A Letter: Dear Lucy Maud Montgomery...

I have read your book, Anne of Green Gables, many times, and each time I saw the book from a different point of view. While reading your book, I realized something about myself. I realized that I, like Anne, have a free will. I can have hopes, dreams, and ambitions. I think your book really enables me to exhibit the same characteristics that I share with Anne. Your book makes me feel special because it makes me feel not hidden but out and free in the world. Being confident in the world, I feel everyone can enjoy and appreciate my talents. For example, when I dance or play piano on stage, I am reminded of the time Anne walked the ridgepole. She did it fearlessly, and I admire her courage. Reading your book shows me that I can have that courage too.                              
This book also showed me something different about my world. Anne describes everything so beautifully. She calls places by different names to make places seem more fantastic. Anne of Green Gables made me see how awesome the world really is and how wonderful it is to live in a place where life flourishes and plants sprout. It made me realize and appreciate my home and planet even more. I am now even more aware of my surroundings. Just as Anne named an ordinary lake the “lake of shining waters,” I think that everyone should see beauty in their environment. I think this different viewpoint would help preserve our planet.  

Your book was very meaningful to me because your book had many life lessons. I really enjoyed reading how Anne persisted through her challenges and how she fought through adoption and being different. I know I’m different and I know it takes strength to get through being different. Reading Anne of Green Gables and learning about how Anne survives her differences really helps by providing me an example to follow. Anne also undergoes change. I’m going through change in my family and my life because I’m moving to a different state. Reading this book makes me feel that Anne is helping me through the change. The book, Anne of Green Gables, develops my self-confidence, strengthens my appreciation for the world around me, and helps me deal with the changes in my life. Thank you for the opportunity to be inspired by your book.

Sincerely,

Victoria Scarlett Doman

A Poem: The Worst Battle

Marching tiredly

Lee marched his men to death

Nothing could stop them

Their enemy ready to fight

With 85,000

Armed

Fighting, not stopping

Both day and night

Brothers fighting side by side

Both sides still fighting

Blue on hills and Gray below

Firing down on Meade’s men

Musket balls and canons

The glow of fire in the soul

Fighting, not stopping

Both day and night

Brothers fighting side by side

On the final day

Blue’s canons were too silent

Lee ordered a charge

All his strong and abled men

Ascended down the ridge

Fighting, not stopping

Both day and night

Brothers fighting side by side

And thus they were fooled

Again they soon glimpsed their death

 The canons groaned as it killed many

Only 100 survived

To see Union ridge

Fighting, not stopping

Both day and night

Brothers fighting side by side

Soon again the fighting will very cease

Blue against Gray

Bayonets catching the light of the morning sun

Meade’ army were fast and firm

All thought it was the gray’ s victory

Fighting, not stopping

Both day and night

Brothers fighting side by side

Nothing more to come

The great battle has buried hopes of many

Seven thousand dead

Forty four thousand wounded

The world will never be the same

Fighting, now ceased

Everything is gone

No more brothers fighting brothers

– By Victoria Scarlett Doman

A Biography: The Life of Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson is a Christian, although she might not seem that way when she writes. Since Katherine was born in China, she based the setting of her first novel in China. Her writing style, marked by a sense of longing and remorse in her books, is beloved by many readers of all ages. Although Katherine is a Christian, she writes from the perspectives of her characters instead of herself. Therefore, she often does not portray her own Christian worldview in her writing. 

Katherine was born in an unexpected place. She was born in Qingjiang, China in 1932. In China, her parents were Christian missionaries. When Katherine was five, there was an epic invasion by the Japanese. Because of the Japanese invasion of 1937, Katherine and her family fled to America. Surprisingly, Katherine and her family moved thirteen times in thirteen years, from 1937 to 1950. Although Katherine was born in China, she had the ambitions of an American.

Although Katherine started writing in Japan, in 1966 she moved back to America. While in America, Katherine received a master’s degree in Christian education. Katherine’s friend from church who came from Japan kindly told her she should become a missionary in Japan, and she did. Katherine wrote her first stunning novel, The Sign of a Chrysanthemum, in 1976 while in Japan. Her extensive studies in Japan frequently fused with her writing to form some of her best-selling novels.

Many of Katherine’s highly action packed books reflected her childhood. Her characters are often faced with dire situations. While she writes of sadness and joy, she also writes with empathy. Her inspiration for her best-selling novel Bridge to Terabithia came from a disastrous event in the life of her son David. David’s best friend, Lisa Hill, was struck by lighting and died. Katherine wanted to show his deep sorrow by writing a book for him. She dedicated the book to Lisa Hill. She knows her characters and feels every word she writes. 

Writing was the source of Katherine’s strength during her life. Katherine’s characters portray the hardships of her own youth. Having to move a lot in her youth, she must have longed for a real home. Since her writing takes place in both China and America, she must have arranged herself in two places during her life and her books. In dealing with her problems in her home and in her family, Katherine seems to give her characters hope through her own experience.

– By Victoria Scarlett Doman

A Review: Anne of Green Gables

I really enjoyed reading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. There are so many parts in the book that I love, but I’ll try to pick out three of my favorites. I really enjoyed how the author describes every event through Anne’s optimistic point of view. I also like how Anne is so adventurous and talkative. I really like the book all together. 

One of my favorite parts is when Anne breaks the slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head. It all starts when Gilbert teases Anne by calling her hair “carrots.” Anne becomes furious because she hates it when people criticize her looks. She stands up in class and picks up her slate and slams it on his head. She, then, never speaks to him for a while, and she denies his request for forgiveness until later on in the book. 

My second favorite part of the book is when Anne sees a peddler on the road, and the peddler says that the dye would turn her hair a beautiful raven black, but, instead of turning her hair raven black, it turns it into an ugly green color. Marilla finds Anne crying in her bed with the covers over her head. She asks Anne what she’s doing, and Anne replies by saying, “I dyed my hair.” Marilla then has to cut Anne’s hair very short. That time vanity got the best of her. 

My third favorite part of the book is when Diana becomes drunk. It begins when Anne invites Diana over for tea while Marilla is out. Marilla told Anne that they could have cake and raspberry cordial out of the cellar. When Diana arrives, Anne acts like a wonderful hostess. When she goes to get the cordial, she picks up the current wine instead by accident. Not realizing her mistake, Anne tells Diana that she can have as much “Raspberry Cordial” as she wants. When Anne is in the kitchen preparing the cake, Diana has several glasses of the current wine and becomes drunk as Anne returns from the kitchen. Diana says that she has to go home, but Anne does not understand why, so she follows Diana home and realizes that Diana was, in fact, drunk. And Diana’s mother does not let Diana or Anne speak to each other until Anne helps out her family in a surprising way.

This book is the kind of book I’m going to remember for many reasons. The characters are cool, and Anne is always talking. The setting of the book is great, and the description of everything is awesome. It really is a great book.

– By Victoria Scarlett Doman