What I love about Christmas (and not just the presents)

Since Christmas is coming up, I decided to write about all things I like about my favourite holiday, Christmas.

Of course everyone likes getting presents on Christmas but it's not my favourite thing about Christmas. Well, I don't have a favourite thing about Christmas but I like a lot of things about it. One of those things is watching Christmas movies like The Grinch that Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is coming to Town(by the way these movies aren't revised ones but the old, cartoon ones). I like these movies because they bring out my inner little child and they give me a bit more of Christmas spirit every time I watch them.

Another thing I like about Christmas is decorating the house, especially the Christmas tree. We go to the same place every year to get what we think is the best Christmas tree there. When we get home with our new tree, the whole house is filled with the smell of pine needles. I think this is one of my favourite smells. When my father gets home from work, we then get some christmas music on and then start decorating the tree. We decorate the Christmas with decorations me and Henry made when we were younger, christmas balls, character figures, candy canes, and of course we add either the angel or wooden star on top of the tree. I like doing this because it gets my family somewhat closer together.

A final thing I like about Christmas is when my grandparents come over for Christmas dinner. We stuff ourselves full of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and also the special Christmas desert. Yummy! I like it when my family comes over for Christmas because sometimes we don't get to see them often. It's very nice.

Now that you have read I like about Christmas, I'm sure you know that Christmas isn't just about getting presents or getting lots of chocolate in your stocking. It's about the love towards your family and friends getting stronger this holiday.

How do authors try to create a feeling of empathy in their readers?

Hmm...... not exactly the easiest question in the world. Lets see... one of Deborah Ellis's(the author of The Breadwinner) ways of creating empathy is by creating emotions towards the characters in the book. For example, the main character Parvana has a older sister named Nooria who's always really mean to her. This reminds me of my younger brother Henry who seems to get away with everything, that little sneak. So Parvana and I both feel resentment towards our siblings. Another way to create empathy would be using such descripition and detail in the story to create a imaginative picture in your mind. Here's a example from the book:

She was always glad to be outside, even though it meant sitting for hours on a blanket spread over the hard ground of the marketplace.

- Ch.1 p.g 8

Even this simple little sentence can create a descripitive picture in my mind. I can imagine the diligent marketplace with all the people trying to sell their belongings to earn more money for themselves or for their family. I can also imagine how dense the ground will be, how raw your bottom will be and how sweaty you'll be after sitting on the ground for so long.

Another way to create empathy would to be to use A LOT of adjectives. Instead of using the words like anger, relief or courage, you could say outrage, refreshment or heroism. By doing this, it creates situations that you can relate to and understand. For example, when Parvana was being beaten by a solider she gets really mad and snaps back at the solider. She yells: Stop hitting me! on p.g 55. Parvana then had to run away from the situation. This scene reminds of when at my old school, a boy was picking on a friend of mine. This made me really mad, just like Parvana. I got so mad that I also snapped back at the boy but I didn't have to run away from him. I can understand how angry Parvana was when that solider was beating her.

The Breadwinner is filled with the feeling of empathy since it's about a girl who's about our age so we're able to relate her life to situations in ours. Even if our lives are completely different. I hope my blog helped you understand how authors create empathy in their readers.

Imagining a life in Afghanistan

Imagine that every time you're outside you have to be covered from head to toe with a burqa. I think to myself: How would this change my life if I lived in Afghanistan?. Well, let's put it this way, if I had to wear a burqa all the time it would really bug me and get me angry. Wearing all that clothing would make you really hot especially with the climate in Afghanistan. I HATE BEING HOT ALL THE TIME!! It would also be hard to move around easily with layers of clothing on. How would I be able to run around or play soccer with a burqa on? I 'm clumsy enough so I hate to be bumping into people and things because I couldn't see or move freely with a burqa on.

I don't know how girls in Afghanistan can put up with having to wear a burqa all the time. I mean wouldn't it get annoying having to wear heavy clothing all time? And considering some people express themselves through their clothing, how would we know what a certain girl is like? Then again, I would try to make the best of the situation because there's nothing I can do right? I would rather wear a burqa than to be beaten or thrown into jail for not wearing one. Plus, all the girls wear them which is like wearing a uniform, right?

I'm glad I don't live in Afghanistan under such strict rules. I just hope that the girls there will have more freedoms in the future.