Into The Wild

“I can’t believe they’d try and buy me a car…or that they think is actually let them pay for my law school if I was going to go…I’ve told them a million times that I have the best car in the world, a car that has spanned the continent from Miami to Alaska, a car that has in all those thousands of miles not given me a single problem, a car that I will never trade in, a car that I am very strongly attached to—yet they ignore what I say and think id actually accept a new car from them!  I’m going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.” (pg 21)

I choose this quote because first of all it shows the Chris has completely different thoughts that his parents.  He doesn’t see life as being made up of new material things.  He shows that he wants to cut the strings between his parents wanting to control his life.  He is an independent adult and wants to be treated as so.  It relates to the book because for Chris life is not made up of money and material things.  He sees it ridiculous the idea of replacing his car when it’s up and running.  In my own personal life because I don’t think that happiness can be bought with material things.  You shouldn’t replace a good working item just because they came up with a new color or style which does the same thing as the one you have.  I think we have to reconsider that other people might not be able to have what ones have and we are being selfish.  I know that I can say that I can say that I have guilty of this because that used to be me with wanting the newest color or style of items.

Censorship

1.   Why is it important to include nonfiction as part of the curriculum in the classroom?  What are some nonfiction works that you recall reading as a young adult?  Did what was best about those books match up with the traits described in your notes?

It’s important to include nonfiction as part of the curriculum in the classroom because students will find themselves more interested in wanting to read.  For example, boys will be more attracted to boy theme books that attract their interest.  I honestly don’t remember the books that we read when I was in middle school or high school that were nonfiction.  But I suppose that our teachers took in consideration the traits that were discussed in the notes.

2.   What are the benefits of including ethnic literature as part of the classroom canon?  How should teachers approach it?

I think that it’s beneficial to include ethnic literature as part of the classroom canon because students needs to be aware of the lives of other diversity and better understand a classmate if the ethnic book is related to them.  I think that teachers should pick an example of a situation that the book talks about and then ask the class about it.  Then introduce the book and the purpose for reading it.

3.   From your notes on censorship, what surprised you as you read?  On the Misunderstandings page, make sure you click on the link provided.  This was set up by parents who wanted to censor a book called Rats Saw God.   What is ironic about these parents including the “worst” passages from the book on their site?  What can we do about censorship?—and this is especially important for those of you who plan to teach one day!

The thing that surprised me from the notes of censorship is that parents are trying really hard to protect their kids from reading books that they consider inappropriate when in reality they are pushing them to temptation wanting to read the book and they want to keep their kids pure and innocent when many times they are living a life that it worst from the books.  It’s ironic because they talking about censorship from books but how they can control everything else that their kids will see read or do.  I think that we could be cautious about choosing a book to read for the class because we don’t want to be in a situation where a parent gets upset and then gets every other parent wild up about the book.

Reality of Life

Questions for you to think about before reading. 

1.       Have you ever argued with your family?

I think that we all have argued with our family, whether it’s our father, mother, cousins, siblings, aunts or uncles and even our grandparents.  We all have minds of our own and don’t always feel the same about everything and sometimes things will get out of control and then arguments will erupt.  Not saying that arguing is a good thing but it’s nothing out of the norms.

2.       Have you ever been hurt after learning a secret?

Yes, I have been hurt after learning a secret.  Secrets hurt a lot after you find out because people play with someone’s feelings because you might trust someone while they are doing things behind your back.  I think that any kind of secret that is kept from you is going to hurt you unless it’s a secret to surprise you with a gift or party.

3.       Have you ever just wanted to get away from everything-- drop all the stresses in your life, get in your car and drive?

I have to say yes and many times because sometimes you feel overwhelmed with everything that is going around whether its school, work, volunteer work, or even your family.  Although, many will judge you if you tell them that you feel that but only the person going through the stress knows the feeling.

4.       Do you think possessions buy happiness?

No, possessions do not buy happiness.  Possessions will only give you happiness when you first have possession of it but after a few days that happiness vanishes and you’re at point zero again.  If you have happiness without possessions means that a smile from your kids will bring you satisfaction and happiness.

5.       Do you think people are mostly good?  Do you think people are mostly fake?

I think that in today’s society there’s 50/50.  Fifty percent that are mostly good and honest and fifty percent that are mostly fake and dishonest.  I can’t say that there’s not good or bad because society has to be balanced with all types of characteristics of people.

6.       Have you ever tested yourself, taken yourself to the limit?

No, I can’t say that I have tested myself to the limit because I’m too afraid of risks.

7.       Are you afraid of dying?  Or are you afraid of dying with ever having truly lived?

I have to say that yes I’m afraid of dying because I think of my daughters and the fact of leaving them to suffer my absence.  I fear the pain that my mother will suffer and probably the rest of my family.  Yes, I’m also afraid of dying without ever having truly lived because I have things that I want to accomplish in life and dying isn’t on my list yet.

Based on these questions, I suppose that the main character of this story will have some this issues that are pretty common in anyones life.  Because I really don't think that there's a family that doesn't have arguments.  I also believe that the majority of the people in one way or another have that fear of dying.

The Watsons Reflection

When I hear of discrimination and racism, it just gets me mad because I think to myself why do people have to be like that, why can’t they just learn to accept that we live in diverse society and whether they like it or not, that’s life in the 20^th century.  Recalling from the our reading and not being able to understand what those two white guys thought they would get out by causing this harm to innocent people.  I think to myself, is their life so miserable that they can’t handle it and has to harm others.  Mrs. Watson thought that going back would be much better because when she lived there, everything was so calm and racism wasn’t an issue.  But what she didn’t realize was that Birmingham was a perfect target for racism acts to be done because of the African Americans population.  Therefore, because of that the Watson return backs home the same of the incident.  Although, the story is fiction and the facts of some of the things that happened are not real but they have some truth to the history of the things that happened in that time.  I wasn’t born in the time frame and can’t imagine the hardship that the people had to go through to live life day by day.  I’m not sure if I would’ve been strong enough to have taken the horrible treatment that African American’s had to go through.

The Watsons

1.     Some kids in Kenny's school make fun of him because he's smarter than most and because of his "lazy" eye. Then they pick on Rufus because of his clothes and his Southern accent. How does the teasing affect each of the two boys? How does it feel to be made fun of? How does it feel to make fun of someone else?

·        The way that it affects Kenny is that he unsure of himself, low self-esteem, easily bullied or taken advantage of.

o   “Man!  It was hard to believe how much stuff By could put in his mouth!  Him and Buphead just about died laughing as I stood there with snow and spit and ice dripping off my face.” (pg. 10) 

o   “I knew that God had finally gotten sick of me being teased and picked on all the time.” (pg. 29)

·        The way that it affects Rufus is that he is new to the school, therefore he feels like an outsider, unsure of himself, with a low self-esteem and easily taken advantage of.    

o   “Then Larry Dunn said, Lord today, look at the nappy-headed, downhome, country corn flakes the cat done drugged up from Mississippi, Y’all!” (pg. 30) 

o   “Me and Rufus and Cody were on the bus right behind the driver one day when Larry Dunn walked up to our seat and said, Country Corn Flake, I noticed how you and the Little Flake switch off on them pants, and I know Fridays is your day to wear ‘em, but I was wonderin’ if the same person who gets to wear the pants to wear the drawers that day too?” (pg. 43)

Being made fun of isn’t a pleasant feeling because the person feels saddened and mad.  Their feelings are hurt.  The bully’s making fun of someone feels good at doing it but in reality the reason that they are doing it is because they are so unhappy with themselves or their family.

2.     Describe the character of the old brother. Byron often seems like a mean kid, and sometimes he acts as though he hates Kenny. How do you know that he has deeper, nicer feelings than those? Why do you think Byron hides his feelings of love and tenderness?   Does Byron deserve some of the things that happened to him—like the way his mother teases him while he’s being punished?

·        Byron has just become a teenager and has gotten into some trouble because of his bad choices.  Byron feels he is too cool for some things and pretends to be really tough and not caring for many things related to the family.  He disobeys and doesn’t listen to what is being said to him.

o   “Byron rolled his eyes like he didn’t care.  All he did was tuck the blanket farther into the couch’s cushion.” (pg. 6)

·        By has deeper and nicer feeling because the time when Kenny was walking down the alley that By was sitting on the apple tree that he shared the cookies with Kenny even though he had finished one bag all by himself but that showed he cared for his brother because he could’ve eaten the second bag and not shared.  Then moments later when he knocked down and bird and actually killed the poor bird, the guilt feeling made him sick to his stomach and started to cry for what he had done and he even buried the bird.

o   “The bird’s head drooped backward and was rolling from side to side.  Dead as a donut” (pg. 83)

o   “I stood there with my mouth open, I couldn’t believe Byron was starting to cry.  And I couldn’t believe how much vomit a bag and a half of Swedish Crèmes and some green apples could make.” (pg. 83)

o   “Leave it to Daddy Cool to kill a bird, and then give it a funeral.” (pg. 85)

·        Yes, Byron deserves the things that happen to him because in the situation with the matches his mother warns him plenty of times of the consequences if he continues playing with matches.  She even shares her tragedy that happened to their family when she was a kid, to give awareness of the results.

3.     What does Kenny see at Colliers' Landing?

·        When Kenny, Joey and Byron first get to the Collier’s they see a sign that says “Warning! No trespassing! No swimming! No public entrée!” signed by Joe Collier  (pg 169).  Even after the warning sign and the advice from Joey and By, Kenny still went to Collier’s Landing.  As Kenny walked into Collier’s Landing all he could think was about the “Wool Pooh” that Byron had made up to make him scare.  Therefore, when Kenny in the water with that thought he probably lost his balance in the water and had a nervous breakdown about imagining that the “Wool Pool” was pulling him down when in reality it was his own nerves that were fighting against him.

4.     Even though the topic is very serious there is a lot of humor in this book. Find the scene in the book that you think is funniest and set it down here.

·        The part that I thought was funny beside the one of the lips getting stuck to the mirror is when By gets his hair dyed by his friend Bumphead and really thought that he was going to pass unnoticed by his family member.  But more disappointed I bet was when his dad cut his “Mexican” hairstyle.  It reminded me of my nephew that went to Mexico and dyed his hair blonde, when his natural hair color is dark brown and he is on a darker skin color.  He looked funny.

5.     How does the bombing of the church in Birmingham change members of the Watson family, especially Kenny? Discuss how you felt when you read about the bombing and the children who were hurt or killed. Have you read or heard about similar events that have taken place recently? Why do such things happen? Do you think anything can stop them from happening?

·        Well first of all they left that same night back to Flint.  Seemed like the family became more united.  As for Kenny, he came back being different and out of focus because according to him he was ashamed for running from the scene instead of helping his sister Joey when in reality thanks to him she had ran out after him.

·        I felt really sad and emotional because just the thought that those girls could be my daughters if something like that happened at a school here and the pain and suffering that family of the children that were killed back then.  I can’t even imagine how I would take it.

·        The only similar events that I have heard are when students have gone and gone into classes and done random shootings at the students.  I feel that these kinds of things happen because the person doing this has so much hate and so unhappy that they want to pass that pain and unhappiness to innocent people or students.  I really don’t know if there’s anything that we can do because everyone has different ways of thinking and seeing life.  While you might be able to talk to children about getting along with everyone, treating everyone with respect and to not be racist there’s always going to be people out there that won’t think the way even if we live a free country.

Don't Know Much of History

Watch the PowerPoint included in this week’s work, “Don’t Know Much about History.”

1.   Did you recognize events and photos from our recent past? Why is it important for young people to connect to history? 

·         I honestly didn’t recognize the events from the PowerPoint, although they are very sanding to see that this happened.  I’m curious if the bombing of the church where the four little girls were killed is the same bombing from the book “The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963”. 

·         It’s important for young people to connect to history in order to better understand what life was in the past and how things have changed since then.  We want the younger generations to make good choices and that we need to respect everyone regardless of their color or race.

2.   Make sure you click to watch Martin Luther King’s speech on YouTube called “Four Little Girls” found in the PowerPoint.  Additionally, please watch this clip about the making Spike Lee’s documentary on the Birmingham bombings: Spike Lee w/ Bobby Rivers: "4 Little Girls" - YouTube  How much did you know about this event which happened during the Civil Rights movement?  Why does it still resonate today?

·         I didn’t have knowledge of this event that happened during the Civil Rights movement.

·         It still resonates today because seems that after this cruel act Martin Luther King and the African American’s united themselves to get something done and put a stop to the racist acts and the violence against them.

3.   How can fiction help young readers learn about history?  What are some of the traits in the best historical fiction?  How do you see some of those same traits in The Watsons Go to Birmingham?

·         Fiction books will help young readers learn about history because the writers have knowledge of the events that happened in at certain time frame of history, the way people lived and the way people felt in the time frame.  Learning history can be found interesting if it’s presented in a different way rather just a History Textbook.

·         I see some of the traits in The Watsons Go to Birmingham because the author uses some of the language/accent that would be used, the type of car that the Watson family had, and the description/details of their lifestyle.

·         Even though, today you can still here people with their strong accent, the fact that the author emphasized it in the book to make you get a better picture of it.

·         Obviously the year of when the story took place gives us some idea but adding the detail of what the car looked like.

·         The authors gives us lots of details about how they lived, how they dressed, the discipline that they received, their surrounding and what they ate.

Movie "How I LIve Now"

Daisy- Evan Ranchel Wood

Edmond and Isaac-  Logan Lerman

 Osbert-  Zac Efon

Piper-  Ella Fanning

Aunt Penn-  Aunt Penn

Dad- George Clooney

Stepmother-  Angelina Jolie

I dont much about songs and soundtracks therfore this is what I came up with:

I Dont Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

The Climb  by Miley Cirus

Wherever You Will Go By Charlene Soraia

The setting would be ideally in some part of England that would similar features to what they had in the story.

  

How I Live Now

You know the saying never judge a book by its cover.  Well I kind of judged this book when it first started because it didn’t seem that interesting within the first chapter into the second.  I wasn’t really sure what the story was going to be about since the cover is black with some white butterflies and yellowish branches towards the tops and fuchsia colored shadow of flowers.  It really catches you off guard when Daisy starts to talk about the feelings that she felt when she spent time with Edmond.  Those feeling crossed both of their minds since eventually their cousin relationship becomes more of a romantic relationship.  Many will feel grossed out with the fact that they are blood cousins but let’s be honest I think we have seen worst, not saying I approve of it just saying that worst has been seen.  To Daisy’s bad luck, a war starts to breakout in England and Piper and she are separated from Isaac, Edmond and Osbert.  While being separated Daisy always dreamed of being with Edmond and that they would have a conversation.  Things were fine at Reston Bridge until day the Mayor McEnvoy and Joe were shot and killed, something caused it to break out there.  Frankie rushed to get Piper, Daisy, Mrs. McEnvoy and Alby to take them to a safe place.  Daisy would have Edmond in her mind regardless of the situation they were going through.  Once at the safe place, they got to talk to the soldier and got to become close to Baz after they had known him from when they would milk the cows.  Daisy felt the trust in him and shared her plans of escaping to find the boys but in reality her main reason was Edmond.  The day came when things were starting to become shacky and Baz told Daisy, he even had a backpack ready for them with necessities for their travel.  Daisy knew that it was going to be a difficult journey because she was a city girl not from the country.  Luckily the night they had to leave Reston Bridge, she took a compass that belonged to Mayor McEnvoy and she had previously obtained a map to locate Gateshead, therefore which was of some help to their advantage.  The journey was tiresome, scary, they lacked sleep, they had unpleasant beds, they experienced hunger and not to mention the feeling of feeling dirty from not changing clothes or taking baths.  Daisy learned the significance of feeling hungry and the urge to eat when food was limited.  She learned the way of life living in the outdoors or should we say in the wild because they would eat anything that was edible in the outdoors.  Even though Daisy wasn’t used to this kind of life she faced it bravely and focused on reaching her destination.  After days of long walks they reached their destination and right of the bat Daisy knew things didn’t seem right and feared the worst but she confronted her fears and went to find out.  What she was devastating, to see all those dead bodies of adults and children, but she got to see that the boys weren’t part of the dead.  Daisy and Piper returned to the house that wasn’t that far away and decided to hide out in the barn until things cooled down.  Then one day, her life changed when the phone rang and she answered, she was returned back to New York to reunite with her father.  Then six years later, she decides to return to England with her cousins, now that the war had ended and slowly things were returning to some normality.  Daisy decides that she is meant to live there and her life is where she is now.

How I Live Now (Response)

1. This is the second dystopian novel we have read this semester, following The Giver.  How I Live Now targets older readers, but how else is it different?  Compare and contrast these two works, thinking about the setting as you write.

·          In The Giver the protagonist of the story was a close teenage boy and in How I Live Now it’s a close to teenage girl.  The setting is very different because one is England and the other was more like a make believe place.  In How I Live Now the people from England are faced with a warlike going on around and they are forced to move to another place for protection.  In The Giver  the community is ran by leaders that decided what the people’s feelings and what happened in the community, therefore hate or negative feelings didn’t exist there.  Daisy and Jonah had similar objectives to reach a certain place.  Jonah planned his escape versus Daisy acted more of impulse because of the situation that around her at the time.

2. Identify one passage in Meg Rosoff’s how I live now that shows what makes this book unique in terms of the author’s writing style:

·          “It was getting like Walt Disney on Ecstasy outside the house what with squirrels and hedgehogs and deer wandering around with the ducks and dogs and chickens and goats and sheep and if anyone looked totally disoriented by this whole war thing it was them.” (pg. 53)

·          I feel that Meg Rosoff’s writing style is written in a way that will entertain her main audience which is teenagers and young adult.  The language she uses is not dramatically so sophisticated like other novels that sometimes cause boredom. 

3. Meg Rosoff got the idea for writing this novel while listening to this song, “Life During Wartime” by the Talking Heads.  Check out the lyrics and discuss the ways these inspired her:  http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/life-during-wartime-lyrics-talking-heads/967af7336a98b8d1482568b0002cc4ef

·          The lyrics talk about the life that people would live or go through will they lived to survive life during wartime.  In the case of Daisy, she moved to England to live with her Aunt Penn because in a way she was living wartime with her stepmother.  Then once in England, she faces wartime and was taken with Piper to Mrs. McEnvoy to live.  While being there, the females were put to work from sunlight to sundown.  Things get out of hand the night they kill Mayor M and Joe and they are forced to leave there to a barn where the army men, until the opportunity arises where Piper and Daisy escape.  They sleep during the day and travel during the night.  Some of the things that Daisy and Piper relate to how they lived while the war was going on and while they were on the run to get back home to Aunt Penn’s house.  They saw trucks with gun instead of vans like the lyrics state but almost the same.

4. Discuss the specific issue Daisy faces in this novel.  She doesn’t consider herself heroic.  Do you? Is this novel a Bildungsroman?  {A Bildungsroman means "coming of age" novel.}  Justify your answer with examples from the novel.

·          “We’d both been bitten by something or other in the night and it didn’t improve my mood to have a face covered in itching welts and wild hair and no toothbrush and also to feel so grubby from not having a bath in ages.  I was glad I was too thin to get my period because that would have pushed me over the edge.” (pg. 123)

·          “The temperature dropped fairly quickly now that it was September and although it wasn’t exactly cold, weren’t exactly SAS troops either and I didn’t think we should be stuck out without shelter so we stopped while there was still a little light and managed to tie the rope from a tree to a stick we jammed deep as possible into the ground like a peg, and hung the plastic over it and weighed the edges down with stones.” (pg. 122)

·          I don’t think she considers herself heroic because she doing what her heart was telling her although she always was watching out for Piper’s life and trying to reach their goal destination.  I would have to say that I would consider her heroic because she was still a kid and a city girl.  She wasn’t used to living in the suburb.  She learns to adapt to the wild life while on the run.  When she lived in the city, she wasn’t used to anything of this.  She adapted to sleeping outdoors, making fire and cooking with the little they had, and learning how to navigate on foot and with a compass.

5. Discuss the relationship that develops between Daisy and Edmond. Is this a love story? What happens to Edmond in the end?  What do you see happening next?

·          Daisy and Edmond develop and close bond at the beginning which day by day starts to become a more of love relationship.  I don’t think they meant for it to happen but things just got out of hands and couldn’t control their feelings towards each other.  I think that it is love story even though we might think it’s about the story about war and the survival.  At the end of the story Edmond is suffering because he suffered starvation and it’s believed that he witness the killing of the people at Gateshead, although he hasn’t come out and said it.  He hasn’t told his family how he survived after he and Isaac split and what made he become the way he is now.  Daisy states that her life is where she lives now, which is there with Isaac, Edmond, Piper and Jonathan, therefore I think that she is going to help Edmond recover from the tragedy he witnessed and they will live a couple.