Werner's Death :(

For your final blog post on All the Light We Cannot See and your final blog post of the semester, you can address anything having to do with the book. This is an opportunity for you to say what you think of the book or address any other aspect of the book that interests you and about which you haven't already written a blog post.

One thing that I really enjoyed discussing was Werner's death. It not only blew him up, but blew my mind (just kidding) (only a little). Anyways, it was crazy how there were two chapters in the book called Light. The first one was Marie-Laure finding her way home for the first time she she turned blind. The second one was Werner dying.

Obviously the author did this on purpose. I think he did it on purpose to show that Werner was finding his way home. To his parents. 

Another thing I found crazy was how Werner tried so hard to escape the mines and the same fate his father had, but ended up being buried by earth too. It just goes to show that no matter how hard you try, you can't escape fate. 

There's just so much that happened in that book. It's such a good book. I loved reading it and discussing it. It should definitely stay in the ELA curriculum. And it's so cool that some of us get to see the author in person and that he was a student of John Long's. H

Late Blogpost from 10/19/15

For this week's blog post, please find one article in Houston History Magazine, summarize the article, and explain what you found interesting about it.

The article in Houston History Magazine (Houston's Helping Hand: Remembering Katrina) that I read was called William Reed: Using Technology to Find Lost Loved Ones. It was about when the evacuees from Hurricane Katrina came from New Orleans to Houston. They stayed in the Astro Dome. 

The article explained how Dr. William Reed works for this company called Technology for All, and in the refuge, they set up 210 computers for people in search for lost loved ones. It was heartbreaking because a lot of the people were traumatized, illiterate, and foreign to computers. It took a lot of work, but they were able to connect many people with their families and friends, which made all the difference.

One thing that I found fascinating was this one evacuee who wrote a blog on these computers. When the people realized what he was doing, they hired him, and now he still works for them. 

It really amazes me how when people are in need, people come together. Technology for All had 40 computers set up less than 24 hours after the evacuees arrived. By the end of the week, they had 210 computers. It's quite moving, how people can work together to produce results like this. I can't even possibly imagine what it would be like to be in a situation like that, but it's nice to know that you would have help. 

Opinions on Werner and Marie-Laure

As we have gotten to know more about Marie-Laure and Werner, how has your opinion of them changed and why? Use evidence from the book to support your answer.

My opinions on Marie-Laure have changed. She's very strange, in my opinion. Everyone treats her very delicately, but in reality she's strong. And vicious. At one point in the books she thinks that she will rip someone's eyes out if he touches her. She's also kind of just there. She doesn't do much, she just lets things happen to her. That's not a bad thing, it just makes her very human. 

Werner, on the other hand, is my favorite character. He's the epitome of a soldier. He's not a bad person, he was just born in the wrong place, at the wrong time. One example that changed my opinion of him is on page 229, when they are throwing water on the prisoner. Werner throws the water, being the good soldier he is, yet Frederick refuses. This made me acutely aware that Werner is no hero. But Frederick is. It made me love this book more, because most protagonists are heroes, but you don't have to be a hero to have a story. 

Imagery At Its Finest

This week, on Thursday, we learned about imagery. Find an example of imagery in the book, quote it, and explain how it appeals to your senses.

One piece of visual imagery that I really like in All the Light We Cannot See is on page 11. "In stormy light, its granite glows blue. At the highest tides, the sea creeps into basements at the very center of town. At the lowest tides, the barnacled ribs of a thousand shipwrecks stick out above the sea."

This was very powerful to me in my sense of seeing. I could easily picture the stormy town, with its granite tiles glowing a bluish color. And then when the tides are high, I could see the water going over the edge of the ground, not quite high enough to flood houses, but just the right height to get into basements. My favorite part of this was the barnacled ribs, because I found that very beautiful, especially when I pictured it in the stormy light. 

I really love the imagery in this book; it's gorgeous and intriguing. 

Werner Pfennig, A Summary

Choose either Marie-Laure or Werner and do a character sketch. Mention appearance, age, mannerisms, defining characteristics, personality, circumstances, main goal, and primary conflict (so far).

Werner Pfennig is a young boy in Nazi Germany. It is mentioned many times that he is "white-haired" (pg. 7). On page 24, it says Werner is "undersized and his ears stick out and he speaks with a high, sweet voice; the whiteness of his jar stops people in their tracks." At the very beginning he is 18, but when it goes back in time, he is 7. He loves his radio. A lot. He is always reconfiguring it and fixing it and messing with it and listening to it. 

He wants to be an engineer or scientist but can't because he's in Nazi Germany and the only thing he can do is become a soldier or work in the mines. He obviously becomes a soldier, as you can tell from the prologue. I'm excited to see how he gets there. 

An Oral History Interview

For this week's blog post, reflect upon your experience interviewing your oral history subject. 

How did you feel about the experience?

I feel like it was a learning experience. It was also very fun. I liked it a lot and think that in the future I would like to do it again. 

Do you think it went well - why or why not? 

I think it went well. We asked all our questions, and more questions. We got all the information we wanted, plus more. 

What do you think you might do differently in future oral history interviews?

I would definitely do it inside, and in a quiet space. That way, you could more clearly understand the audio. You can hear ours, but there's a lot of noise in the background, unfortunately. 

What was interesting about your subject's story? 

Everything! How they moved to Houston, how they met, what they're doing currently, what they've done in the past. Everything was so interesting, and seeing the dynamic between both of them was also really cool. 

Two Different Fates

The story that I listened to on StoryCorps was StoryCorps 442: Hostage. It was about two different hostage stories with different outcomes. The first was about a plane that was hijacked and everyone who was on it died. The son of the pilot and the daughter of the hijacker were the ones being interviewed. The second story was about a junior in high school who had scizophrenia and pretended to have hostages so the police would shoot him. He survived, but was shot in the face. The police officer who tried to talk him down and the guy himself were the ones being interviewed. 

Three follow up questions that I would have asked are:

1) Are you (the police officer) close to the boy? Do you see him regularly?

2) Do you (the son of the pilot) see her (the daughter of the hijacker) regularly? Are you friends with her?

3) Do you (the son of the pilot) feel that the FBI has been doing a better job with mentally ill hijackers since your mother sued them?

I'm Only Human

For your final blog post on Persepolis, you may write about anything else that interested you about the novel that you have not yet had a chance to write about.

One thing that I found interesting was when Marjane would poke her eyes to give the illusion that she was high. She did this because her friends did drugs, but she didn't want to, and yet, she wanted to be accepted. 

I liked this because it shows that even a child who had seen war and whose family was torn apart is still human. She still wants to be accepted by someone, anyone. She needs to be accepted. In fact, Marjane goes to great lengths trying to be accepted throughout the course of the book, including becoming a drug dealer. 

It just goes to illustrate that no matter who you are and what you've been through--you're still only human and we're all doing the best we can with what we have. 

The Story of M(arjane's)y Life

Do a character sketch of one of the characters in Persepolis. This should include the character's name, age (or ages as the book progresses), gender, appearance, personality, and importance to the plot of the book.

Marjane Satrapi, the main character of Persepolis, is the character I have chosen to sketch out.

At the beginning of the book, Marjane is 10 years old. At the very end of the book, she is 24. Marjane was born a female and remained a female throughout the course of the book. Marjane has dark hair and wears the illustrious veil for parts of the book, but while she is in Austria, she does not. On page 189, she develops a beauty mark on her nose. 

Marjane is a very brave young lady who isn't afraid to be herself when she is fighting for herself but is terrified to be herself when she's just a normal teenager. She's the most important character to the graphic novel, because she is the main character.  

I'm (Not) Coming Home

Why do you think Marjane chose to leave Iran again to go and live in France? Use specific examples from the book to support your claims. Would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?

I think Marjane chose to leave Iran again and go live in France because she knew she wasn't going to have what she wanted in Iran. She constantly fought the school boards for something as simple as a few strands of hair sticking out of her hijab. She had a husband whom she didn't truly love anymore. There was a war going on. All of these things fought against her hopes and dreams. 

An example of a reason why Marjane wanted to leave is the lack of women's rights in Iran. At one point in the book she said "If a guy kills ten woman in the presence of fifteen others, no one can condemn him because in a murder case, we woman, we can't even testify! He's also the one who has the right to divorce and even if he gives it to you, he nonetheless has custody of the children! I heard a religious man justify this law by saying that man was the grain and woman, the earth in which the grain grew, therefore the child naturally belonged to his father! Do you realize?? I can't take it anymore. I want to leave this country!" (337). 

I would have made the same decision too. I couldn't live in a country where my basic rights were revoked. Go, Marjane!

Deciding the Fate of Marjane

Why did Marjane's parents decide to send her to Europe. Do you think this was the right decision? Why or why not?

Marjane's parents decide to send her to Austria because "considering the person [she is] and the education [she's] received, [they] thought it would be better if [she] left Iran" (147). Marjane was very rebellious leading up to this, especially towards her teachers at school. She had even been expelled.

Marjane likes to stand up for what is right, and her parents respect that. But they just can't stand the fact of her not getting the French education they wanted, or the fact that she could get in a lot more trouble than just expulsion. 

I personally also think that the war had something to do with them sending her away. Iran just wasn't a safe place for people to live.

I think their decision to send Marjane away was a good and bad one at the same time. I think it was good that she would be able to be away from the war, live a normal teenage life, and have a better education. I think it was bad because she will rarely be able to see her parents, if ever again. 

We'll just have to see in the next section of the book how everything turns out and whether or not Marjane likes it in Austria.  

ELA Review of 2014-15

What was the most fun/engaging activity that you did in ELA this year? Why was it fun/engaging?

The most fun/engaging activity in my opinion was acting out A Raisin in the Sun in class. I thought it was fun because we weren't just told to read a play, we got to hear it, and see it (more or less).

What was the most boring activity that you did this year? Why was it boring?

I really can't think of anything boring...I keep trying but I just can't.

What was your favorite book this year? Why?

I think my favorite book this year was Maus, just because I thought it was cool how we were reading a graphic novel, and I loved the story. 

What was your least favorite book this year? Why?

My least favorite book was probably The Great Gatsby, because I didn't understand it, and I still don't really understand it...

What should I definitely keep the same for next year's ELA curriculum? Why?

I love how we are able to do creative or analytical book responses, and I also love our seminars.

What should I definitely change for next year's ELA curriculum? Why?

I would ask for more writing classes. We had some at the beginning of the second semester on the second class of the week, but those kinda stopped. I would also ask for more analytical and creative writing classes. I know that we should know how to write, but there are some people who don't know how, and there's always something you can learn. Plus, when we go to IB, the skills we learned would be really helpful.

Is there anything else that you would like to tell me about your experience in ELA? If so - please put it here.

Keep up the good work, Ms. Harrison.

The Plant

We have finished A Raisin in the Sun. For this blog post, you can address anything about the book that interests you, whether we have discussed in class or not.

One thing that we discussed in class that really interested me was the symbolism of the plant. 

I thought it was interesting how we thought the plant symbolizes the family. It makes sense for a few reasons, including the fact that Mama is always taking care of it and she's the caretaker of the family. 

Also, she's making sure it doesn't die, just like with the real family; plus, when the plant was dying, so was the family (in a sense). 

At the end, Mama comes back for the plant because the family is back intact again. I just thought it was cool, like all symbols are. 

Does It Matter How You Get It?

On p. 143, Walter states, "There ain't no causes - there ain't nothing but taking in this world, and he who takes the most is smartest - and it don't make a damn bit of difference how." Do you think that this is true? Why or why not?

I think that this is true. I think it's true because everything in life is taken. 

For example, wealthy people. Take into account three different kinds of wealthy people: one who worked hard for it, one who was given it, and one who stole it. It doesn't matter how you got it, you still have a lot of money. Sure, you could have consequences from stealing it, like going to jail, but you still had the money at one point. You might even take the riches for granted if you were given it, but you still have the money. It's real life, and you don't get a redo. 

So, yes, everything in life is for the taking and it doesn't matter how you get it.

Why Mama Gave Away Her Money

In Act II, Scene 2, Mama puts Walter in charge of all of the money. Why do you think that she does that?

I think the reason that Mama put Walter in charge of the money is because she finally realized how much he's hurting. She finds out he hasn't been to work in three days, that he's been going to (what I'm assuming is a bar) the Green Hat and doing useless random things. She realizes his future and dreams are broken. 

Mama says to Walter, "What you ain't never understood is that I ain't got nothing, don't own nothing, ain't never really wanted nothing that wasn't for you. There ain't nothing as precious to me…There ain't nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else—if it means—it's going to destroy my boy," (A Raisin in the Sun, 106).

She's realized that she's been treating him like the rest of the world has, and she regrets it. Parents want the world for their children, so that's my answer as to why she gave him $6,500. 

The American Dilemma

In American Denial, you learned about Swedish economist, Gunner Myrdal, and his research in the American Deep South in the 1930's. He concluded that Americans believe in equality and freedom, but then continue to discriminate against others (in this case due to race), and that the tension between these two beliefs created an American dilemma (in fact, he called his study The American Dilemma). Do you believe that this is still true today? Why or why not?

I do believe that it is still true, at least, in a sense. It's probably not as bad as it used to be, with segregation, but there is still a sense of segregation in places like Chicago, but they just aren't separated by law. I think The American Dilemma is still around because we Americans have a lot of values, but we do not act in accordance with those values. 

Some think that we don't have racism in our country, but we most certainly do. We think everyone is equal, but we aren't. In the drug war, Caucasian Americans are stopped and searched for drugs much less than African Americans are, and Caucasians are just as likely to have and sell drugs. If that's not racism, I don't know what is.   

There is also The Impressionist Test, which clearly shows that even if we are not consciously racist, we may be subconsciously. Even African Americans can prefer Caucasian Americans, considering The Doll Test. It tested young African American children asking which one was the pretty, smart, talented, etc. child and they always chose the Caucasian versus the African American. Then when asked who they were, it was sad to see them choosing either the Caucasian doll or struggling to pick the one they had just said was stupid and ugly.  

Research has also shown that when taking standardized tests, if you are asked what race or ethnicity you are before the test, African Americans will score significantly lower than Caucasian Americans. Even if they are just told it's a test to discover your interests rather than your intelligence they will score better.

So, yes, I think racism and The American Dilemma are still prominent in this society.

One of the Problems Migrant Workers Face

Since this week is a free blogpost (the ones I hate because I have no imagination) I will discuss what we are learning in IHSS (Integrated History and Social Sciences). 

In IHSS we are learning about migrant farmworkers, and my project is on one of their biggest issues: lack of money. Migrant workers don't earn enough money to make a living. They can't afford the food they pick when they see it at grocery stores, which I find very sad and unfair. They are paid less than minimum wage (not cool) because some of them are not legal citizens of the United States, so it is not illegal for them to be paid that little. A lot of them are citizens though, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. 

There was a riot some time ago that asked the corporations to raise the price of the produce they were picking by 1¢. One cent! One penny! It would give the migrant workers around $50 more a week, and not that many people would notice, and care, if it was raised by only one cent. But the corporations refused because they're a bunch of greedy swine who don't care for their workers who do the real back-breaking (literally) work. 

Some of the other big issues are how the migrant workers stay in the same economic situations for generation after generation, they don't get a good education (considering 65% of migrant workers drop out of school), they have terrible living conditions, and they don't have healthcare. I feel like all of these problems could be solved if they earned more money. The world is an unfair place, so why not do what we can to make it better?  

Gatsby's Love For Daisy: real or not real?

Choose any topic of interest that we have discussed in class (or not discussed, if you have a new one) in relation to The Great Gatsby and explore it further. Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

One thing that we discussed in class that I really liked was how Gatsby only loved the idea of Daisy. Gatsby loved the idea of the girl he'd had a fling with when they were young, not the actual Daisy. Some reasons that are proof of this are: the fact that he "loved" her even though he hadn't seen her for a decade, he was so nervous to re-meet her because he had been in love with an idea of her for so long and not an actual physical being, and because he was so convinced that she hadn't changed, that she still loved him as much as he loved her.

Gatsby claimed to be "in love" with Daisy, yet he hadn't seen her since before the war. I'm not sure he even loved her then; he probably also just loved the idea of her, a rich, beautiful girl who would hook up with all of the soldiers. They might have felt something deeper than just like towards each other, but they couldn't see what could become of it; he had to go to war, and just writing letters isn't enough to fully love someone. Yes, you can love the idea of them, but not their full body and mind.

When Gatsby convinced Nick to invite Daisy over for tea, and have Gatsby there, Gatsby was incredibly anxious. He cut Nick's grass for him, when Daisy was one minute late he freaked, and when she finally showed up, he walked out of the house and back in. I think it was because since he hadn't seen her for so long, he was nervous to be with just not the idea of her, but the real her. Like I said before, he had been in love with the idea of her for so long, he had forgotten what it was like to actually love someone's physical being.

Gatsby was convinced during his whole affair with Daisy that she was still in love with him, even when he was arguing with Tom, Daisy's husband about it. He was so in love with Daisy that he couldn't even possibly imagine that she wasn't still in love with him after all this time. But she wasn't, she was also just in love with the idea of him, someone who would actually love her, someone that did love her, at least, in her past. And that's why this relationship would never have worked out because even though the other person is a lovely idea, being in love with that idea is never enough to maintain a healthy, strong relationship. 

Myrtle's Death

Describe what happens when Myrtle is killed in chapter 7. How did it happen? Who was to blame? Use textual evidence. (Describe: Give a detailed account.)

In Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan's lover and mistress, Myrtle Wilson, died. She was hit by a car coming from New York City that didn't even stop. The car that hit her is described as a "big yellow car. New," (139). We know from Tom's conversation with Myrtle's husband earlier that Gatsby's car is a yellow car; we also know that Daisy and Gatsby were in that car, because earlier in the chapter Tom tells them to take Gatsby's car home. 

At first, the author intends for us to think that Gatsby was driving the car, since it is his car. Later on, when Nick talks to Gatsby, Gatsby informs him that Daisy was the one driving, "but of course [he'll] say [he] was," (143). Now, the real question is did Daisy hit Myrtle on purpose, because she knew she was her husband's mistress, or was it really just an accident? It's all very fishy, considering the facts, especially since Daisy didn't stop to see if her victim was alright.  

Gatsby vs. Jordan

Contrast Jay Gatsby's story about himself on p. 65 and Jordan Baker's story about Daisy and Gatsby on pp. 74-77. What is different about these stories, and why do you think that they are different? [Contrast: Give an account of the differences between two (or more) items or situations, referring to both (all) of them throughout.]

         

One big difference between Gatsby's and Jordan's stories to Nick about Gatsby is the fact that Gatsby doesn't even mention Daisy in his and Jordan's is all about Daisy. Gatsby went to war in both of their stories, or at least, he was an officer in Jordan's, because she references the "excited young officers from Camp Taylor" who were all in love with Daisy (74), and in Gatsby's he says that he "accepted a commission as first lieutenant when [the war] began," (66).

Something that Gatsby and Jordan say that is dissimilar is that Gatsby went to Oxford. Jordan doesn't specifically say it in her backstory of Gatsby, but she does say it earlier in the book, and the text even mentions it when Gatsby mentions to Nick that he went there. "He looked at me sideways—and I knew why Jordan Baker believed he was lying. He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces," (65).

Obviously one or both of them are lying, or at least withholding information about Gatsby's past. Only continuing with reading the book shall reveal the truth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The Lost Generation in The Great Gatsby

Having learned something about the Lost Generation in class, find a passage in this week's reading that reflects the feelings of many people after WWI. To what extent does this passage represent the worldview of the Lost Generation? Please copy the passage as part of your answer. (To what extent: Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept. Opinions and conclusions should be presented clearly and supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument.)

One passage that reminds me of the Lost Generation in The Great Gatsby is not a very long one, but an effective one. It is when Nick Carraway is with Tom Buchanan and his lover, Myrtle Wilson, and their crowd. "People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away," (37).

The reason this passage reminds me of the Lost Generation, instead of a passage about Gatsby's lavish parties is because people who were in their twenties and thirties after World War I had a lack of purpose and were aimless. The characters in this excerpt were in a small apartment, yet they were getting lost and disappearing and searching for each other and finding each other, and to me, that is symbolizing on a small scale what their generation as a whole were going through.

When I first read that quote I was confused, because how could that happen to people in a loft? After re-reading it, I understood that that's how they were feeling: confused, and it still strikes me to my core.

The American Dream: to be or not to be?

What is your definition of The American Dream? Describe some examples of people you know, have heard about, or have read about that have dreamed an American Dream? (Describe: Give a detailed account.)

My definition of The American Dream is that it doesn't matter where you start in life, only what you do with it. This means that if you work hard, you can achieve what you want to achieve, be what you want to be, and earn what you want to earn.

One person I know  that has dreamed and lived The American Dream is my father, Darrell Barger. My dad grew up in Texas City, living in a very poor situation. He dreamed of one day living The American Dream. After he went to college, he went into the United States Marine Corps, where he served for three years in Vietnam. Once he was released, he took an entrance exam for law school and passed. He went to law school at the University of Texas; his parents could not afford to pay for it, so he ended up paying for it with the money the military sent him every month ($350). This was called a G.I. Bill, which was a law created in 1944 for returning veterans to pay for things, such as mortgage or school tuition. Today, he is earning a lot of money and has been awarded many things, such as being in the top 100 lawyers in Texas.

Even though there is proof that people have lived The American Dream, it is extremely rare and is becoming even rarer as we speak. Nowadays in America, people who are in the lower class, and even the middle class, are in a completely unfair situation, with the money in America being distributed mostly to the top 20%. This leads to better education and activities for the children of the people in the top 20%, which also leads to them earning their places in the top 20%, and vice versa with the middle and lower classes. I think that people should still dream The American Dream, but they should know that their chances of actually living it are very slim, if not entirely impossible.