Recently, I stumbled upon a new browser game - Grepolis

The link is here: en.grepolis.com.

It combines both Greek mythology and the Roman Empire.

This is what the game is about, in a nutshell (It's on the game's main page):

Build magnificent cities,
forge mighty alliances,
utilize the power of the gods,
conquer the world!

Does this sound interesting to you? Personally, I feel that the words do not attract me, but instead it was the pictures that made me register for an account.

Here are some screenshots of Grepolis:

Have I enticed you enough to join this game ?  :D

Feel free to post your comments on this game.

Chapter naming

Chapter 4 and 5 - Jem

There are two reasons as to why I named this two chapters "Jem"

Reason 1:

The writer, in chapter 4, shows the different characteristics of Jem and his mentality. When Jem and Scout found a tiny shiny package in the knot-hole that contained "two scrubbed and polished pennies" (Pg 40), Jem said that "Finders were keepers unless title was proven". That was a combination of their childhood tradition and the legal jargon that they have picked up from Atticus.

Jem is also beginning to analyse matters. He suspects that Boo Radley might be responsible for the gifts. Scout commented that Jem "looked for a long time at the Radley Place. He seemed to be thinking again" (Pg 41).

Jem is also beginning to have a lawyer's mind. He has some meaning of entailment, albeit not totally accurate, and during the Tom Robinson's trial, Jem is able to understand the implications of many of the legal points raised.

Lastly, Jem starts the "Boo Radley" game. In which he will continue until Atticus caught him and Dill red-handed.

Reason 2:

In chapter 5, as further evidence that Jem is beginning to have a lawyer's mind, he uses a legal quibble to justify the continuation of the "Boo Radley" game. He said that "Atticus hadn't said we couldn't, therefore we could" (Pg 47).

Chapter naming

Chapter 3 - Walter Cunningham / Atticus

I feel that there are two reasons as to why this chapter can either be named "Walter Cunningham" or "Atticus"

Reason 1:

Walter Cunningham's life and background is introduced to the readers as he is invited by Jem to go to their house for dinner. During the meal, Atticus and Walter Cunningham "talked together like two men" (Pg 30). Scout embarrassed Walter when he "poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand". This shows that Walter brought his habits from home and that the Cunninghams were poor. I can infer that the Cunninghams are poor as the reason why they pour syrup on their food is to make it more tasty due to their lack of money to buy good food.

Reason 2:

The writer brings out several attributes of Atticus. Firstly, Atticus is tolerant of all man. I know this as when Walter Cunningham was invited for dinner by Jem. Atticus greeted Walter and talked to Walter "about crops" (Pg 29), a topic that Walter is familiar is, so that he would feel at ease. Atticus is also able to see the other person's point of view, which is something he tries to teach Scout. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Pg 35).

Atticus also shows his ability to reason and his wisdom when he offers a compromise to Scout. Atticus too, has a sense of humour as shown when he walked to the "wisteria vine" (Pg 35). He is clearly amused by what has happened to Scout and does not want to offend Scout by laughing at her. When Scout tries to seal their compromise by spitting on her hand before she and Atticus shake hands, Atticus once again shows his sense of humour by commenting "We'll consider it sealed without the usual formality" (Pg 37)

Intrapersonal:

a) Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.

I would like to be friends with Jem in the novel as I can feel a strong leadership capability inside Jem and since I cannot lead well, I might as well just follow people. Jem is also very brave and has a mind of a lawyer. I know that Jem is brave as he went up to to Radley Place and touched the door, although he only touched it for less than 1 second, as the Radley Place is considered a taboo, even if Jem touched the door for less than one second, he is still considered brave.

Jem, with the influence of Atticus, has developed a "lawyer mind". He could analyse what was happening during the court case and be able to explain it to Scout and Dill.

Naturalist:

a. Do a research on the natural habitat of mockingbird. In your research, include the kind of flora and fauna you think exist in Maycomb and explain why the mockingbirds live in Maycomb.

Mockingbirds are members of the Mimidae family, a group of American passerines that also includes thrashers, tremblers, and New World catbirds. These stentorian songbirds, medium sized with angular proportions and long, twitchy tails, range from the Canadian border down through South America. The song of the mockingbird is actually a medley of the calls of many other birds. Each imitation is repeated two or three times before another song is initiated. A given bird may have 30, 40 or even 200 songs in its repertoire, including other bird songs, insect and amphibian sounds, and even the occasional mechanical noise.

The mockingbird is gray on top and white on its underside. It has white patches on its wings that look like bars; a long black tail with white outer feathers and a long, slender bill. Males and females look alike.

I think that the mockingbirds found in Maycomb should be the Northern Mockingbird. The Northern mockingbird lives in open country with thickets, farmland and desert brush. The Northern mockingbird can be found in most of the continental United States from southern Oregon through northern Utah to Newfoundland and south to Mexico. The diet of the northern mockingbird consists of ants, beetles, grasshoppers, seeds and berries.

Based on the infomation on the habitat of the mockingbird and more, I think that Maycomb was an area with big patches of farmland and has a lot of desert brushes. I think the reason why mockingbirds live in Maycomb as Maycomb's surroundings is similar to a mockingbird's habitat. Another possibility could be that because Maycomb was not densely populated, so the mockingbirds could set up nests there without being disturbed.

References:

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/mockingbird.htm

http://10000birds.com/mockingbirds.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockingbird

I will be doing the naturalist task and the intrapersonal task