Dear Ms. Galang and class 811,
This year has been a very fun and enjoying year, thanks to you guys. ELA especially was really great and I learned a lot in it. I really enjoyed reading in a book club in which I could discuss my thoughts about the book with other people, who are also reading that same book. Someone always offered a different idea about the book which would end in a longer conversation and sometimes argument. But when we had to make a synthesis page for the book, we would take all of our ideas and incorporate them in the synthesis page. Taking notes was sometimes a hassle for me, but now I see how they really help you to better understand the book you are reading. They also are a good way to keep track of your thoughts that you have had while reading the book. Being in a book club was a great experience for me and I hope that in high school I will have the opportunity to be in one too.
I also really enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet unit. It was a fun and interesting experience to read a book that is written in old english. I was surprised at how I actually understood a lot of the things that were written. Then if I didn't understand certain things, our class discussions about the book helped me better understand what I read. I also really enjoyed being able to perform certain parts of the Romeo and Juliet book. By perfoming we got to visually show how we interpreted the text. We got to see eachothers interpretations and talk about what we did differently, and why we did it a certain way. One thing that really helped me in these perfomances, especially the final one, was that we watched the movie. I could then base my actions, and facial expressions, on what they were doing in the movie, while still using my interpretations. This unit was very great and I enjoyed it a lot.
My hopes for high school are that I will be able to use what I learned this year in ELA about writing essays and understanding the books you are reading, and use these things in High School ELA. Annotating and writing notes will help me to better understand the books I will read, and synthesis pages can help me with writing essays about those books. Hopefully I will use these strategies and do very well in ELA class in High School.
Thank you for the great year! Sincerely,
Pawel Subernat
Summer and High School book list
The Diamond of Darkhold by: Jeanne DuPrau
The Book Thief by: Markus Zusak
The Fault in our Stars by: John Green
To Kill a Mockingbird by: Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by: Stephen Chbosky
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Poetry Project
Original Poems
Nature
The mountains sky high
Looking down on the river
The river is scared.
Green trees on the hill
Touching the clouds
Like a giant.
The river is barricaded
By the mountains around
How will it ever get out?
My haikus are about the nature picture. The picture shows mountains surrounding a river, so most of my haikus are about that. I tried to keep the haikus with three lines with a focus and a surprise ending.
Incident
Once in my hometown Alabama,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I walked into a candy store
With a shiny new penny.
I was ten and not that small,
I walked around looking at the candy packs,
Then the cashier saw me and yelled, "What are you doing?"
"Get out! We don't sell to blacks!"
So I walked out of the store,
My heavy head hanging down.
I walked around wondering,
Is there any place that accepts blacks in this town?
I wrote this poem inspired by my heart poem. Since my heart poem was about racism I wrote this about racism to and how it affects adults, as well as children. The literary devices I used were: allusion, speaker, alliteration and rhyme.
Sonnet
New York
New York is amazing and beautiful
Despite many people walking around
Looking around is enjoying, not dull.
Observe many buildings above the ground.
You see many people, different cultures
Different colors are found, all, everywhere.
All kinds of birds except for big vultures
Different type foods from apples to a pear.
You hear many loud cars riding the street
The bus, the trucks, and subway underground.
The shuffling, stomping, loud from walking feet
You hear so much talking, laughing around.
You have to come to see the great beauty
If not it will be great and sad pity.
I wrote this sonnet about New York. I wrote it like a original Shakespearean Sonnet by using iambic pentameter, 14 lines, and the rhyming scheme of ababcdcdefefgg.
Heart Poem Reading Response
When I read this poem it made me feel full of sorrow for the child, who has to deal with racism at a very young age. The poem "Incident" by Countee Cullen is a poem about a little girl who goes to Baltimore. In Baltimore she meets a boy who calls her a racist slur. This word sticks in her mind throughout the whole trip, and that's the only thing she can remember. It made me think about times during the Civil Rights Movement when blacks were racially abused and discriminated against. But racism still exists and this poem could show people how racism affects everyone, including little kids who are innocent, but are hurt the most out of everyone.
The poem is about a innocent little girl that travels to Baltimore, where she gets called a "nigger". Lines 7-8 say, "But he poked out his tounge and called me nigger". This shows that the little child is black and was called a racist slur by the Baltimorean. This is one of the most important parts in the poem because, here the conflict is shown. Also this is what the poem is mostly about. Later on, the poet writes that they were in Baltimore from May to December, but, "Of all the things that happened there, that's all that I remember." This shows that the kid knows that "nigger" is a horrible thing to get called and, they can't forget it. They dislike being called that, but it stays in their head. So this also shows the overall theme of the poem which is: Sometimes bad things in life are the ones that you remember.
The tone changes a lot throughout the poem. In the beginning the child is really excited to visit Baltimore and is, "Heart-filled, head-filled with glee". This helps make a happy tone and the alliteration of that line shows the importance of how happy the child is. But later on in the poem the kid gets called a "nigger'' and states how that is the only thing they remember from Baltimore. This has a sad tone because in the begining the kid is all excited to see Baltimore, but the first person they meet calls them a "nigger". The child had all their hopes up but now they were racially abused and they're not excited anymore.
Reading this poem this poem makes me feel full of sorrow for the child affected by racism. They're only 8 years old but they have to deal with some racist person who thinks calling the kid a "nigger", makes them more powerful over the little kid. The litte kid gets hurt and cannot forget the moment when the were called the racist slur. This is a reall horrible thing to do, and the poet of the poem probably wanted to show how racism affects all kinds of people of all ages, to encourage people to stop racism.
Nature
The mountains sky high
Looking down on the river
The river is scared.
Green trees on the hill
Touching the clouds
Like a giant.
The river is barricaded
By the mountains around
How will it ever get out?
My haikus are about the nature picture. The picture shows mountains surrounding a river, so most of my haikus are about that. I tried to keep the haikus with three lines with a focus and a surprise ending.
Incident
Once in my hometown Alabama,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I walked into a candy store
With a shiny new penny.
I was ten and not that small,
I walked around looking at the candy packs,
Then the cashier saw me and yelled, "What are you doing?"
"Get out! We don't sell to blacks!"
So I walked out of the store,
My heavy head hanging down.
I walked around wondering,
Is there any place that accepts blacks in this town?
I wrote this poem inspired by my heart poem. Since my heart poem was about racism I wrote this about racism to and how it affects adults, as well as children. The literary devices I used were: allusion, speaker, alliteration and rhyme.
Sonnet
New York
New York is amazing and beautiful
Despite many people walking around
Looking around is enjoying, not dull.
Observe many buildings above the ground.
You see many people, different cultures
Different colors are found, all, everywhere.
All kinds of birds except for big vultures
Different type foods from apples to a pear.
You hear many loud cars riding the street
The bus, the trucks, and subway underground.
The shuffling, stomping, loud from walking feet
You hear so much talking, laughing around.
You have to come to see the great beauty
If not it will be great and sad pity.
I wrote this sonnet about New York. I wrote it like a original Shakespearean Sonnet by using iambic pentameter, 14 lines, and the rhyming scheme of ababcdcdefefgg.
Heart Poem Reading Response
When I read this poem it made me feel full of sorrow for the child, who has to deal with racism at a very young age. The poem "Incident" by Countee Cullen is a poem about a little girl who goes to Baltimore. In Baltimore she meets a boy who calls her a racist slur. This word sticks in her mind throughout the whole trip, and that's the only thing she can remember. It made me think about times during the Civil Rights Movement when blacks were racially abused and discriminated against. But racism still exists and this poem could show people how racism affects everyone, including little kids who are innocent, but are hurt the most out of everyone.
The poem is about a innocent little girl that travels to Baltimore, where she gets called a "nigger". Lines 7-8 say, "But he poked out his tounge and called me nigger". This shows that the little child is black and was called a racist slur by the Baltimorean. This is one of the most important parts in the poem because, here the conflict is shown. Also this is what the poem is mostly about. Later on, the poet writes that they were in Baltimore from May to December, but, "Of all the things that happened there, that's all that I remember." This shows that the kid knows that "nigger" is a horrible thing to get called and, they can't forget it. They dislike being called that, but it stays in their head. So this also shows the overall theme of the poem which is: Sometimes bad things in life are the ones that you remember.
The tone changes a lot throughout the poem. In the beginning the child is really excited to visit Baltimore and is, "Heart-filled, head-filled with glee". This helps make a happy tone and the alliteration of that line shows the importance of how happy the child is. But later on in the poem the kid gets called a "nigger'' and states how that is the only thing they remember from Baltimore. This has a sad tone because in the begining the kid is all excited to see Baltimore, but the first person they meet calls them a "nigger". The child had all their hopes up but now they were racially abused and they're not excited anymore.
Reading this poem this poem makes me feel full of sorrow for the child affected by racism. They're only 8 years old but they have to deal with some racist person who thinks calling the kid a "nigger", makes them more powerful over the little kid. The litte kid gets hurt and cannot forget the moment when the were called the racist slur. This is a reall horrible thing to do, and the poet of the poem probably wanted to show how racism affects all kinds of people of all ages, to encourage people to stop racism.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Reading Response on critical thinking question
On sports teams noone has more power than the coach... except for John Barr. The book Sometimes you see it Coming by Kevin Baker is about John Barr and his career of playing baseball. Throughout his career Barr shows how much power he's got in baseball by seeing everything that happens around him, always playing his best and inspiring the team to win, and by even ignoring the coach's comments and continuing to play well.
John Barr can foresee things that will happen on the ballfield, as well as in life. During Barr's tryout for the team the coach hit balls into the infield for Barr to catch, and, "An' the kid caught everything... He picked 'em off his ankles an' he pulled 'em down off the fence"(14-15). This quote shows how John Barr had really good sight in the field and knew where the ball would fly to so he could catch it. This also shows how he is really good at baseball and his great sight is an addition to his skills. Another way John Barr showed his great skill of foreseeing things was when they were at a party and a man was about to punch one of the ballplayers, "John Barr... But he had seen it before I did, the way he never let nothin' get by him"(73). This shows how a man, who knows Barr really well, has noticed already his great skill of foreseeing things. This instinct helped save the man, who was going to get beat up, as well as helped save the team a lot. Barr uses this very well and helps his teammates.
Another way Barr helps his teammates is b using his power to always play his best and inspire the team to win. A man called Rapid Ricky Falls, who has played with John Barr all his life said,"Nobody did better in the money games. If there was any possible way to win a ballgame down the stretch,John Barr would do it"(30). So here is a man, who has always played with Barr, saying how good he is. This quote tells how Barr must be a really great player that risks a lot to win. Later on, his need to win helped the team to win every World Series they were in and to always play his best.
Lastly Barr was always known for not only his great catching ability, but also his batting. When a new coach called Charlie Stanzi comes to the team, he dissaproves of John's hitting even though it's really great. But Barr being the man who he is, just ignored him,"Stanzi was forced to finall speak up."I see you got a little hitch in your swing there," he said... Barr answered, "Bullshit I got no hitch. Nothing wrong with my swing. Go away"(122). This shows how Barr even overpowers the coach at some points. The coach is supposed to help you improve, but Barr knows he doesn't have to so he ignores the coach. This show of power is good and bad because later on Stanzi does bad things to Barr, like take him oof the roster completely.
John Barr has power in the text because he can foresee thing happening on the field and in life, he always plays his best, and ignores the coach when neccessary. This shows how sometimes there are relly good baseball player that have the traits of Barr. These traits can be good at some moments, but bad during others. Also there are some people who also have a lot of power and show it throughout their life.
John Barr can foresee things that will happen on the ballfield, as well as in life. During Barr's tryout for the team the coach hit balls into the infield for Barr to catch, and, "An' the kid caught everything... He picked 'em off his ankles an' he pulled 'em down off the fence"(14-15). This quote shows how John Barr had really good sight in the field and knew where the ball would fly to so he could catch it. This also shows how he is really good at baseball and his great sight is an addition to his skills. Another way John Barr showed his great skill of foreseeing things was when they were at a party and a man was about to punch one of the ballplayers, "John Barr... But he had seen it before I did, the way he never let nothin' get by him"(73). This shows how a man, who knows Barr really well, has noticed already his great skill of foreseeing things. This instinct helped save the man, who was going to get beat up, as well as helped save the team a lot. Barr uses this very well and helps his teammates.
Another way Barr helps his teammates is b using his power to always play his best and inspire the team to win. A man called Rapid Ricky Falls, who has played with John Barr all his life said,"Nobody did better in the money games. If there was any possible way to win a ballgame down the stretch,John Barr would do it"(30). So here is a man, who has always played with Barr, saying how good he is. This quote tells how Barr must be a really great player that risks a lot to win. Later on, his need to win helped the team to win every World Series they were in and to always play his best.
Lastly Barr was always known for not only his great catching ability, but also his batting. When a new coach called Charlie Stanzi comes to the team, he dissaproves of John's hitting even though it's really great. But Barr being the man who he is, just ignored him,"Stanzi was forced to finall speak up."I see you got a little hitch in your swing there," he said... Barr answered, "Bullshit I got no hitch. Nothing wrong with my swing. Go away"(122). This shows how Barr even overpowers the coach at some points. The coach is supposed to help you improve, but Barr knows he doesn't have to so he ignores the coach. This show of power is good and bad because later on Stanzi does bad things to Barr, like take him oof the roster completely.
John Barr has power in the text because he can foresee thing happening on the field and in life, he always plays his best, and ignores the coach when neccessary. This shows how sometimes there are relly good baseball player that have the traits of Barr. These traits can be good at some moments, but bad during others. Also there are some people who also have a lot of power and show it throughout their life.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
1st Draft of Foreword to Picture Book
When growing up almost every child experiences teasing. Most of the time it's innocent, playful, and doesn't really hurt kids. Usually it stops really quickly. But when teasing continues and it starts to annoy and hurt the person getting teased, it becomes bullying. Bullying can be verbal or physical, but both hurt people. Over 30% of youth experiences some kind of bullying going on in their life right now. Bullying in sports can affect athletes confidence and performance while playing in the game. It can make them cry and they might be scared to go play. This can cause children to stop enjoying sports and they will just drop out of playing them.
I myself have been playing soccer on a team for a few years now and it always wasn't really fun. Other kids would laugh at me if I would do bad in games, and sometimes be mad at me for not performing well. But I took all of the laughing behind me and that just motivated me to do better and better. The coach also helped me and others on the team by telling us to ignore others comments and just do your best. Now the only time I get made fun of is when we're fooling around, or I just mess up in practice. So it is mostly teasing and doesn't hurt anyone. But Throughout my years in school, I have noticed and seen a lot of bullying happening. Kids fighting others, or groups of people bullying one kid. I wish I could have helped but I didn't really react. However teachers and Guidance counselors did help them and there was no more bullying.
I have read and noticed that bullying affects kids very negatively and makes them really depressed. Sometimes it even causes youth to commit suicide. But it can be solved. Coaches on a sports team can encourage athletes to report bullying and say that the bully will be severely punished for it. The coach can also watch his or her players, when they are by themselves, and observe how they act. If there is any bullying, they should stop it immediately and everything will be well. Kids should also notice that bullying someone is bad. They should think about themselves and if they would like to be bullied. If every kid would do that, bullying would be really rare or even wouln't exist.
I myself have been playing soccer on a team for a few years now and it always wasn't really fun. Other kids would laugh at me if I would do bad in games, and sometimes be mad at me for not performing well. But I took all of the laughing behind me and that just motivated me to do better and better. The coach also helped me and others on the team by telling us to ignore others comments and just do your best. Now the only time I get made fun of is when we're fooling around, or I just mess up in practice. So it is mostly teasing and doesn't hurt anyone. But Throughout my years in school, I have noticed and seen a lot of bullying happening. Kids fighting others, or groups of people bullying one kid. I wish I could have helped but I didn't really react. However teachers and Guidance counselors did help them and there was no more bullying.
I have read and noticed that bullying affects kids very negatively and makes them really depressed. Sometimes it even causes youth to commit suicide. But it can be solved. Coaches on a sports team can encourage athletes to report bullying and say that the bully will be severely punished for it. The coach can also watch his or her players, when they are by themselves, and observe how they act. If there is any bullying, they should stop it immediately and everything will be well. Kids should also notice that bullying someone is bad. They should think about themselves and if they would like to be bullied. If every kid would do that, bullying would be really rare or even wouln't exist.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Synthesis Page on Critical Thinking Question
If the characater in your book has problems, can you see how those problems are about having or not having money, struggling with others for power, or being cheated or helped by society's rules?
Book: Black and White
Author: Paul Volponi
Marcus' and Eddie's (black and white) Problems
Money
Quote: "We were just going to pull enough stickups to get the money for dues." (page 6)
My note: Money plays a big factor in Marcus' and Eddie' lives, so when they find they don't have enough of it they turn to criminalism.
Elaboration: Marcus and Eddie really wanted to go on all the senior trips and participate in the senior activities. They didn't want to be left out of all the fun that the resst of the seniors were having. So they decided to rob people with guns and steal their way to $150. This makes me feel bad for them because having little money affects their lives with them starting to be criminals. All of this later punishes them because they get caught and one of them goes to jail.
Power
Quote: "Everybody on the basketball team was buying a pair... There was no way we were getting caught behind the times like that."(page 5)
My note: Marcus and Eddie were struggling for power and fame by not having the new basketball shoes.
Elaboration: Marcus and Eddie are very famous throughout their school. So when everyone else was wearing the new basketball shoes, they needed to buy them too. I understand this because there is a lot of peer pressure and struggle for power in teenagers lives. But after this they were left broke and started robbing people for money. This upsets me because I know that when a lot of kids are poor they would do anything for money, like rob others. So even though they bought the shoes and were still popular, they shouldn't have started robbing others for money later when they were lleft with nothing.
Society's Rules
Quote: "Kids who are different colors don't get to be that tight in my neighborhood. But we got past all that racial crap, until we were almost like real blood brothers." (page 2)
My note: This really shows how the society rules in Marcus' and Eddie's neighborhood are that blacks and whites don't get along, but Marcus and Eddie broke that rule.
Elaboration: Marcus and Eddie have become best friends even though they are different races. This makes me feel very greatful for them that they see it is wrong to discriminate against eachother and become really great pals. But this can also affect their future if they get into trouble robbing people. Later on this does happen, and the rules suddenly come back. Marcus, who is black, goes to jail, while Eddie doesn't. This makes me think that even though they were such good friends, in the end the rules will kick in, and of course, discriminate against one of them, punishing them very badly.
Connections: I noticed that all of these parts in the text connect to eachother. The two friends, who are against society's rules, want power and money, so they start robbing people. Later on all of these things, money, power, and society's rules come together to their problem of getting caught robbing people. They disobeyed the rules and were friends. Later they wanted power and fame, whichcaused them to buy shoes, which left them broke. They needed money so they started robbing people which got them caught and punished. This connects to the real world because many teens also decide to do things, such as rob others, in order to get money. It is very sad but true.
Interpretations: The text was written to show how some teenagers lives really do look like. To me I feel like this text is supposed to warn you to not do such things such as becoming a criminal even at your hardest times. This text really shows the possibillities of your life and the author probably doesn't want you to screw up just like Marcus and Eddie did. So the book is a warning to the readers and shows what you shouldn't do, even if you're desperate for things such as money.
Book: Black and White
Author: Paul Volponi
Marcus' and Eddie's (black and white) Problems
Money
Quote: "We were just going to pull enough stickups to get the money for dues." (page 6)
My note: Money plays a big factor in Marcus' and Eddie' lives, so when they find they don't have enough of it they turn to criminalism.
Elaboration: Marcus and Eddie really wanted to go on all the senior trips and participate in the senior activities. They didn't want to be left out of all the fun that the resst of the seniors were having. So they decided to rob people with guns and steal their way to $150. This makes me feel bad for them because having little money affects their lives with them starting to be criminals. All of this later punishes them because they get caught and one of them goes to jail.
Power
Quote: "Everybody on the basketball team was buying a pair... There was no way we were getting caught behind the times like that."(page 5)
My note: Marcus and Eddie were struggling for power and fame by not having the new basketball shoes.
Elaboration: Marcus and Eddie are very famous throughout their school. So when everyone else was wearing the new basketball shoes, they needed to buy them too. I understand this because there is a lot of peer pressure and struggle for power in teenagers lives. But after this they were left broke and started robbing people for money. This upsets me because I know that when a lot of kids are poor they would do anything for money, like rob others. So even though they bought the shoes and were still popular, they shouldn't have started robbing others for money later when they were lleft with nothing.
Society's Rules
Quote: "Kids who are different colors don't get to be that tight in my neighborhood. But we got past all that racial crap, until we were almost like real blood brothers." (page 2)
My note: This really shows how the society rules in Marcus' and Eddie's neighborhood are that blacks and whites don't get along, but Marcus and Eddie broke that rule.
Elaboration: Marcus and Eddie have become best friends even though they are different races. This makes me feel very greatful for them that they see it is wrong to discriminate against eachother and become really great pals. But this can also affect their future if they get into trouble robbing people. Later on this does happen, and the rules suddenly come back. Marcus, who is black, goes to jail, while Eddie doesn't. This makes me think that even though they were such good friends, in the end the rules will kick in, and of course, discriminate against one of them, punishing them very badly.
Connections: I noticed that all of these parts in the text connect to eachother. The two friends, who are against society's rules, want power and money, so they start robbing people. Later on all of these things, money, power, and society's rules come together to their problem of getting caught robbing people. They disobeyed the rules and were friends. Later they wanted power and fame, whichcaused them to buy shoes, which left them broke. They needed money so they started robbing people which got them caught and punished. This connects to the real world because many teens also decide to do things, such as rob others, in order to get money. It is very sad but true.
Interpretations: The text was written to show how some teenagers lives really do look like. To me I feel like this text is supposed to warn you to not do such things such as becoming a criminal even at your hardest times. This text really shows the possibillities of your life and the author probably doesn't want you to screw up just like Marcus and Eddie did. So the book is a warning to the readers and shows what you shouldn't do, even if you're desperate for things such as money.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Argument Essay
Librarians from Concord, Massachussetts once said that the book is "Not suitable for trash". The book that they were refering to is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Just one month after its publication, the book was banned by some librarians because of curses and alcoholism that occurs throughout the book. The text is written about a young boy named Huckleberry Finn who goes on an adventure to try and free Jim, a slave. Huck is also looking to start a new life after escaping from his dads cabin, so they run and sail away, in an expedition, where they encounter all kinds of people and new ways of life. Even though the text includes cursing, such as the word nigger, and alcoholism, middle school students should have access to it because it teaches a lot about the time period it was written in.
Reading this book teaches you a lot about the time period it is written in. The book was published in 1885, so life was different at the time. During the duration of the book, Huck walks around the village all by himself because there are no cars that would run him over and injure or even kill him. Instead of cars people rode in carriages pulled by horses. They were often refered to as wagons. Specifically the quote, "In about half an hour Tom's wagon drove up to the front stile..."(Twain 218) portrays that many people traveled in wagons. This illustrates that the times were different because now people don't really travel using horse and carriage. Also, young children, such as Huck, had more freedom to walk around anywhere they wanted because there weren't big risks of getting run over by a wagon and getting seriously hurt. Children weren't really over protected, and had the freedom of roaming around the village since they were little. Another part in the book where the time period is portrayed is when the book includes slaves in it. Specifically, the line, "Pretty soon he gapped and stretched himself and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watson's Jim!"(Twain 41) shows that Jim is thought of being Miss Watson's property because he is her slave. What this makes clear is that during that time, many people owned slaves, and treated them like their property. Also, the author writes about how many slaves, such as Jim, tried to escape and become free during slavery, which happened a lot long ago.
Another thing that this book teaches you is to not engage in alcoholism and violence. At one point in the story Huck's father is drunk. What happens later Huck describes as,"He chased me round and round the place with a clasp-knife, calling me the Angel of Death, and saying he would kill me, and I couldn't come back anymore."(Twain 29) This reveals that heavy drinking of alcohol can make you really wild and violent. It can cause you to kill someone or seriously hurt them. Also alcohol can mess with your brain and then you don't know what you're even doing or saying. Those things are bad for you so it is showing why you shouldn't drink alcohol. Adding on, in an article the author includes Mark Twain's words,"wine is a clog to the pen, not an inspiration." This shows that Mark Twain himself says that wine, which is a form of alcohol, is very bad for you and doesn't help you with anything. So by including alcohol in the book, Mark Twain shows bad things that can come out of it in order to help stop people from drinking it. Adding on, since Mark Twain thinks that alcoholism is a very bad sickness, that means that he doesn't want to promote drinking by including it in his book, he wants the opposite. So people who argue that alcoholism is being promoted by Mark Twain, they are very wrong.
Lastly the author uses the word nigger a lot throughout the story, but it is all used because of the certain time period the book is written in. In one article the author states that, "...the word n-----, which appears 219 times in Twain's text..." This quote proves that the author uses a lot of bad language that is thought to be hurtful and racist. Later in the article the author writes that they want the word nigger replaced by the word slave because that is essentially what Mark Twain means by using the word. It is true that Mark Twain uses the word nigger a lot, which is a very disrespectful word, but he uses it because of the time period that he wrote the book in. Mark Twain uses what is called "local color" in his books. Local color is a term that refers to using speech and habits of a certain region. Where Mark Twain lived, the word nigger was a very commonly used word by everyone so he included it in his book. Throughout the book Mark Twain even shows to respect black people well and fairly. In the beggining of the book Twain has Huck think that Jim is kind of stupid and doesn't understand anything. But later on Huck starts to respect Jim and treats him like a friend. When Huck is talking to Tom, Huck's words, "And that is, there's a nigger here that I'm a-trying to steal out of slavery, and his name is Jim- old Miss Watson's Jim."(Twain 217) show how Huck really wants Jim to escape from slavery and for Tom to help him with it. Even though Huck uses the word nigger to describe Jim, mostly because of the time period he is living in, he tries and helps Jim succeed in running away to freedom. This shows that all races should be treated equally and everyone should help eachother whenever they are seeking help.
Middle schoolers should be able to read the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn even though the author uses bad language and alcoholism in the story, because the author uses these things to teach you about history. The curse words, like nigger, aren't any new words for many middle schoolers. They are able to handle the curses in the book because in their lives they probably encounter worse language than that. This kind of language was included in the book because during the time period when the book was written, that kind of vocabulary was used a lot. The alcoholism is portrayed as something very bad and evil that will hurt you and possibly others around you. If kids read the book knowing that it is written in that certain time period, of 1885, then they will be able to handle the language and excessive drinking, and learn a lot about life long ago.
Works Cited
Daniel McAdam Mark Twain on Alcohol, Cigars, and Writing Habits Mark Twain qtd. in McAdam http://www.danielmcadam.com/Mark-Twain.html
Moore T. Martha 'Huck Finn' Navigating Choppy Waters Again January 6, 2011 http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S44-4241H-0-9429&artno=0000310164&type=ART
Ruta, Domenica On Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn October 1, 2013
http://www.pen.org/nonfiction/mark-twains-huckleberry-finn
Twain, Mark The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1885 USA
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Social Awareness Writing Project
Write a reading response on a social issue in literary work
Four teens get murdered, another war between Israel and Palestine starts. Patricia Smith, the author of "How the Murder of Four Teens Started a War" writes about another war that has happened between Palestine and Israel. Palestine and Israel have been in a conflict for 6 decades now over teritory. They have fought many times already and now another war played out. One of the causes is that 3 Israeli teens were kidnapped and killed by Palestinians militants. Soon a young Palestinian got killed by an Israelist. All of this concluding with a war between the two groups. The author wants me to learn about how history and these horrible killings started yet another war between the countries.
Throughout the article, Patricia quotes many people. One of the people is the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. After the three murders he said, "They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by beasts. Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay." Hamas is a terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip. This quote shows that Benjamin is very convinced that it was Hamas's idea to kill the three Israeli teens. He will not show any mercy towards Palestinians and will fight them. He is ready for war and will not back off at any cost. That is one of the reasons why the war started.
The author also talks about the history of Israel and Palestine and their conflicts with eachother. He says, "According to the U.N. plan, the territory,, then known as Palestine and governed by Great Britain, would be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish But Arabs rejected this plan and attacked Israel when it declared its independence the following year." This quote explains and shows how the dissagreements and bad blood between Israel and Palestine started. It was all over land and wanting to be larger and more powerful than the other country. Because of this bad history between the two countries, the war could have also started. But the killings helped the war start even earlier than it would have.
Throughout the whole article the author speaks a lot about Palestine and Israel and their history with eachother. She also speaks about the four murders of the teens that also contributed to another war starting. This connects to conflicts in general because most of the time conflicts begin because of bad history and sudden events that happen which help spark it. So the author taught me well about how many big conflicts start and later play out.
Write an original literary piece
All of you think you're cool,
Laughing at me at school.
Oh lets make fun if him, he's lame,
He's got a stupid long name.
But I won't give in to you,
I won't start crying "Boo Hoo".
You think you're all,
Just because you're big and I'm small.
All of you want to hurt me,
I'm not stupid, I can see.
You think I'm hurt by your bad word,
Oh, that's the most pathetic thing I've heard.
Do you think now I feel bad about myself,
Why would I want to ruin my health?
Your words I don't give a thing for,
They are just too poor.
I wanted to make my poem about a social issue that happens in school. So I picked bullying. My poem is about bullying and how a kid withstands it. When I was writing this poem I thought about what kids bully eachother about. I came up with weird names, the kids height or if they have many friends and are "lame" or not. So I included all of those things to be directed at the main character of my poem. Then I thought about the ways that kids bully eachother. During this thinking I reread the short story "Am I Blue" because I remembered that the main character Vince was bullied a lot. I found out that the bully, Butch, used a lot of bad and mean words while bullying Vince. So I used that in the poem and said that mean words were directed at the main character in the poem. Lastly I thought about bullying affects people. How when they are bullied they usually start feeling bad about themselves and become depressed. So since my main character was withstanding bullying, I made him just laugh at the idea of becoming depressed because of bullying.
Social Issues in Art
In the picture "Prayer Time, Five Points House of Industry" by Jacob A. Riis, I see 19 little children, all wearing white gowns, praying. There is one woman standing in the back of the room watching them. There are many beds in which the children probably sleep. The room has brick walls and a wooden floor.
The kids praying could show that they are praying for a better life. Some children look upset which shows they really don't like the way they have to live a harsh life. The beds show that they all must sleep in one room, showing that they are poor. The white gowns that all of them are wearing shows that they must be poor since all of them wear the same thing. But also the white color could symbolize the childrens youth and innocence and that they want their lives to be peaceful. The woman in the back watching them could be their boss or leader and that shows her superiority over them. She's not praying with them which also shows how she has power over them and watches them at all times to make sure they are doing what they're supposed to be doing. Overall this whole picture shows how the children must be very poor and are all hoping for a better life.
This picture makes me feel sorrow for all those little children who must be really poor and probably have to work there. I know that there are still places in the world where things look like they do in this picture, and those people need help. Since U.S.A. got out of those kinds of times, other countries hopefully will too. The picture makes me wonder about what the children are thinking at that very moment. Do they feel sorrow, angry, or even happiness. Also I want to find out what the woman in the back is thinking and feeling. Does she also feel sorry for the children. Does she feel guilt? Or is she happy that the kids must suffer a lot.
Works Cited
Riis, Jacob A. Prayer Time, Five Points House of Industry. N.d. Pioneering Social Reformer Jacob Riis Revealed "How The Other Half Lives" in America. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pioneering-social-reformer-jacob-riis-revealed-how-other-half-lives-america-180951546/?no-ist>.
Smith, Patricia. "How the Murder of Four Teens Started a War." New York Times Upfront 27 Oct. 2014: 10-11. Web.
Four teens get murdered, another war between Israel and Palestine starts. Patricia Smith, the author of "How the Murder of Four Teens Started a War" writes about another war that has happened between Palestine and Israel. Palestine and Israel have been in a conflict for 6 decades now over teritory. They have fought many times already and now another war played out. One of the causes is that 3 Israeli teens were kidnapped and killed by Palestinians militants. Soon a young Palestinian got killed by an Israelist. All of this concluding with a war between the two groups. The author wants me to learn about how history and these horrible killings started yet another war between the countries.
Throughout the article, Patricia quotes many people. One of the people is the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. After the three murders he said, "They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by beasts. Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay." Hamas is a terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip. This quote shows that Benjamin is very convinced that it was Hamas's idea to kill the three Israeli teens. He will not show any mercy towards Palestinians and will fight them. He is ready for war and will not back off at any cost. That is one of the reasons why the war started.
The author also talks about the history of Israel and Palestine and their conflicts with eachother. He says, "According to the U.N. plan, the territory,, then known as Palestine and governed by Great Britain, would be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish But Arabs rejected this plan and attacked Israel when it declared its independence the following year." This quote explains and shows how the dissagreements and bad blood between Israel and Palestine started. It was all over land and wanting to be larger and more powerful than the other country. Because of this bad history between the two countries, the war could have also started. But the killings helped the war start even earlier than it would have.
Throughout the whole article the author speaks a lot about Palestine and Israel and their history with eachother. She also speaks about the four murders of the teens that also contributed to another war starting. This connects to conflicts in general because most of the time conflicts begin because of bad history and sudden events that happen which help spark it. So the author taught me well about how many big conflicts start and later play out.
Write an original literary piece
All of you think you're cool,
Laughing at me at school.
Oh lets make fun if him, he's lame,
He's got a stupid long name.
But I won't give in to you,
I won't start crying "Boo Hoo".
You think you're all,
Just because you're big and I'm small.
All of you want to hurt me,
I'm not stupid, I can see.
You think I'm hurt by your bad word,
Oh, that's the most pathetic thing I've heard.
Do you think now I feel bad about myself,
Why would I want to ruin my health?
Your words I don't give a thing for,
They are just too poor.
I wanted to make my poem about a social issue that happens in school. So I picked bullying. My poem is about bullying and how a kid withstands it. When I was writing this poem I thought about what kids bully eachother about. I came up with weird names, the kids height or if they have many friends and are "lame" or not. So I included all of those things to be directed at the main character of my poem. Then I thought about the ways that kids bully eachother. During this thinking I reread the short story "Am I Blue" because I remembered that the main character Vince was bullied a lot. I found out that the bully, Butch, used a lot of bad and mean words while bullying Vince. So I used that in the poem and said that mean words were directed at the main character in the poem. Lastly I thought about bullying affects people. How when they are bullied they usually start feeling bad about themselves and become depressed. So since my main character was withstanding bullying, I made him just laugh at the idea of becoming depressed because of bullying.
Social Issues in Art
In the picture "Prayer Time, Five Points House of Industry" by Jacob A. Riis, I see 19 little children, all wearing white gowns, praying. There is one woman standing in the back of the room watching them. There are many beds in which the children probably sleep. The room has brick walls and a wooden floor.
The kids praying could show that they are praying for a better life. Some children look upset which shows they really don't like the way they have to live a harsh life. The beds show that they all must sleep in one room, showing that they are poor. The white gowns that all of them are wearing shows that they must be poor since all of them wear the same thing. But also the white color could symbolize the childrens youth and innocence and that they want their lives to be peaceful. The woman in the back watching them could be their boss or leader and that shows her superiority over them. She's not praying with them which also shows how she has power over them and watches them at all times to make sure they are doing what they're supposed to be doing. Overall this whole picture shows how the children must be very poor and are all hoping for a better life.
This picture makes me feel sorrow for all those little children who must be really poor and probably have to work there. I know that there are still places in the world where things look like they do in this picture, and those people need help. Since U.S.A. got out of those kinds of times, other countries hopefully will too. The picture makes me wonder about what the children are thinking at that very moment. Do they feel sorrow, angry, or even happiness. Also I want to find out what the woman in the back is thinking and feeling. Does she also feel sorry for the children. Does she feel guilt? Or is she happy that the kids must suffer a lot.
Works Cited
Riis, Jacob A. Prayer Time, Five Points House of Industry. N.d. Pioneering Social Reformer Jacob Riis Revealed "How The Other Half Lives" in America. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pioneering-social-reformer-jacob-riis-revealed-how-other-half-lives-america-180951546/?no-ist>.
Smith, Patricia. "How the Murder of Four Teens Started a War." New York Times Upfront 27 Oct. 2014: 10-11. Web.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)