfolio of essays for class. I think im looking forward most to finishing up the Odyssey because its a book that I have heard all about through elementary middle school and have always wanted to read. In latin class and world history we hear about all the myths and stories behind the tale of the great odysseus and gods that help him get back home from his journeys and now I have finally got to read about them together instead of in portions. The Odyssey also brought its share of reading challenges and was extremely confusing at parts. Book 10 was the easiest for me to understand because we read parts of it in class and got to discuss it while we were reading. Although it has been interesting to learn about the gods and this epic journey, I am also ready to start a new book for the semester. Im ready to learn about a new story and see what the next adventure is for second semester.

Marley and Me

For my outside reading book for quarter three, Im reading a book called Marley and Me by John Grogan. Its different from the other books I have read this year because the other books were something about a girl and her family struggling with a big struggle in life like school or poverty. The reason Marley and Me is so different is because it is about a man named John and his life and experience with his best and worst friend, a dog named Marley. They face struggles very different from the ones in the girls' lives like for example, Marleys attachment issues in his new home. John had to stay up very late the first few nights Marley came home because he would not go to sleep. John's wife, Jenny, also had some troubles with Marley. Because she and John both worked at a newspaper, they had a hard time trying to figure out what to do with their new puppy during the day. She sometimes would have to come home to look over him and let him out. The Grogans realized soon after their new purchase that having a bouncing lab puppy wasnt going to be as easy as they would have thought. Im excited to see what happens next with John, Jenny, and Marley in the book, Marley and Me.

Shakespeare

Over break I read acts 2 and 3 of Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. It is an interesting and fun play that I am beginning to understand now that I know what he is saying by using the side margins. In my opinion, I think that Beatrice and Benedick should fall in love in the end. They seem perfect for each other, neither one really believing in love and that kind of stuff but seem to be changing their minds as the story goes on. The plan put on by the prince and Hero was the perfect way to get them together and so far it seems to be working. I also hope that the wedding with Hero and Claudio happens because they are the couple that does believe in love and happiness. It doesnt seem fair for Don John to be able to change their minds with a prank almost. There are two couples and two pranks but one is pulling apart while the other is coming together. Im excited to see what happens next with the wedding and the pranks.

The Glass Castle... My opinion

The ending to The Glass Castle was good in my opinion but it could have been a little better. After Jeanette and the whole Walls family moved to New York, the family kind of split apart and almost had problems of their own. Her mom became homeless, Maureen went to jail and then moved to California, and their dad died. Jeanette herself had a sort of happy ending getting married and finishing college but after the climax of the story thing were getting better again and it could have ended with that but then there was a little added part that, in my opinion, could have been left out. Overall I think I would recommend it to other people because it is a story that you read thinking its fiction because of the drama and dramatic aspects. She makes her life seem like it is an adventure and it could all be made up but isnt. It is a great story of ocerall success starting with a rough childhood and ending in peace finally. I think Jeanette Walls did a great job writing a fun and exciting memoir.

Racial issues for the Walls

In the past few chapters of The Glass Castle, Jeanette has to deal with racial issues in West Virginia. A black girl in Jeanettes class took a special disliking to Jeanette on the first day for acting better than everyone else with her reading skills. Because of it, a group of friends and the girl, Dinitia, decided to beat Jeanette up after school and during recess. It continued on for a couple weekd until a little boy from the black neighborhood got lost one day and Jeanette gave him a piggy back ride all the way home. Dinitia saw Jeanette as she dropped the little boy off at his house and never beat her up again after the incident. In fact they became such good friends that Jeanette's family was starting to get worried. They told her people might call her names for hanging out with those kind of people. Despite everyone else and what they had told her, Jeanette remained friends with her and went swimming with the blacks during one morning at the public swimming pool that is reserved for whites during the afternoon. It was one of the best days of her life but since the school year was about to start up again, Jeanette was never able to hang out with Dinitia again. The racial issues of the time led to the fact that all throughout high school, Jeanette never made any more friends and forced herself into isolation, eating in the bathroom and working in the library after school. Life was tough for her all around. At home, and because of the Dinitia incident, at school too.

outside reading

When the Walls family decides to move to West Virginia, Jeanette and her brother and sisters are forced to adjust to a whole new lifestyle. They had never experienced snow before and had to deal with that among other things like meeting new friends and trying to fit in at school. When the foundation outside their house for the new glass castle turns into a garbage dump, kids and neighbors from all over started calling them the dirty family and it made life at school pretty difficult. Jeanette eventually was able to fight back against some of the problems when she started working for the newspaper at school. She was the editor who also wrote most of the articles and took pictures during school events like prom and sports games. Because of that, kids at school wanted any chance they could get to be in the paper were and treating her nicer. After a while though, Jeanette and her sister, Lori, decided that life in West Virginia wasnt exactly all they had wanted it to be. They started saving up money and eventually, one year after Lori graduated from high school, moved to New York to start a new life without parents to hold them back. Once Jeanette recieved all the letters about how great Lori was doing, she finished out her last days and moved up as well. A year or so later, they had pulled Brian away too. When the last of the Walls children, Maureen, moved in with Lori in New York, their parents had had enough of life without their children and ended up moving north too. The kids had finally gotten away from what had been holding them back until it came back with even more problems than before.