Sentence 6

Her sentence:
Yes, I am down about a lot of things: I miss Kayla; I'm banged out about what's happening with David Young; I feel weak from the beating I took; and having this bar code on my wrist drives me into a murderous rage sometimes.
from The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn
_
The independent clauses separated by semi-colons following the colon further explain the different "things" that are bringing the character down.
_
My sentence:
Indeed, she is happy with everything in life: She loves everyone; She's excited about her relationship with Charles; She looks toned from the workouts she attended; and obtaining the looks of her mom transforms her into an undeniable beauty somehow.

Sentence 5

Her sentence:
The phoenix--the bird that is burned to ashes but rises to live again.
from The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn
_
The fragment emphasizes a thought of realization while also bringing into perspective the significance of the phoenix with the appositive phrase.
_
My sentence:
Spanish--the subject that is hated by most but comes into relevance often.

Sentence 4

Her sentence:
Mfumbe was in the line, the top of his head ablaze, his eyes fixed blankly ahead.
from The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn
_
The modifying phrases following the independent clause help complete the sentence by adding the information needed to know about Mfumbe's torturous situation and empty feelings. The phrases add more meaning to the significance of the line where he stands.
_
My sentence:
The cat was under the car, the hair on her back erect, her claws protruded defensively ahead.

Sentence 3

Her sentence:
You were pumped with adrenaline; now you're feeling the letdown.
from The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn
_
The two independent clauses are balanced against each other with the use of a semi-colon. The semi-colon also indicates the contrast between the sentence stating the character's initial feeling and the sentence stating the character's current feeling.
_
My sentence:
Pioneers were excited about the win; today they're fighting the soreness.

Sentence 2

Her Sentence:
The one who will not be caged.
from The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn
_
The incomplete structure of this fragment expresses her thoughts about the person she is, although she does not know for a fact her complete identity and fate as she would like to think she does. Despite her determination for freedom, her passive voice in the sentence shows that she is in a society where, as much as she does not want to admit it, she is helpless and under their control.
_
My sentence:
A boxer who can not be fought.

Sentence 1

Her sentence:

Hastily, she tosses out old clothes, a sketch pad, charcoal pencils, anything she can't sell.

from The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn

_

The use of asyndeton further expresses her haste in throwing items out of the bag in the urgency to find an item that will be useful to her. She has no time to waste, and the sentence reflects that by not wasting the time to put a conjunction.

_

My sentence:

Quickly, he grabs onto his children, his wife, his dog, whatever he can save.

More Than Meets The Eye

Out of Pink's book, I decided to try Simon Baron-Cohen's Mind in the Eyes Test because the activity sounded interesting to me. I learned more in the ten minute test than I do some days.

People's eyes are used for much more than just seeing. Eyes tell a lot about a person's emotions. Before I took this test, I never noticed that a person's eyes can even tell more than a smile can. People can fake a smile, but, as I learned in Pink's book, their eyes will always rat them out and reveal the true emotion.

I only missed six of the thirty-six questions, and the questions I missed were ones in which I did not go with my first instinct. I answered fifteen questions right before I missed my first one because I started doubting myself. When I started doubting myself, I started missing. Not only did I learn that eyes tell a lot about a person's emotions, I learned not to doubt myself and go with my first instinct.

Below are a couple of examples from the test:

The possible answers for the first picture are ashamed, nervous, suspicious, and indecisive. For me, the answer was obviously suspicious, and I was right. The possible answers for the second picture are impatient, aghast, irritated, and reflective. The answer was not as obvious as the one for the first picture. I chose impatient, but the actual answer was reflective. For each picture, I had to analyze whether the emotion was positive, negative, or neutral. From that point, I could eliminate some of the choices to reach the right one.

Some emotions are not as noticeable though the eyes as others. For the most part, though, most emotion are expressed clearly through people's eyes. I not only learned to distinguish emotions from people's eyes but also learned the usefulness of the test taking skills of elimination and going with that first instinct.