Advice For Miss Wolff

I would let her know to give the students quizzes on the reading. This way you know if the student actually read the story or not. I would also tell her to try and make the stories interesting by relating it to other things. Getting in groups to discuss the story and present was helpful for me this year, so I would reccomend that as well. Lastly, I would reccomend for her to assign chapters every night for The Great Gatsby, All Quiet on the Western Front, and The Scarlet Letter. This way students can manage their time better.

Mark Twain's Wit

"A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar." Mark Twain

I like this quote because i completely agree with it. Everyone lies, and those who say they don't are lying even more. We are all born sinners, and will all die sinners. One who admits they are a liar is being truthful. One who denies it, is not. Looking at the quotes by Mark Twain, I appreciated his brutal honesty. He isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and I respect him for that. This quote does just that.

Whats good?

The answer is Harry Potter!!! I am in love with the Harry Potter movies. I hate to admit this but I haven't read the books yet. I'm not much of a reader and I can never find the time. I have tried to read the first book five times, but I always find that I can never finish it. I am dedicated to finishing the series over this summer though. If the books are anything as good as the movies I'll probably be even more addicted. I have seen all of the movies in theater, and I've even gone to a few opening night. I also own all the the movies. They never get old, and I know that I will always hold a special place for them in my heart, even as i get older. <3

Stories of the Quest for Civil Rights

One of my favorite stories about the quest for civil rights is The Freedom Writers Diary. There is also a movie about it. The book is about a teacher and 150 teens who used writing to change themselves and the world around them. The students recorder their thoughts and feelings in diaries and called themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.” This all started when their English teacher confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. The class then read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo. After reading the novels they had a different outlook on life. They voiced their opinions so others could have the chance to discover what they did. This reminds me of what Bessie did in Having our Say. She also voiced her opinion. Along with the "Freedom Writers" she made a difference and protested her beliefs.

The Sisters Connection to Harlem

On the website I read an article about the Universal Negro improvement Association. Marcus Garvey was the first African-American leader in history to oragnize masses of people in a political movement.   He decided to launch the Universal Negro Improvement Association with the goal of unifying "all the Negro peoples of the world into one great body and to establish a country and government absolutely on their own". This reminded me of what Bessie tried to do in Having Our Say. Bessie protested her views with no descretion. She was honest and fought for what she believed it. Her and Marcus Garvey had that in common. Even though she didn't have as much of an impact as he did, her voice was still important and made a diference.

 

Having My Say

Something I feel strongly about is drunk driving. I am against it 100%. Thousands of people die a year because of someone else's lack of self control. It's sad to think of all the families that have lost their love ones. People should be responsible. If they are going to drink more than they can handle, they should take a bus home or have a friend drive who is sober. One stupid mistake can lead to a lot of pain for many other people. Not to mention the guilt that the driver will deal with afterwards. No one should let one careless decision change the rest of their lives and many others. All they have to do is not drink and drive.

Expressions in Art

This picture shows how the whites viewed themselves as a greater race than the blacks. They wouldn't even face them when waiting for a bus. In "Having Our Say" the Delany sisters, because of their race, also had to face many prejudices. Bessie was the only African American in her dental school class and got accused of stealing dental instruments. In school the girls work was graded harsher because of their race. A paper that should have gotten and A, received an F. Bessie really strugged with forgiving the whites for what they did to her. They faced many prejudices, but in the end it made them stronger.