The Queen of Spades

Title : The Queen of Spades
Author : Aleksandra Pushkin

There was an officer of Russian army, his name is Hermann. He was a
careful man; he did not spend his money for drinking wine and playing
cards. Hermann’s life was change when his friend told him about the
old woman who knew the Secret of the Three Winning Cards. Hermann
decided to go to the old woman’s house. After going to the old woman’s
house, unfortunately, he did not get any information about the secret.
He had made the old woman pass away, he shocked the old woman, and the
old woman was passing away. Herman knew the secret of the winning
cards after he got up from his sleeping. He did the first and the
second trick of winning cards successful, but at the third trick he
made a mistake. After making a mistake he became mad and he spoke the
same words. He never said anything else. He just said, Three! Seven!
Ace!
Lesson for Living:
a. What was the most surprising or interesting lesson that you learned
from the story?
• Everybody can change their own characteristic easily, and it doesn’t
need a lot of 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 is a kind man. A kind man today
not always a kind man in the future.
b. Why?
• Because at the beginning of this story, Hermann is a kind and
cheerful man. He was economically and didn’t want to spend his money
for playing gamble. Whatever he was 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.
c. How does that lesson connect to your own life?
• Everybody whom I ever know in some years ago, their characteristic
is 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 is not always good in the future

by Rini

The Magic Barrel

Title: The Magic Barrel
Author: Bernard Malamud

The story tells about a rabbinical student who had for six years
devoted himself almost entirely to his study. He was Leo Finkle. After
he realized that no time for a social life and the company of young
women, he decided to call Pinye Salzman who was a matchmaker. He asked
Salzman to look for a woman who was matched for him. Salzman had many
cards from men and women who wanted to look for a couple. The cards
were saved in a barrel. Salzman gave Leo some portfolios to choose,
but there was no one matches with him. He said, ‘this one was too old,
this one was a widow, and other words that showed disagreement.” Leo
almost gave up having matchmaking because he didn’t find his soul mate
yet. The last effort of Salzman, he gave some pictures of women to Leo
in an envelope. Leo was doubt to open it, but he actually opened it
and found a picture among others which made him excited. He asked
Salzman to meet a woman in that picture. Salzman refused it and said
that the woman wasn’t for him because she was a wild woman. Actually,
until this story ended, Leo still didn’t find a match woman to be his
couple.

Personal Response
I don’t like Leo’s character which is perfectionist in choosing a
couple. It makes him difficult to find his couple. I agree that we
have to be selective to look for someone who would be our couple, but
don’t too be selective and perfectionist. We have to realize that no
one is perfect in the world.

by Dian Tri

Numb

Title: Numb
Author: Chelsea Riddle

It was very unforgettable night when the writer said good bye 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 could 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.

Personal Response
The main part 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 all about commitment. When we meet something important in a
relationship (love), it will be happy life for the two of the couple.
However, if we do not feel that feeling anymore, it will be better to
talk about our commitment again. We have to decide whether we will
continue the relationship or not. It is better than lying to our own
heart all the time.

by Diah

Treasure Island

Title of the book : Treasure Island
Author : R.L. Stevenson
Number of pages : 64 pages

The setting
1. The story happened in eighteen century when there was a lot of
pirates at that time.
2. It took place in United Kingdom and the Treasure Island. Also, it
took place in the Hispaniola, the ship.

The Characters
Jim Hawkins : He is a smart and brave boy.
Squire Trelawney : He is a rich and a good leader.
Dr. Livesey : He is a wise and kind man.
Long John Silver : He is a cunning and cruel old pirates.
Captain Smollett : He is a smart leader, a good observer, and a brave man.
Ben Gunn : he is a marooned mad man.

Summary
Jim Hawkins got a treasure map from an old pirate, Captain Bill. He
showed the map to her mom and Dr. Livesey. Dr. Livesey knew that this
map would caused any trouble. He asked the Custom Men to guard them
from the pirates attack. Dr. Livesey told Squire Trelawney, a rich man
from other village. He asked Jim and Dr. Livesey to go with him to
find the treasure. Squire Trelawney rent a ship and hired some crews
to help him in the journey. Long John Silver was an easy going person.
He could get along with every one on the Hispaniola soon after he met
them. In the middle of the journey, Jim heard Long John Silver
conversation with a crew. From that conversation, Jim knew that Long
John silver was a pirate. He told Dr. Livesey , Squire Trelawney and
Captain Smollett about what he heard. They kept that secreet from
others and kept on eye of Long John Silver.
When they find the treasure island, Long John Silver and his companion
wanted to find the treasuer impationately. Only six person who still
on the ship with Jim, Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney and Captain
Smollett. However, Jim wanted to go to the island. He did not tell
anyone if he go to the island. When he was there, he met with Ben
Gunn, a marooned person whom used to be Flint’s crew.
Then they were got in to a war. The pirates took the ship and started
to shoot them. Jim tried to take over the ship from the pirates and he
did. He took over the ship and moved the ship to the North Bay. The
pirates and Jim’s friend could not find the ship. Jim tried to find
his friends but he could not. He only met the pirates and he became
their prisoner. The pirates started to find the treasure with Jim.
When they reach the place that shown on the map, they found a big hole
there. They found nothing. The pirates were angry and tried to kill
both Jim and John Silver. Yet, Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and Ben
Gunn saved them. They took them to the Ben’s cave and show them the
treasure and Jim told them that the ship was on the North Bay.
Finally, they could go home. However, Long John Silver betrayed them
and took some of the treasure and ran away. Jim, Squire Trelawney, Dr.
Livesey, Captain Smollett and Ben Gunn shared the rest of the
treasure.

Impression
This Treasure Island story is good and interesting to read. It is easy
to understand. We can comprehend the story just in one reading.
However, the story is not so challenging. The story is too flat and
the end of the story is predictable. It makes me bored to read it.
Probably, if the ship was gone or destroyed because of the battle, it
would make the story challenging. Then, from this story, we can learn
history in different way. We know how people in eighteen century
interest in sailing or treasure hunt


by Irul

Do It!

Title of book : Do it!

Author : Rob Waring and Maurice Jamall

Pages : 32 pages

Personal Responses : ( Lessons for Living)

Actually there are a lot of lessons that I learned from this short story, but there is the one that is interesting and important. This story, Do It, told me that work together in a team is not easy at all. It is because each member of the group has different habit, different skill, and different way of thinking. But we have to overcome the difference by having a big tolerance and a big spirit to finish the work. If each member of the team does that, I am sure we will make it.

The lessons connect to my own life, just like usual, because I once experienced the similar thing like that. It had happened when I was in senior high school. It was about my basketball team in senior high school. Each member of the team has a different skill. My friend who had a small body really good at dribbling, and my friend who had a tall body really good at shooting while myself had a good skill at rebounding due to the fact that I have a big body. At first, those things make us hard to find a good strategy but after we realized that our differences could be the best weapon against other teams. We started to work hard and finally at the end of the year we won a tournament.

by Wisnu