The Queen of Spades

Title : The Queen of Spades
Author : Aleksndr Pushkiny

• What was the most surprising or interesting lesson you learned from the story?
  
  
  
  • Everybody can change their own characteristic easily, and it doesn’t need much time to change it. The characteristic of someone can be changed by their choice for living. As we know life is choice.
  
  
  • A kind man in this story not always be a kind man.
    (A kind man today not always a kind man in future)
  
  


• Why?
  
  
  
  • Because at the beginning of this story Hermann is a kind and cheerful man. He is economically and doesn’t want to spend his money for playing gamble. Whatever he is a kind man. But day after day he became a cruel man and greedy man because of treasure. He wanted to be a rich man, but he took a wrong way to get it. It means it was his choice for deciding his life.
  
  
  • Tomsky who is a gamble player, he became a kind person because he tried to be better than before. He stopped gamble and chose his life to be a kind person.
  
  


• How does that lesson connect to your own life?
  
  
  
  • Everybody who I ever know in some years ago, their characteristic not always in same with their own characteristic in some years before. From a cruel man become a kind man or vice versa.
  
  
  • A good man in the present not always good in the future.
  
  

Rini

In The Spring

Title : In The Spring
Author : Guy De Maupassant

• What was the most surprising or interesting lesson that you learned from the story? Why?
  
  Of course all people in this world must have fallen in love with someone, we as well. But the case is not how deep our loves for someone that we love. The case is how we can manage our love feeling as well as possible because a very strong love that is not managed well will become a disaster. It is just same to the man’s story in “In the Spring” who directly married a woman who he loved in a very short time. Actually he just been blinded by the woman’s beauty and I think his love is not real love, but just a passion. And finally several months after marrying, he just realized that his wife was not the same as a woman who had been by him before. And the man just regreted and regreted.


• How does that lesson connect to your own life?
  
  Actually, the lesson of the story is not really connected to our own life, but it is so suitable with my case when I was falling in love for the first time. I really thanked full for my close friends who had given me some suggestions just like the man in the story who advised the author. But actually it is not really the same. If in the story the author’s friend had had a bad experience about his love story, my friend did not have the similar one. But the main point here is we have to manage our love to avoid any disaster in love story just like “In The Spring”.

Indah

The Kite

Title : The Kite
Author : Somerset Maugham

• Personal Response :
  
  “Lesson for Living”
  Main character : Herbert Sunburg.
  He is a foolish man who is too obsess to something (kite) Herbert became a fool man after the magistrate ordered him to pay Betty (her wife) one pound every week after they chose to end their relationship, but Herbert didn’t pay and he choose to went to prison. It’s caused his kite break and he thought Betty did it.
  This story connect to my life and give me an experience to forgive someone. Because to forgive someone is easy. It’s like to share your hate room in your heart to forgive someone who make you sad.
  

Medya

The Undefeated

Title : The Undefeated
Author : Ernest Hemingway

• Lessons for Living :
  
  This story tells us about a man who is considered unable to do an activity. People said that this activity is too dangerous and this man is too old to do that. But, this man insisted to do it because he used to do it and it is the only way to get back his pride. He did it finally, even though he had to through all of the yells and screams of others. He got his pride back.
  
  From this man I can learn about struggle and spirit of life. This man tells us that there is no word “L-A-T-E” in his life to do an action. Although he is very stubborn, he has a strong willingness to get his reputation as the undefeated back.
  
  This man tells me that I don’t need to hesitate to take an action. I don’t have to listen others opinion always. All I need is just to believe in myself and do it whole heartedly.
  


• The Summary :
  
  Manuel used to be known as a well-known matador before he got a surgery and retired. One day, he visited Reneta’s office, his promotor, ask a match with bull. By the help of Retana and Zurito, Manuel fights a bull conducted to celebrate the president’s national occasion. During the fight, Manuel was pressured by other younger matadors and commentator. They said that it was not the time of old Manuel to be there. He is too old and there is still other younger and stronger matadors waiting to replace him. But, Manuel struggled and didn’t care about what they said. Finally, after having a hard fight, Manuel could make the bull dying. But, he also got a bad impact of that fight. He is bleeding and some of his bones fractured. Although he is totally broken, his struggle were acknowledged by others and his reputation as the undefeated remained.

Alvin

The Story of The Alf’s live

Lesson for living from the Story of The Alf’s live.

What was the most surprising or interesting lesson that you have learned from the story? Why? How does that lesson connect to your own life?

The most surprising and interesting lesson found in the story is don’t ever live under the pressure of weakness. How do I say that?

In the story explained that Alf was pressed to return all the money to the mafia in a certain height of time. He had tried to go collecting money as much as he could but he was unable due to the time limitation. Finally, he decided to fight the mafia in order to get lost from the debt. Being helped by his friends he confronted the mafia and all his will then finally went real. He could escape from the debt and live freely. That’s why sometimes we have to struggle by not always living under control of certain person. We have right to go and we must struggle for that.

Actually, I like the lesson above because I know it is important to bring my pride to be real. I’m now trying to be as free as I can, to be the simple person who goes anywhere unlimitedly. Thus, no people press me to keep my creativity killed. I want do my best without anyone pressing.

Bhakti

The Doll’s house

Title : The Doll’s house
Author : Katherine Mansfield

Dear Diary,

Hi Diary? What’s new on you? Today I want to tell you that I am very happy. Do you know what make me happy? If you do not know, I will tell you them.

Do you remember about Aunt Hay who came to our house two weeks ago? This morning, I got a great present from her. First, I wondered what it was, then I began to opened it carefully. I was very surprised and happy when I knew what actually in the big package was. It was the sweetest present that I ever got. “What a perfect little doll’s house!” I cried.

It is a very wonderful doll’s house. At first, I could not open it. It was too stiff and new, but at last, when the whole house front opened, I could find the living room, dining room, the kitchen, and also the two bedrooms. It was much more exciting than I imagine before. There were pictures on the wall. Red carpet covered all the floors except the kitchen. There are also red chairs in the living room and green chairs in the dining room, tables and beds with real covers, cooker, and also shelves with tiny plates and a jug. It also have the lamp, a little yellow and white lamp, stood in the middle of the dining room. The father and mother dolls sat stiffly in the living room and their two little children asleep upstairs.

I am very happy and wonderful to get it. Tomorrow I will tell my other friends to come there also. Thanks my lovely Aunt Hay. ^_^

Ika

Return to Paradise

Title : Return to Paradise (3 pages)
Source : www.eastoftheweb.com

• Summary
  
  This short story told about marriage’s life. There was a couple who live happily in their early marriage, they were James and Lisa. All of the happiness that they had at that time changed into sadness. James left Lisa for a long time when Lisa was pregnant and finally their first baby was died. Lisa hate her husband so much and wanted to get divorced with him. At the end, Lisa and James met to solve their problems and decided to rebuild their marriage.


• Lessons for Living
  
  The lesson that I learned from this story was very inspiring me. The lesson of this story was all of problems that we had could be solved by a good way that was talked each other from heart to heart, like what Lisa and James did. Finally, we could know that both of them have done a good way to save their marriage. I can use this lesson in my daily life, when I have a problem with my friend, I try to solve it by talking each other with fresh mind and positive thinking. Actually this story gives me an important lesson for my future marriage, get divorce is not good way to solve the problem.

Iid

Wait for the ‘Brick’

Title : Wait for the ‘Brick’
Author : Unknown
Source : www.indianchild.com/wait_for_the_brick

• Summary
  
  One day, a young executive drove his brand new Jaguar. Suddenly, a brick smashed his car on its door. The man, of course, get mad to the child who threw the brick and he shouted and lectured the child. But, the child just gave the man a look of pity. He asked the man to lift his brother for he was fallen from his wheelchair. The man helped the children and he just saw them away to their house. The man suddenly realize that he should not going through his life so fast that someone had to throw a brick at him to get his attention.


• Personal Response :
  
  I’m going to make a film of this story, but I will cut the part when the young executive drove his car and I will just jump when the man get mad at the boy but the first scene would show us the dented door of the Jaguar and the thrown brick because I think that the viewers will be able to interpretate what have happened by watching the first scene. And then, I will show a phrase which I quote from the story, “God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, he has to throw a brick at us”.

Yudha

The Mill on the Floss

Title : The Mill on the Floss
Author : George Eliot
Page : 36

• Personal response in form Diary writing
  
  Dear Diary,
  
  First, let me introduce myself. My name is Maggie and I have an older brother named Tom. To say the truth, there is a man named Philip who falls in love with me. He is a very kind guy and he always convinces me that he will always love and trust me. However, my heart is not for this guy. I already fall in love with another guy and sadly, I know that this love is wrong.
  
  Diary, this guy whom I fall in love with is Stephen, he is Lucy’s boyfriend. Lucy is my cousin as well as my very best friend. How can I betray and hurt her by loving her boyfriend? Whereas, she already does many good things to me. I have no right to hurt her but it is too hard to control my feeling. In one hand, Philip always waits for my love but it already runs to Stephen.
  
  It’s getting worse when I realize that Stephen also loves me. We are really involved in a kind of forbidden love. I know if I continue this feeling, I will hurt Philip but the worst is that I will hurt Lucy. It really doesn’t a good behaviour to do. I am confused what I should do. I want to be with Philip but I have a special feeling toward him and also Tom hates him so much because Philip is the son of person who takes over Tom’s family’s Mill. It is really a trouble for me and I don’t know what I should do.
  
  Diary, what I should do? My affair with Stephen is getting more and more complicated. Stephen doesn’t want to leave me and he even emphasizes that there’s only me, not Lucy. One thing I’m sure that I have to do is I have to control my feeling in order to avoid hurting Philip and also my best cousin, Lucy.
  

Ratih

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Last Straw"

Title : Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Last Straw
Author : Jeff Kinney

• Personal Responses List
  Strenghts and Weaknesses
  
  Diary of Wimpy Kid tells about a boy named Gregory Heffley who wants to live in the way he likes. He has a great confident although he has something ridiculous or silly with his best friend Rowley. He is a kind of lazy and messy boy. He always wake up late and never wash his own clothes or clean up his room that make his parents impatient and angry. But, he is a clever boy which has a great imagination to solve all his problems. He is a kind of thing directly to the problem so he can solve it in a past way. But sometimes it end up like the title, wimpy kid.
  
  If Greg Heffley compared with me, we are two different things but alike. Sometimes I like to do ridiculous things to make my friends laugh or smile at me and I’m a kind who like imagination too. But, I always solve my problem with a right way and think for the best way to solve it.

Rahmat

Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Last Straw

Title : Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Last Straw (217 pages)
Author : Jeff Kinney

• Interior Monologues :
  
  This is the first series of Diary of a Wimpy Kid that I read. The main character is Greg Heffley. His ideas were really funny and sometimes weird. I do not think that a normal person will have the same ideas come up in their mind or even mine. One of his funny ideas was when he commended on the bedtime stories read by his mother to Manny, his brother. He said they are easy to write and his mother asked him to write one story. He chose a snappy name for the character which was Mr. Shropsharp and he made sure that Mr. Shropsharp had a lesson at the end of the story. Then, in the story he told that Mr. Shropsharp hated a polar bear because polar bear was the most useless animals in the world. One day he got an accident and was helped by a polar bear and he changed his mind about a polar bear. I think the story was odd and has no point and the funniest thing was he sent his comic to a publisher. He was really confident about his comic and he waited the publisher to send his fee. What ridiculous thought was that. I mean a junior high school student writes a comic and beliefs that his first shoot will be success. However I will just neglect if my mother said the same thing.
  

Awfini

One Pound of Flesh

Title : One Pound of Flesh (13 pages)
Author : Rob Fountain
Source : www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/OnePoun

• Summary
  
  The story told about a man named Barry Stickelback. He was lefthanded man and he liked to write a story; but everytime he sent his stories to the publisher, his stories was never accepted to be published. He got mad and felt sick about his life. Then he decided to cut his left arm and wanted to write with his right hand. Finally, after he cut his left arm, he wrote an article about himself and sent it to the editor of a newspaper. That was the first time his worked published.
  
  Letter writing to my friend :
  Dear My Lovely Friend,
  How are you? I am doing fine here. I would like to tell you about my newest news. You know, finally I made my article published! You must be surprised. Well, after for very long time, I did it! But, I had to cut my left hand before I could make it. Just relax, I know it sounds strange and maybe painful, but believe me, I am better than my left arm. So, do not you want to see my new look? :))
  
  
  Yours,
  Barry Stickelback
  
  
  
• Personal Response :
  
  I can not imagine if the story becomes real. It is very strange! Oh My God … someone should not cut his arm just because he wants to publish his work. Something that I could learn from the story is how to be more patient to face my problems in life.

Adna

Numb

Title : Numb (1 page)
Author : Chelsey Riddle
Source : www.helium.com

• Summary
  
  It was very unforgettable night when the writer said goodbye to love. She once had a date. They were being a couple for four years. At first, they were inseparable. They spent their days together. They also shared all happiness and tears. Unfortunately, the writer felt a significant change in the relationship. She saw a void between herself and her date. She knew that he used to try to make her comfortable by always holding her hands. However, she should not feel the warmth. She did not want to make his heart broken, in fact, but she just wanted to unleash. Then, she thought it would be better if she said what she felt. And, the final decision is the writer and the date decided to have separated-way. After some time, she passed her life, she felt so lonely. However, she would never feel that feeling: regret.


• Lessons for Living :
  
  The main point in this story is when they decided to have separated-way in life. It is because the writer still remembered that event in detail. It is very connected to our own life. It is about a commitment. When we meet something important in a relationship (love), it will be happy life for two of the couple. However, if we do not feel that feeling anymore, it will be better to talk about. We have to decide whether we will continue the relationship or not. It is better than lying to our own heart all the time.

Diah

But Daddy, he’s so red!

Title : But Daddy, he’s so red!
Author : Lil’ Djinn
Source : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5381170/1/But_Daddy_he_is_so_red

• Summary
  
  It is a fanfiction of of Supernatural. The timeline of this fanfiction is long before the actual series began. Mary Winchester is pregnant with her second child and she wonders about how will she and her husband tell their four-year-old child, Dean, that he will be big brother. After she delivers her baby safely, her husband, John, takes Dean into the nursery. When Dean saw his little brother for the first time, he asks his father why he is so red and can he gets a puppy instead. John just laughs and tells Dean that no, he cannot exchange his brother for a puppy.


• Personal Response :
  
  This is little Dean’s diary:
  
  15 December 2009
  
  Dear diary,
  Today, mommy is back from the hospital. I miss her soooo much and happy that she is back home. Her tummy is not big anymore! Daddy takes me to that secret room that I’m not allowed to go. He said that it was for my new brother. I hope that Sammy, that’s my new brother’s name, can play with me tomorrow in the park. But, daddy said no. Sammy is too small, so he can’t play outside. And is red too! Sammy should eat spinach so that he will be big soon.
  That’s all. I’ll write to you again later.
  
  
  Dean
  
  
  (PS: I think this diary is too good for four-year-old boy)
  

Alfi

In Which Alviss was Drunk

Title : In Which Alviss was Drunk
Author : Faker of Innocence aka Goldenneke
Source : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3772292/1/In_Which_Alviss_was_Drunk

• Summary
  
  This is a fanfiction of MAR, an anime and manga series. Alviss, who is very calm and quiet, is forced to drink Papulla Juice. He never drinks it before, but the rest of the MAR team drink it. All members force him. They even start insulting him. Finally Alviss drinks the alcoholic juice. First, he drinks it a little. Then, he becomes addicted. Finally, he is drunk. He sits on Nanashi’s lap and acts like a child. He asks him to call him ARU-Chan. He even force him to kiss him!! Next morning Alviss forgets what he has done the night before.


• Personal Response :
  
  “Lesson for Living”
  Well, although it is funny story, but there are some points that I can learn for my life. First, don’t be easily influenced with your friend. Friend’s suggestion is not always good, sometimes it even gives worse result, just like what happens to Alviss. Second, never drink alcohol!!! If you drink and then get drunk, anything bad will happen. Alviss is lucky, he only gets embarrassing moment. Imagine if you do crime, you will get worse experiences…
  

Luqman

WAIT FOR THE BRICK

Title : WAIT FOR THE BRICK
Author : Unknown
Source : www.indianchild.com

• Summary
  
  One day, a young successful executive was travelling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. Suddenly, a kid threw a brick into the Jag’s side door. The driver was mad at that kid. Later, he knew that the kid threw the brick because no one would stop to help his brother who fell out of his wheelchair. After the incident, the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message.


• Personal Response :
  
  Letter
  
  Dear Tom,
  Have I told you that I bought a new Jaguar? Oh.., man! Wait until you see it, and you’ll be sick of jealousy. But, don’t be shocked when you see the left side door. It’s dented. I’ll never bother to repair it because it’s much precious for me than the Jaguar itself.
  This morning when I was traveling down a neighborhood street, a kid threw a brick into my car’s side door. Later, I knew that the kid did it because no one would stop to help his brother who fell out of his wheelchair.
  You know…, I keep the dented door to remind me of this message. God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, he has to throw a brick at us.

Rahmati